Southfield — Ch. 103 Registration Requirements for Rental or Leased Dwellings § 8.504

Owners of rental dwellings shall register such dwellings with the department as provided in this chapter before they are rented or offered for rent. An owner shall register the rental dwelling with the department in order to be entitled to collect rent from tenants and occupants residing or located in the rental dwelling. A sublessor/sublease is subject to all the conditions aforementioned and acts as the responsible party charged with compliance in this chapter. (1)
Registration shall be on a form provided by the department. Required information shall include the name, address and telephone number of the owner and any managing agent or entity. For each individual owner or agent a driver's license number or State of Michigan identification number must be provided. The department may require any additional information as may be relevant and necessary to the proper implementation and enforcement of this chapter. The form must be signed by all owners and agents.
(2) The registration fee shall be paid at the time of application for registration. In the event a rental dwelling is not registered within the timeframes set forth in this section 8.504 , a late registration fee shall be assessed in the additional amount of one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) per month, per dwelling unit until the rental dwelling is registered and all fees paid. The administrative costs processing late rental registration so incurred by the city shall constitute a lien against the property and shall be the owner or sub-lessor of premises, as the case may be. If such charges are not paid within sixty (60) days after the bill for such charges is sent to the owner and/or sub-lessor, such charges may be collected in the manner provided in section 1.13 of the City Code.
(3) Once registration of the rental dwelling has been issued by the department, it shall remain in effect until a change of ownership and/or agency occurs with respect to the property.
(4) Any changes, at any time, in the information provided by an owner on a registration form must be submitted to the department in writing within thirty (30) days of the change.
(5) If an owner is a business entity, other than an individual, the names, address and telephone numbers of corporate officers, partners, members and managers as applicable to the form of the organization shall be listed. If such business entity has no substantial assets other than the rental dwelling to be registered and is controlled in whole or in part of by or more other business entities, then the name, address, driver's license numbers, and telephone numbers of those entities and their officers, partners, members and/or managers shall be listed.
(6) All rental dwellings existing at the effective date of this chapter shall be registered within ninety (90) days of the effective date of this chapter and such registration shall remain effective until a change or ownership or change of agent occurs.
(7) Any existing non-rental dwelling that is converted to a rental dwelling after the effective date of this chapter shall be registered prior to the date on which the property is first occupied for rental purposes.
(8) All other rental dwellings shall be registered prior to any use or occupancy as a rental dwelling.
(9) A new owner shall register a rental dwelling which has been sold, transferred or conveyed to such new owner within thirty (30) days after the date of the sale, transfer, or conveyance. Any existing certificate of rental compliance for the new owner's rental dwelling shall be transferred to the new owner and shall be valid until its expiration or revocation.
(10) After the registration of each rental dwelling, the code official or his or her designee may, in his or her discretion, place such dwelling on a schedule of inspections for certificates of rental compliance that allows the administrative burden of the department to be evenly spread from year to year.
(11) The owner of a rental shall provide the city with contact information for the owner or the owner's designee who is responsible for responding to complaints in a timely manner in person, over the phone or by e-mail at any time of day before offering a rental within the city.
(12) If the property is owned by a person other than an individual and/or the owner is located more than thirty (30) miles away, a local property management company shall be contracted to perform weekly inspections to verify that the requirements of this section and any other applicable laws are being met and obey the following:
a. The property shall be posted with the name and twenty-four-hour contact telephone number of a property management company located within thirty (30) miles of the subject property.
b. The city-provided posting shall contain, along with the name and twenty-four-hour contact number, the words: "THIS PROPERTY MANAGED BY:___________."
c. The posting shall be placed on the interior of a window facing the street to the front of the property so it is visible from the street or secured to the exterior of the building structure facing the street to the front of the property so that it is visible from the street, or, if no such area exists, on a stake of sufficient size to support the posting in a location that is visible from the street to the front of the property, but not readily accessible to vandals.
d. The local property management company shall inspect the property at least on a weekly basis to determine if the property is in compliance with the requirements of this section, shall create and maintain a written record of the inspections and provide written notice to the owner, any person registered as responsible for the care and control of the property and the township of any areas of noncompliance.
(13) In addition to the information required above, the owner shall provide to the city the name and contact information of a person/management company designated as an emergency contact. In the event of an emergency, the emergency contact is required to report to the short-term rental within one (1) hour of being contacted.
(14) The owner shall notify the city, in writing, of all changes in the contact information required by this section, not less than ten (10) days prior to the effective date of the change.
(15) The city administrator or his/her designee shall develop the necessary forms and/or database necessary to implement this section.