Landlords

Critics of a rental inspection program proposed in the Borough of Waynesboro urged the borough council Wednesday to scrap the initiative altogether. The proposed rental inspection ordinance would require landlords to register rental units. It would require inspections of those units by the municipality's inspector every year, every three years or every five years depending on past performance. The borough council heard from more than a half-dozen people against the proposed ordinance.

tarar@herald-mail.com HAGERSTOWN - The Landlords and Property Owners Association of Washington County on Thursday submitted to the City of Hagerstown a petition with 4,297 signatures in an attempt to take the city's rental registration ordinance to referendum. Thursday was the deadline to submit the petition, which is 407 pages long. The association needed at least 3,400 signatures of registered voters. The number of signatures needed is 20 percent of the city's registered voters.

Hagerstown Community College's Center for Continuing Education is offering two courses for landlords this spring. "The Business of Being a Landlord," taught by Joe Mullenax of Allegany Business Consulting, will focus on how to operate a rental property as a business and be profitable. Tax advantages for rental properties, implications of new tax laws, incorporation and record-keeping tips are among the topics that will be discussed. The class will be held Wednesday, May 31, from 6 to 9 p.m. in the HCC Valley Mall Center.

By KERRY LYNN FRALEY Staff Writer The couple renting the other side of your duplex hasn't paid rent in a while, so you figure it's your right to change the locks and find some new tenants. Better not, said Pat McMillan, director of the Washington County Community Housing Resource Board in Hagerstown. "You can't change locks. Eviction is not unilateral," said McMillan, who has found ignorance of things like eviction procedure at the root of many landlord-tenant disputes brought to her office.

It's only one house, but its tenants are driving some of their neighbors to City Hall and beyond. It's a brick house on North Locust Street in downtown Hagerstown, which is rented. Some neighbors say the tenants have drawn the trash, late night noise and traffic that are indicative of the illegal drug market moving into their residential neighborhood. Last week the Mayor and City Council members were presented with a petition signed by 33 residents of the surrounding neighborhood.

karenh@herald-mail.com Even the latest safety gadgets can't prevent a tragedy if they're not used properly. According to Mike Weller, life safety educator for the Hagerstown Fire Department, firefighters plan to spread that message each time they hand out a new smoke alarm this spring. The fire department is beginning an initiative to distribute new, long-lasting, lithium-operated detectors to landlords willing to enforce a safety contract with tenants. Weller said reminders about personal responsibility will be part of the campaign.

waynesboro@herald-mail.com WAYNESBORO, Pa. - A West King Street resident who started a Neighborhood Watch program last summer told the Waynesboro Borough Council Wednesday night that borough police did a good job clearing the area of illegal drug activity and violent crimes. Johnathan Cain, 28, of 107 W. King St., told the council that he fears a return of the problems again this summer because "They're getting out of jail and they're coming back. We're seeing the same things again.

scottb@herald-mail.com Most Hagerstown residents renting property interviewed Wednesday and Thursday said they oppose a proposed city landlord registration program, which landlords say could result in rent hikes. "Landlords charge too much as it is," Barry Wedlock said. "I think it's stupid," Annie Shumaker said. At its July 16 meeting, the Hagerstown City Council gave general approval to creation of the program, which is intended to help the city improve rental housing to prevent people from living in substandard apartments.

scottb@herald-mail.com A debate about whether the City of Hagerstown should adopt a rental registration program mirrors a disagreement about a similar program in Cumberland, Md., officials there said last week. If Hagerstown adopts the program, the Maryland Municipal League says, it will join at least 16 other Maryland cities, including Cumberland, Rockville, Gaithersburg, Salisbury and Annapolis, that have rental registration programs in which landlords are charged a fee that funds the programs.

By KERRY LYNN FRALEY Staff Writer Hagerstown landlord Dick Chaney doesn't have much good to say about Maryland's lead paint law. The law, approved by the General Assembly in 1995, already has cost him tens of thousands of dollars in window replacements, vinyl siding and other renovation work at two of his three rental buildings, Chaney said. But Maryland Department of the Environment officials and child advocates, citing the state's large percentage of older rental units and child lead poisoning rates nearly eight times the national average, say the law was sorely needed.

