Rental inspections go smoothly

Jamesburg has received $5,010 in registration fees and $2,750 in inspection fees

By: Nick D’Amore
   JAMESBURG – Well within its first year of operation, the borough’s program to inspect all rental properties annually has been going smoothly.
   "By and large, everything has been pretty good," said Zoning Officer Bernie Long.
   "We haven’t run into any major problems."
   Last year, the borough passed an ordinance requiring landlords to maintain their properties in adherence with standards set by the Building Officials and Code Administrators property maintenance code. Included in the ordinance was the introduction of a $20 annual fee for landlords to register their property and a $10 fee to have their property inspected once a year by the borough zoning officer. So far, the borough has received $5,010 in registration fees and $2,750 in inspection fees, according to Finance Officer JoAnn Olenik.
   Mr. Long was appointed to fill the position after Jeff Axelrod’s term expired Dec. 31, 1999.
   There currently are 700 rental units in the borough, said Mr. Long. Since inspections began in February, he has inspected 50 to 60 percent of the rental properties.
   Among the safety requirements being checked by inspectors are smoke detectors, leaking pipes and external maintenance such as peeling paint, said Mr. Long.
   The borough wants the properties to "look good and be safe and healthy for tenants," said Mr. Long.
   The ordinance was met with protest from a number of landlords, one of whom, Robert Maglies, sued the borough.
   Mr. Maglies charged that the ordinance was unfair to renters because it only included rental properties, not owner-occupied properties.
   According to Mr. Long, he has not encountered any problems from landlords when inspecting their property.
   "By and large, they have been very cooperative, even friendly," he said.
   Some landlords are "terrified that I’m going to say, ‘Hey, there’s a nail hole in that wall. You need a new wall.’ "
   But, he said, "I’m not going to nit-pick. This is new to everyone."
   Mr. Long said the borough is trying to work with the landlords and give them "fair time" to repair any violations.
   If the property does have safety violations, the landlord gets a letter, detailing the violation and the time allowed to repair it, said Mr. Long.
   The amount of time depends on how dangerous the violation is.
   "If it’s something hazardous, it has to be fixed fast," he said.
   Though things have run smoothly so far, Mr. Long said that since it is the first year, there are still "bugs that need to be worked out."
   To remedy some of the bugs, the borough will be installing a commercial computer program in the next year, said Mr. Long, who does the inspecting, scheduling and follow-ups for the properties.
   "It writes violation letters and will kick out when properties need to be re-inspected," he said.