A sweeping rewrite of Columbia’s rental property rules is back before Borough Council tonight. It would create a formal “slumlord landlord” designation with escalating fines, license suspensions and revocations.
Council tabled the ordinance amending Chapters 112 and 166 of the borough code on Oct. 27. Tonight’s agenda calls for taking it off the table and authorizing it to be advertised, the step required before a final vote.
The draft replaces Chapter 166, “Rental Property,” in full. It also deletes Section 112-6(D). The draft says borough records show more disturbances at rental units than at owner-occupied homes, and that ordinance violations at owner-occupied homes are generally less severe.
The “slumlord” designation
Under the draft, a landlord would be labeled a slumlord landlord after three or more documented violations on one property, or seven or more across multiple properties, within a rolling year. Property maintenance violations, unaddressed nuisances and evictions under the tenant three-strikes rule would all count.
Penalties would build from there:
- Fines: an initial fine for each property involved, a fine for each violation, and a daily penalty for each day a violation goes uncorrected. Dollar amounts would be set later in a borough fee schedule.
- Suspension: if violations aren’t fixed 30 days after notice, the rental license for that property is suspended for at least 90 days.
- Second designation within 24 months: licenses for all of that landlord’s Columbia properties are suspended for at least 180 days.
- Third designation within 36 months: licenses for all the landlord’s Columbia properties are revoked for a full year.
Landlords would get written notice with at least 15 days to comply, and could appeal to Borough Council within 30 days.
Protection for tenants
If a rental is condemned because a landlord failed to keep it livable, the landlord would owe tenants relocation money, a full return of the security deposit (minus tenant-caused damage) and a refund of unused rent. Landlords who don’t pay within 30 days would face an extra fine for each tenant.
Three strikes for problem tenants
The draft also puts tenants on notice. A tenant responsible for a nuisance would get a written warning the first time. A second incident within 12 months brings a formal violation notice and 15 days to fix it. A third would require the landlord to start eviction proceedings under state law. Tenants could appeal to council within 15 days.
Those nuisance incidents would also count against the landlord toward a slumlord designation, unless the landlord can show they tried to deal with the tenant’s behavior before the third strike.
Two parking spaces per rental unit
The rewrite also requires two off-street parking spaces per rental unit on the property, including for homes converted to rentals and separately rented accessory units. The rule would apply only to rentals created, converted or substantially rehabilitated after the ordinance takes effect. Existing rentals would not have to add parking. The draft notes that parking rules are a zoning matter and would take effect only if adopted under the state zoning law’s procedures.
Violations of the parking rules could bring fines of $100 to $1,000 per offense, or denial or revocation of a rental license.
Tonight’s vote, if approved, would authorize advertising only. Adoption would come at a later meeting, giving landlords and tenants a chance to weigh in. The meeting is at 7 p.m. and will be livestreamed on the borough’s YouTube channel.