Chairman of the City of Parkersburg Municipal Planning Commission Charlie Matthews listens while City Planner Calaya Rake discusses a proposed ordinance Friday. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

PARKERSBURG — The City of Parkersburg is looking at creating rules and guidelines to establish and enforce standards for safe rental properties within the city.

The Parkersburg Municipal Planning Commission approved a proposed ordinance, Article 1764, for amending the city’s municipal code to establish provisions for the regulation and inspection of residential rental units during a meeting Friday.

City Planner Calaya Rake said estimates are that the city has around 3,500 rental units within municipal limits.

The City of Parkersburg has the majority of rental units in the county, she said, adding that many of the rental units are currently occupied.

“The market is mostly full,” Rake said. “It is really competitive for someone to find a place to live.”

The city’s Code Division has encountered situations where the condition of rental units has raised concerns related to safety, maintenance and habitability, including fire hazards, possible structural deficiencies and other issues regarding inadequate living conditions, she said.

“We need to make sure these rental units are safe,” Rake said. “Rental housing really plays an important role in providing a diverse housing option for residents.”

The proposed ordinance details requirements people who own rental properties would be expected to follow in regards to its applicability; registration by property owners and obtaining a certificate of occupancy; penalties for providing false information and failure to register; landlord responsibilities and inspection requirements; other basis for inspections and reinspections; and more.

“We have devised a proactive approach to code enforcement which would improve the quality of this housing,” Rake said. “It would create a certified certificate of occupancy that we have so many units in the city of Parkersburg that are safe and compliant.

“(Renters) will know they are making a good choice and the rent they are paying will be for a safe and compliant home.”

The provision called for units to be inspected within 120 days after the article is passed by Parkersburg City Council and a landlord would be in possession of a valid residential rental unit license (which includes a $25 per unit fee). Commissioner John Reed clarified the 120 days would be used as a time frame for landlords to register and then have the inspections done afterwards within a two-year period.

Chief Code Official Andy Nestor hopes their office would be inundated with a lot of registrations in the beginning and then he can get his people scheduling inspections. He felt one person would be doing seven inspections a day for initial inspections which does not count any followups.

“It is going to be a long process,” he said, adding he hoped they could get the initial inspections done within a year.

City Development Director Ryan Barber said there were 15 cities in West Virginia with ordinances dealing with rental properties, with Martinsburg having one for 20 years and Morgantown for 30 years.

“No city has achieved 100% registration nor compliance and I don’t think people will expect that in the first two years,” he said. “I think if this ordinance had passed here 15 years ago the quality of our housing would be better today because of it.”

Property owner Alisa Prince asked about landlords who have multiple units if they will be slowed down in getting inspections done as well as the number of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors required throughout a rental unit based on the wording of the ordinance.

Property owner Lynn Dodrill detailed a number of issues he has had to deal with where people have damaged things within the unit that due to federal regulations regarding homes with federal HUD (Housing and Urban Development) requirements he is required to pay for and fix. He talked about the disregard some people have for the property and damages they have caused that he has to deal with. He talked about tenants who were evicted and who purposely caused damage to the unit before leaving that he has to pay for. He has had others who do not tell him about maintenance needs which causes issues.

Dodrill said he no longer participates in HUD programs because “there are too many regulations.”

“Overall, the homeowners who have rental property within our city do a wonderful job,” he said. “I don’t think we need additional complications and additional expenses to keep our units in good shape.”

He feels these additional regulations will end up costing owners more which will also cost renters more.

“I don’t think we need more regulations in Parkersburg,” he said.

Commissioner Eric Gumm said he has a house he rents and feels a lot of what is being proposed is “long overdue and well intended.”

“We need to make the distinction between what we are trying to do with this is not going to be a substitute for failure to screen your applicants before you rent to them or failure to conduct your own inspections and keep an eye on your own properties and not let things get out of hand,” he said. “I think what we have here (the proposal) is pretty good.”

Before being sent to council for final approval, the commission agreed to send the proposal to the Building Code Appeal Board to have a public hearing with any possible changes made by the board referred back to the planning commission.

Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com.