"The City is not about to start inspecting owner-occupied units. "

Why not?

Mark, I alone with probably most people agree with you that all properties should be inspected for health and safety. If you only say you want to inspect rental houses then are you saying the city only cares for renters and not their own citizens? Why not inspect every house so that everyone is safe?

Do you agree?

First, reports of health code violations can be referred to either the City or County for action. Just because there is no regularly scheduled inspection doesn't mean you have to tolerate someone with the equivalent of a landfill next door.

Second, allowing government employees into my [owner occupied] private property just because they want to snoop around for "health and safety" issues? I don't think so. There is already way too much intrusion without me being forced to open my door for a little "inspection". Hell, the police can't even come in if they don't have a search warrant.

Third, rental properties, in my mind, are a bit different. They represent a "for profit" enterprise and other human beings are paying for a safe and habitable shelter. This is akin, in my view, to the periodic restaurant inspections for health code violations. However, forcing the landlord to pay for these inspections is another story. If the City wants to roll this into their registration fee or something, fine.

I could go on and on...but you get my point. Let the markets work.

Ken I think you are right on our first two point. However when it gets to rental properties you want to mix it up with what is a "for profit" enterprise. If I'm not mistaken, every homeowner purchases a house thinking they are going to make a profit. Nobody would buy a house in the top of the market if they knew they would lose money.

I am all for property inspection. But why is it ok for the inspection police to come into a renters house? They certainly are the same citizens of college park and dont like the extra intrusion. There are more laws against landlords to make sure that places are safe and in addition isn't it possible for renters to sue landlords if their place is not kept in shape?

So try being a little empathetic and putting yourself in a landlord/renters shoes and see if you would really want the inspection police doing nothing but harrassing you.

Hard to argue with logic?

Class envy trumps logic I see

The landlord is running a for profit business... a bit different from getting equity out of your HOME 30 years after you buy it and live in it for the primary purpose of living it and raising a family.

The inspections are a form of consumer protection for the renters. As Ken said... just like Health Inspections are a consumer protection for customers at restaurants bars and stores that sell food. I guess you would want to get rid of OSHA all together and go back to the old Triangle Shirtwaist Factory days when the govt. did NOTHING to protect the citizens.

Jon, If you do not like the rules of being a landlord in College Park... why don't you stop being a landlord in College Park!!!

Pam... nice one

Jon-you are a venomous, narcissistic loser! Class envy? If you were so well off, you wouldn't be renting your Mom's old house in CP and being a snake of a slumlord trying to cut corners at the expense of others. Sell your house and go back to Chevy Chase a-hole. We don't want you here which I'm sure is true of most if not everywhere you go. Go back in the hole you came from rich guy!

Do any of you wonder why only 4 states have rent control laws and in those states it has never worked? It always ends up backfiring. So why so insistant on controling the evil landlords when its only going to hurt your city in the long run?

Rick, once again your claim doesn't make any sense. You say "Homeowners are inclined to keep their properties better then tenants" Good, if this is true then let the city inspectors check out every home to make sure EVERYONE is safe, not just tenants. I dont know if you know the law but YOUR city inspectors check EVERY rental house to make sure there are NO violations of the code. And I am fine with that. Just wondering why you would be against making sure every house in college park is safe. Oh thats right, you only care about the students...

Jon - please explain to us non landlords how you are paying DOUBLE taxes? That claim seems outrageous and in fact a fabrication. The only difference in taxes on our properties is that you DO NOT get the MD HOMESTEAD CREDIT on your income properties. BUT - you do (or should) receive this on your primary residence. That sir, is a MD law, not a CP law. That is a fair law laid out by the state granting homeowners who live in their primary residence a break on property taxes as THEY are the ones paying their monthly mortgage, not RENTERS. Aside from the tax issue, I found 3 more charges landlords have to pay the city and they seem paltry. $235 (for a single family home) yearly for a Residential Occupancy Permit, $30 for a Rent Stabilization Registration Fee and $180 for trash pick up. Just a note that these inspections that you claim you are charged for are FREE provided it is available at a scheduled time (a $50 fee is charged if you break the appointment). So if you are claiming that an extra $445 a year prevents you from making a profit (or at least earning equity without money from your pocket), then you sir are a bad business man.

Just for shits and giggles, I did a little searching and found that the average difference in taxes is less than $1000. No where near the DOUBLE you claim. I found 2 houses on my block - one rental and one owned - the rental was assessed at about 1k more and there was about a $900 differences in their taxes. How's that for math Mr. Gulbuny?

