[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of the Township
of West Manheim as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted
where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Taxation — See Ch. 242.
[Adopted 11-2-2006 by Ord. No. 4-2006]
This article shall be known as and may be cited as the "West
Manheim Township Landlord Reporting Ordinance."
This article is enacted to provide for the uniform and equitable
distribution of the tax levies in West Manheim Township and upon the
inhabitants thereof and to promote the health, safety, morals and
general welfare of the inhabitants of the Township.
For the purposes of this article, the following words shall
have the meanings ascribed to them in this section:
A parcel of real estate, with or without improvements located
thereon, utilized by any person or persons for any commercial activity
or purpose.
One or more rooms used for living and sleeping purposes arranged
for occupancy by one family or by one or more persons.
A lessor, or person who acts as agent for the lessor, of
any parcel of real estate located in West Manheim Township, or a lessor,
or person who acts as agent for the lessor, of any improvements on
real estate or any building located in West Manheim Township.
Any individual, partnership, association, corporation or
firm.
Any building, structure, mobile home, mobile home pad, campsite
or parcel of land in the Township, in whole or in part, occupied for
dwelling purposes or used as a residence by any individual other than
any individual owning such property or any minor child of such individual
owner.
A person who has the use, either by himself or with others,
of a dwelling unit or a business unit owned by a person other than
himself, for a period exceeding 30 days.
Within 30 days from the effective date of this article, each
person owning rental property within West Manheim Township shall provide
the following information, in writing, to the Township Secretary:
A.
A list of the dwelling units and business units owned by the landlord
and located within West Manheim Township, whether occupied or unoccupied;
B.
The physical address of each such rental property;
C.
A brief description of each such rental property;
D.
Whether or not said rental property is inhabited or otherwise utilized
by tenants;
E.
The name of all tenants inhabiting or utilizing each rental property.
After the effective date of this article, any person who becomes a landlord of any parcel of real estate or any improvement on real estate or building located within West Manheim Township by agreement of sale, by deed, or by any other means, shall, within 30 days thereafter, report to the Township Secretary the information and data set forth in § 200-4 above.
After the effective date of this article, each and every landlord
within West Manheim Township shall report to the Township Secretary,
in writing, any change in the use or occupancy of any rental property
owned by such landlord. The reported change shall include the name
or names of new tenants of such rental property, the date when such
change was effected, and the forwarding address of the old tenant/tenants
if known. A landlord of a hotel, inn or boardinghouse shall not be
required to report a person as a "tenant" until that person has resided
in such landlord's establishment for a period exceeding 30 days.
In the event of a previously occupied rental property becoming vacant,
this change shall also be reported to the Township Secretary. All
reports as required by this section shall be made within 30 days after
a landlord has knowledge that such a unit has had a change in occupancy
or has become vacant.
The West Manheim Township Secretary, under the authority of
this article, shall maintain on file at the Township office the names
of the landlords owning rental properties within the Township, said
list to include the names of the current tenants.
Any person who violates or permits a violation of this article
shall, upon conviction in a summary proceeding brought before a Magisterial
District Judge under the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure,
be guilty of a summary offense and shall be punishable by a fine of
not more than $1,000, plus costs of prosecution. In default of payment
thereof, the defendant may be sentenced to imprisonment for a term
not exceeding 90 days. Each day or portion thereof that such violation
continues or is permitted to continue shall constitute a separate
offense, and each section of this article that is violated shall also
constitute a separate offense.
