Marilyn Hackett: Vermont Needs a Rental Registry
The following is from Marilyn Hackett, a member of the Progressive Party Communications Committee
Immediate housing for people who are homeless, low or middle income, and among the most vulnerable Vermonters? Of course! But while we're at it, why not go for decent existing housing? A state-wide rental registry which would set and enforce safety standards in current rentals has been sidelined again.
Instead of requiring landlords to list their rental units, including contact information and inspections for code compliance, the measure has been reduced to a $25,000 study. Vermont House sponsor Tom Stevens recently said he believes Governor Phil Scott would probably veto even that, so it would be on the table with other vetoed bills.
It is a move which leaves Vermont communities which do not have their own enforcement codes with less protection. According to the state's Department of Public Safety, an estimated 55,000 units in municipalities around the state have little to no inspections. Unpaid, volunteer health officers with no formal training may investigate complaints. Establishment of a Rental Registry was also sent back for study in the last Legislative session.
Legislators who felt the registry should be included in this session's housing bill, argued it would inform the body's decisions. The registry would help them and potential tenants know where current housing is and where public spending is needed.
The plan was to have the registry up and running by July 1, 2023. A $35 per unit fee paid by landlords would increase state revenue by $840,000, according to the Vermont Legislative Joint Fiscal Office. By 2024, that figure would rise to approximately $1.05 million. The program, initiated with a $400,000 start-up cost, would continue to be self-funded.
The bill calls for the addition of five new employees to the Vermont Division of Fire Safety. The state would be tasked with health and safety code inspections and record keeping. Currently only 13 communities have their own codes, usually with stricter health and safety standards. They include Barre, Bennington, Brattleboro, Brandon, Burlington, Lyndon, Montpelier, New Haven, Richford, Rutland city and town, St. Johnsbury, and Winooski.
Procrastination is taking its toll. Aging housing stock in Vermont is more than twice the national average. According to 2021 U.S. Census figures, 28 percent of Vermonters rent their homes. The average home is 48 years old and a quarter were built before 1939.
Renters' rights groups have sought a registry for decades. Gov. Scott's administration has rejected the idea, predicting that millions of dollars would be necessary to retain the registry. The Agency of Digital Services estimates it would cost up to $10 million to initiate and $5 million a year to maintain. Bill sponsor Stevens, chair of the House Committee on Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs, called the administration's estimate "extraordinarily high."
If only this year's study is authorized, a report is expected by January 2024.