@ Rick - you might need another roommate as the low rent control is topped out at $2522!! If you were going to spend over $1000 a room you might as well just move into a new highrise and avoid the shithole neighborhood where families live!!!

Well said Pam & Rick! Joan, sorry, Jon...we are on the edge of our seats, anxiously awaiting yet another arrogant/uninformed response from you. Just kidding. :) You know I respect you deeply...it's clear that you are an invaluable asset to our community(even though you probably live in Capitol Heights or somewhere else in your parent's basement)...we should all be so fortunate to receive more of your seemingly limitless guidance and wisdom. I would love to check your place out and more importantly have a face-to-face with you to bask in your greatness in hopes to aspire to get my home out of the 95% realm of shite homes here in CP. I know this may sound sarcastic, but it's true...I'm really proud and honored to converse with you. Quite impressive you are despite having an IQ below 75. Keep up the good work buddy...I got your back and be sure to keep that helmet on!

Nice one Peter, Pam and Rick. Take personal attacks on a person you dont know because you can't argue the facts. I really dont know what you think I ever said that was "arrogant" or "uniformed" You have been the ones that try to paint a negative picture of me for whatever personal reason you hate landlords.

Facts are, either you support making every citizen in college park safe with inspections or you dont. The only thing I got from you is that when its your house you do not approve, but if its an evil landlord you are 100% for it. Am I right?

Really? I am pretty sure I have given you a TON of facts and proved that you have lied about the homestead tax. As for arrogant, how about the fact that you claim you are of a higher class and claim that our neighborhood consists of a bunch of shitholes. Wait, that makes you uninformed as well. I do not hate landlords. Not in the least. I in fact rented from a great landlord for many years before purchasing a home. I dislike slumlords. And I dislike out of town landlords trying to undermine resident homeowners by supporting bills that support them and not the community as a whole. I think your reading glasses need an upgrade as you clearly have missed a ton of facts that have been presented to you. And you might need reading comprehension lessons as there is a clear difference between owner occupant homes and rental properties. Owner occupants are liable for their mistakes. Landlords should be liable for theirs, but if inspections are not provided, laws in place and codes enforced the city could take a hit on the irresponsibility of some landlords. Hence as home owners it's in our best interest to be in favor of such inspections. Please sleep on this before you respond so maybe next time you make more sense.

Why are you still continuing with the personal insults?

Lets address each one of your "facts" one at a time so that you can respond to them in a logical manner and not just shoot personal insults how you hate me.

Fact: I comply with all laws of YOUR city
Fact: Shitholes-Go check out lakeland and ms-13 gangland by rhode island ave
Fact: "I do not hate landlords. Not in the least. I dislike slumlords." I'm not a slumlord so why do you hate me?
Fact: "I dislike out of town landlords trying to undermine resident homeowners..." Ok so you should also kick out every other business in College Park that doesn't have an owner that physically lives in the city right?
Fact: "I think your reading glasses need an upgrade" I got laser eye surgery soooo nope not even right about that
Fact: "clearly have missed a ton of facts that have been presented to you" I AGREE HERE!!

This is the best of your 3rd grade and obviously uneducated tirade:

"owner occupants are liable for their mistakes. Landlords should be liable for theirs..." HUH? So if someone gets hurt in a rental house the landlord is NOT liable? AWSOME!

But it gets better.."but if inspections are not provided, laws in place and codes enforced the city could take a hit on the irresponsibility of some landlords. "

So the city is now responsible for landlords mistakes/negligence? Really? Talk to me about facts when you figure out how the law works and when you can stop just spewing your biased bs.

ha. you continue to be delusional. dispute your lies where you said you pay double property taxes and where you have to pay for inspections? you are now the one spewing personal attacks and not even mentioning the facts I have previously laid out. "I hate landlords and you" is not a fact dumbass. And your logic about out of town business owners is not relevant - they pay to have their business here. Who has the third grade education now that you cannot distinguish between facts and opinions? You honestly are not worth my time anymore. Keep spewing your hate for the government and residents of a city for which you do not even reside. I will sleep happy knowing that you cannot and will not have an actual say when the ballots are presented. :)

I paid double property taxes - why can't you figure that out. If your house "value" doubles you dont pay double taxes - you pay a minor increase. I get hit with the DOUBLE amount.