The Maryland Senate voted by the narrowest of margins this week to send a bill that aimed to address rental housing discrimination back to committee, effectively ending its chances of passing this year. Sen. Christopher B. Shank, R-Washington, who opposed the bill, said that downtown Hagerstown would have been negatively affected if the bill were to pass. According to the Associated Press, a primary focus of the measure was to prevent landlords from declining to rent to people who get government assistance for housing.

Critics of a rental inspection program proposed in the Borough of Waynesboro urged the borough council Wednesday to scrap the initiative altogether. The proposed rental inspection ordinance would require landlords to register rental units. It would require inspections of those units by the municipality's inspector every year, every three years or every five years depending on past performance. The borough council heard from more than a half-dozen people against the proposed ordinance.

A program that would mandate routine inspections of rental units in the Borough of Waynesboro could get fast-tracked Feb. 6 after spending years in development. The proposed rental inspection ordinance would require landlords to register rental units. It would require inspections of those units by the municipality's code enforcement officer every year, every three years or every five years depending on past performance. Included in the inspections would be evaluations of structural integrity, heating and plumbing systems, and weatherproofing.

The 200-year-old Boydville estate in Martinsburg, once spared from burning by direct order of Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, is on track to be sold to a Martinsburg landlord for $500,000. The Berkeley County Farmland Protection Board voted 3-1 Thursday to accept a purchase agreement with Jonathon T. Mann and his wife, Meagan, pending review with legal counsel for any possible amendments or other changes. Under terms of the agreement, Mann will be allowed to make $1,500 monthly payments over five years before paying off the remaining balance.

A Martinsburg landlord has offered to buy the 200-year-old Boydville estate in Martinsburg for $500,000 from the Berkeley County Farmland Protection Board. Jonathon T. Mann formally presented his offer Tuesday night to the farmland board during a special meeting.    The farmland board, which acquired the property for $2.25 million in 2005 to protect it from a proposed residential project, could vote on the proposal Thursday at its regular meeting. After hearing Mann's proposal and discussing it, the board opted to delay a vote on selling the property after newly appointed board member Matthew Barney requested time to tour the home.

The town of Williamsport is still considering a nuisance ordinance. The mayor and town council members on Monday reviewed a “property nuisance abatement” ordinance from Elkton in Cecil County, Md., as a possible guide, continuing a discussion from last month. Edward Kuczynski, Williamsport's town attorney, said the Elkton ordinance targets property owners and holds them responsible for the activities of people who rent from them. That would not affect what people do in public, Kuczynski noted - a problem that some council members hinted at, without specifics, during the discussion.

Hagerstown could learn something from Sweden To the editor: Hagerstown is not the only community that is grappling with the fates of their center cities. The following is an excerpt from my Swedish hometown newspaper, Helsingborgs Dagblad, that might contain some hints to apply to our own particular situation in Hagerstown. Fredrik Kolterjahn, a senior analyst who does much work analyzing shopping malls, was interviewed on the effects of malls on center city retail.

“There is apparently a new scam going on. Someone will call and tell you in very broken English that you’ve won cash and gift cards. ... It is usually a person that you cannot understand, and you have to ask them numerous times what they are saying, and then all of a sudden they will ask you for a credit card number, which you can understand very well. It comes up on your caller ID as 0, at least it did on mine. Don’t be caught in this trap, and most of all, keep your credit card in your pocket.

We want your story... Hey, young adult! Hey, young couple! Hey, family of any age! If the current economic conditions have forced you to move back home with mom and dad, or to cram in with another couple or another family for the time being ... Call staff writer Arnold Platou at 301-733-5131, ext. 2338, or send an e-mail to arnoldp@herald-mail.com for a possible story. WASHINGTON COUNTY -- This spring, Allan Johnson put a two-bedroom North Hagerstown apartment with off-street parking, basement laundry and furnished heat up for rent for $650 per month.

Free landlords workshop to be held in Martinsburg MARTINSBURG, W.Va. -- "What Every Landlord Needs to Know," a free workshop for landlords and property managers in the City of Martinsburg and the Eastern Panhandle, will be held on April 30 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Berkeley County Commission chambers at 400 W. Stephen St. The session will feature a local attorney and other speakers who are expected to address issues essential to...