NORWICH – Nearly 10 months have passed since the City of Norwich adopted their long anticipated Rental Registration program, and while the majority of Landlords have registered their properties, those who haven’t may soon face a hit to their wallets.

On March 13, the City of Norwich Common Council passed an amendment to Chapter 50 of the City Code for minimum standards for housing, which included the adoption of the rental registry. The registry called for non-owner occupied or vacant rental dwelling units to participate in the registration. Landlords were asked to provide a name, address, and a telephone number where they could reached at all times. In addition, rental property owners were asked to provide a local contact to act on their behalf in the event they could not be reached.

According to City of Norwich Code Enforcement Officer Jason Lawrence and City Police and Fire Chief Joseph Angelino, the rental registration has been very successful so far. Of the approximately 820 rental properties in the City of Norwich – consisting of more than 2,100 rental units – 790 properties have been registered so far. Of those Lawrence explained, 260 structures are owner occupied and 530 are not.

“The keys to the rental registry were compliance with codes, contact information and minimum standards for housing,” Lawrence explained. “If there was an emergency or a problem, we didn’t know who to contact.”

Angelino explained that although roughly 20 to 30 properties have not yet been registered, he and Lawrence agreed that the problem does not lie with Norwich property owners, but with those who live outside the area. “There are still a large percentage (of rental dwellings) that are not owner occupied, and many of the owners live a great distance away. That’s one of the reasons we wanted the rental registry in the first place so we could contact them if there was a problem,” Angelino said. “There is no one in Norwich who has not registered.”