And I do care about the city I grew up in and went to college in. The difference is that I know that the gov is not the solution and really just the problem.

Let me ask you this oh wise one... What is your best case? That all landlords sell? What happens then? Will the city be better or worse? Or have you not thought that far?

I know you hate my "facts" cause you are smarter then me and know everything. But how about this:

"Economists are virtually unanimous in the conclusion that rent control is destructive. In a poll of American economists in the late seventies, 98 percent agreed that "a ceiling on rents reduces the quantity and quality of housing available." The agreement cuts across the usual political spectrum, ranging all the way from Nobel Prize winners Milton Friedman and Friedrich Hayek on the "right" to their fellow Nobel Laureate Gunnar Myrdal on the "left." Swedish economist (and socialist) Assar Lindbeck asserted: "In many cases rent control appears to be the most efficient technique presently known to destroy a city—except for bombing."

Go ahead

Being on the fence I gotta agree with Jon Gulbuny. Pamela you are out of line here and your personal attacks do not help your argument. I want to sell my house soon and do not want it to be undervalued because the city is taking a personal attack on landlords.

First-ROY-I am the one personally attacking not all landlords, just one-get a clue and stay out of this please before you can comprehend the facts and who exactly is saying what. Pamela is not personally attacking landlords at all, just Jon and his continual misrepresentation of the facts and as a homeowner, you should choose sides carefully. Jon and other landlords run a for-profit business renting out their homes and therefore should be held to different standards/taxes like every other business. Additionally, regarding inspections, Jon's argument that all homes should have to be inspected is ludacris-if you choose to not install smoke detectors in your house for example and your house burns down and someone is hurt...sorry...but that's on you-if it happens in your rental property and a tenant is hurt, you are liable and should be held personally/criminally responsible/negligent.

By the way, you got served Gulbunny and continue to and embarrass yourself. If you truly had Lasik surgery and it was effective, you could clearly see and understand that I am the one who is personally attacking you...so I'll have to go with the fact that you at best, have the IQ of a 3rd grader who has difficulty navigating between fact and fantasy while not coming across as an absolute d-wad. Do yourself a favor, get a life or something and stop continually confirming that you are a complete clown! :-)'"

Pete(r) I can debete this with you above your 3rd grade personal attacks.

Just tell me this:

1. How did I misrepresent the facts?
2. How do you know I'm making a profit - especially after this rent control law? And if I was why is that bad?
3. Does every other business have laws capping the amount they can charge their customers? YES OR NO???
4. Your argument about personal responsiblity proves my point. You say when you dont install smoke detectors in your house and it burns down and kills your kids its on you. But if I was a landlord then I should be treated to a different standard and should be held personally (which I would be), criminally (which I would be) responsible/negligent. So why shouldn't you be negligent you asshole for not installing smoke detectors to save your kids??
5. If you truly had Lasik surgery...blah...blah...blah...I am the one who is personally attacking you. Um, shouldn't you be asking yourself about your fact and fantasy world? So you are admitting to a split personality and then saying that I have a difficultly navigating between fact and fantasy while not coming across as an absolute d-wad?? Huh? Too bad you can't use your real name so that you can be embarrassed tomorrow when you re-read what you actually say!

Pam/Pete it just seems like you are unhappy with landlords. Maybe you have justification. Maybe not. Thats not for me to decide. But instead of taking personal shots against John maybe you should refute what he says using facts instead of just calling him names. Thats all I want to add

Thank you Roy. At least someone else in the city can have a rational discussion. I'm glad that not everyone in the city is as shallow and jealous as some of the people that have commented today.

Pete gots pwned!! ROTATE!

Finally...if the goal of the inspections is to keep people safe lets keep all citzens safe. Dont be narrow minded and say you are concerned for the safety of your neighbors if you only want some of them to be safe using inspections. Some of you must be logical and understand the a/b conversation.

And btw, I'm 100% for inspections for my rental property...why would any citizen not want that inspection to keep them safer? hmmm

"Actually she hasn't had any facts or truths as in apparent by our discussion (read above) You are calling me a jerk only because your fiancee is getting railed (literally) by facts and can't defend herself so you came to her rescue. Very noble sir for trying to defend her honor."

Wow - Jon. I have had plenty of facts. You just don't want to admit them. You will NEVER pay double the taxes of residents. NEVER. Re-read the act. Also, YOU GET THAT CREDIT ALREADY AT YOUR HOME. Why do you deserve it twice?

