Dearborn Heights — Ch. 7 Art. IX Div. 10 Registration and Inspection of All Rental Dwellings § 7-621

(a) Certificate of compliance required. Rental dwellings shall not be occupied without a rental dwelling certificate of compliance or a temporary rental dwelling certificate of compliance.
(b) Issuance of certificate of compliance. The building department shall issue a rental dwelling certificate of compliance for a rental dwelling after the director of the building department finds that the rental dwelling, its units and accessory structures and yards comply with the standards set forth in the currently adopted codes, i.e., building code, the mechanical code, the plumbing code, the electrical code, and the property maintenance code.
(c) Temporary certificate authorized. Where a rental dwelling certificate of compliance is required, the building department may issue a temporary rental dwelling certificate of compliance for the following reasons only:
(1) To enable the city to balance compliance inspection work loads; or,
(2) To coincide with compliance time periods set forth in a notice citing violations of this article if such periods extend beyond the expiration date of a certificate.
Provided, however, no temporary certificate of compliance shall be issued if there are significant health and safety defects present on the premises constituting an imminent danger to life, health or property.
(d) Validity of certificate of compliance. A rental dwelling certificate of compliance shall be valid for three (3) years for all rental units, unless suspended as set forth below. The building department director may authorize up to eight (8) additional months on the certificate of a dwelling for the sole purpose of balancing inspection workloads for the city.
(e) Expiration of certificate of compliance. Rental dwelling certificates of compliance and temporary rental dwelling certificates of compliance may not be extended beyond their expiration dates except as may be permitted in subsection (c) or (d) above to enable the department of building to balance inspection workloads.
(f) Length of time certificate of compliance is valid. Any new rental dwelling certificate of compliance issued to an owner for a dwelling shall have an expiration date three (3) years from the date of issuance, except that if a temporary rental dwelling certificate has been previously issued, the certificate shall expire three years from the date the temporary certificate was issued.
(g) Suspension of certificate of compliance. The building department director shall suspend a rental dwelling certificate of compliance if the owner or responsible local agent has not complied with a complaint notice. The building department director shall issue a notice of suspended certification to the owner or responsible local agent. The notice of suspended certification will inform the owner or responsible local agent:
(1) That the rental dwelling certificate of compliance has been suspended as of the date of the notice.
(2) Of the reason for the suspension.
(3) That it is unlawful for any rental unit to continue to be occupied for more than six (6) days after the date of suspension of the rental dwelling certificate of compliance.
(4) That any rental unit which is vacant at the time of suspension or which becomes vacant during the period of suspension shall not be rented or reoccupied until the rental dwelling certificate of compliance is reinstated or a new rental dwelling certificate of compliance is issued.
Failure to comply with the terms of suspension as set out in this subsection shall be a violation of this article.
(h) Reinstatement of suspended certificate of compliance. A suspended rental dwelling certificate of compliance shall be reinstated if the building department director determines that a rental dwelling has been brought into compliance with the standards of this article. The city shall notify the owner or responsible agent by regular mail, noting the reinstatement of the rental dwelling certificate of compliance. Reinstatement of the certificate shall not extend or change the expiration date of the certificate. A reinstatement fee and all inspection fees and amounts to be determined by the city council shall be paid by the owner prior to reinstatement of the certificate.
(i) Appeal. Suspension of a rental dwelling certificate of compliance may be appealed to the building board of appeals as provided for in article II of this chapter.
(j) Notifying tenants of suspended certificate. The city shall send a copy of a notice of suspended certificate to each dwelling unit within a certified rental dwelling. The copy shall be addressed to occupant and shall be sent by regular mail. Failure of an occupant to receive a copy shall not invalidate any other proceedings authorized by this article.