Landlords and Fees

By Editor at October 5, 2023 | 8:00 am | Print

When it comes to the debate about charging landlords fees, there are really two parts to it.

First, is adding $150 fee to landlords per unit. This fee makes absolutely no sense except as a reason to raise revenue.

Property owners are correct in saying it will cause renters to pay more money leading to less occupancy and a decrease in property value. This is not good for New Britain. It will cause more people to move out, less money for property owners to fix up their property and eventually lead to a bigger downfall of the City.

It may be a way of raising revenue without charging taxpayers, but overall taxpayers will pay one way or another.

No one wants ‘slumlords’ in New Britain. Even out of town property owners do not want ‘slumlords’. Not every person who owns property in New Britain is a ‘slumlord’. A slumlord, according to dictionary.com is “a landlord who owns slum buildings, especially one who fails to maintain or improve the buildings and charges tenants exorbitant rents.”

That word should be used by our City sparingly and properly.

The council needs to nip this proposal in the bud once and for all. Residents cannot afford to see the City tumble financially any more than it already is.

The second part of the debate, is ‘hot spots’. Hot spots are fees in which those who have police or fire calls more than a certain amount of times - let’s say 10 times in a year - pay up to $600 per call. There are very few of these and medical calls do not count.

This is a great idea if done properly. Landlords need to be careful to whom they rent. No one wants rowdy CCSU students or unruly tenants. Most landlords don’t want them any more than neighbors do. These landlords, and there are only a few, need to pay the costs associated with making a very poor decision over and over again. They need to put in their lease, perhaps, that if this happens that tenants can be evicted.

When it does happen, the landlords should be responsible. But, they should not take the responsibility alone. Tenants should pay 50 percent of the fee. The City should give both plenty of notice as to when they are nearing too many calls. This way, together they can remedy the situation before costs incur.

Charging the tenants and landlords both makes a lot of sense. It is the best way to stop a bad situation. Landlords need to take some responsibility as do the tenants.

However, no proposals by the City affecting landlords and residents should be made for the sole purpose of raising income. Instead, new rules should be put in place, that are meant to make New Britain a better place to live for everyone.

 

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