As for getting railed? No sir, that is you. You are just too naive to admit it. You cannot understand that there are laws and that you must abide by them. I can defend myself fine. He just hates assholes.

FACT:

Pamela Torro
3:20pm on Thursday, May 12, 2011

Jon - please explain to us non landlords how you are paying DOUBLE taxes? That claim seems outrageous and in fact a fabrication. The only difference in taxes on our properties is that you DO NOT get the MD HOMESTEAD CREDIT on your income properties. BUT - you do (or should) receive this on your primary residence. That sir, is a MD law, not a CP law. That is a fair law laid out by the state granting homeowners who live in their primary residence a break on property taxes as THEY are the ones paying their monthly mortgage, not RENTERS. Aside from the tax issue, I found 3 more charges landlords have to pay the city and they seem paltry. $235 (for a single family home) yearly for a Residential Occupancy Permit, $30 for a Rent Stabilization Registration Fee and $180 for trash pick up. Just a note that these inspections that you claim you are charged for are FREE provided it is available at a scheduled time (a $50 fee is charged if you break the appointment). So if you are claiming that an extra $445 a year prevents you from making a profit (or at least earning equity without money from your pocket), then you sir are a bad business man.

I dont want to call you any names but its getting old trying to explain to you how this works...
"Wow - Jon. I have had plenty of facts. You just don't want to admit them. You will NEVER pay double the taxes of residents. NEVER. Re-read the act. Also, YOU GET THAT CREDIT ALREADY AT YOUR HOME. Why do you deserve it twice?"

TAX. NOT CREDIT. Again its hard to explain to someone who gets money from the gov instead of giving it.

If my property tax in 2005 is $2k and then in 2006 it is $4k that is called "doubling" Right? That happens because assessments increase and non-primary homeowners pay 100% of that increase. YOU DONT. So yes I pay DOUBLE. I dont know how many times I have to explain this to someone that probably doesnt even own a home.

Its interesting that you say "You cannot understand that there are laws and that you must abide by them" Can you tell me ANY law that I have broken? Nope. Go read all my posts and you will see that I will abide by all laws. So why would you continue to make up your own facts (perhaps you have no real argument except you are mad at landlords??)

"I can defend myself fine. He just hates assholes"

Why am I an asshole? Cause I dont attack you personally and try to have a rational discussion?

And with that I am done. If you still want to claim double, we can agree to disagree. If you still want to blame all person attacks on me and not take credit for yours, we can agree to disagree. Have a nice day Mr. Gulbuny.

Richard in College Park - you make a great point. Rent control was enacted in the city in 2005. That was over a year before the market crashed. Anyone who wanted out of this law had ample opportunity to do do.

"WOW!!! Jon that is a super current poll that was done... late seventies or wait... 1990!!! We should all make decisions on opinions given when information that was gathered somewhere between when Jimmy Carter and George H. W. Bush was in office!!! Way to stay current on a topic."

OMG Rick you are so right. Thing have changed so much that not all of the economist have changed their positions! Its effing amazing! Good point - I would have never thought of polling recent people.

(I can provide about 10 sources within the last 2 years saying the same thing) didn't want to embarasse you though

Rick, how about you do the work. Show me 1 economist or perhaps ANYONE who thinks rent control will do good for the city.

I bet you wont cause you dont care - you only care about hating on the landlords. Instead of being logical and trying to find out why you hate them you just go down that road of illogical bs. So eff you and good luck.

Rick, your lack of logic shows. You should pay to some god that will help you.

CB
I was recently relocated out of state for another job. I decided to rent my house knowing that I may have to return to College Park in two to three years. As an owner/landlord, I don't mind that I have to abide by the city's required annual inspections. I think this prevents having slumlords in College Park. I initially had a concern renting out to students for fear of my property becoming a frat house. But when I finally found four good grad students, they told me that the reason they wanted to rent my house was the fact that it was clean and in good condition. The other houses they looked at for rent in the College Park area was in horrible condition. I've since inspected my home and found that the house was still in good condition. Why? - because the tenants knew that they had a landlord that took care of the property and knew that inspectors would come in to do an annual inspection - therefore, they wanted to make sure that the house was kept in good and a safe living environment. Maybe I'm just lucky, but there's a reason for these regulations. Besides, I can write off theses costs on my rental expenses. So whoever was part of this petition, get over it and deal with it.