For Immediate Release: 3/22/2024 3:27 pm
WORCESTER, Mass. – The City of Worcester on Saturday, March 9, 2024, launched its Rental Registry Program, which requires any person who owns a property that is rented for any lawful purpose for any period to register each unit with the municipality. This includes residential, commercial, and industrial properties, and vacant lots that are rented for any purpose. The deadline to register for the program is April 30.
The rental registry will provide the municipality with a greater overview of the overall rental housing stock in the city (informing future investments) and will provide contact information for property owners—allowing the municipality to contact owners when there is an emergency, violation, or other issues related to a rental property. The program’s number one goal is to help protect the health, safety, and welfare of all tenants in residential rental units by ensuring compliance with the State Sanitary and Building Codes, as well as other applicable local ordinances.
The rental registry will create a system that will allow the municipality to communicate directly with all rental property owners based on the type of property or geographic area of the city. These communications may include:
The information contained within this database will provide first responders with information such as number of units, number of bedrooms in each unit, etc., when they arrive at the scene for an emergency—saving time and potentially saving lives.
“The rental registry is an important step forward for the municipality’s Housing Strategy, transparency efforts, and to become an even more welcoming city for renters and property owners,” said City Manager Eric D. Batista. “The program will allow the municipality to have up-to-date information on the approximately 50,000 rental dwellings in Worcester. The registry’s associated inspection program will ensure that each unit meets Sanitary, Fire, and Building codes to protect the safety and property of tenants, owners, inspectors, and first responders.”
For a proactive program to be successful, it must have a cost recovery mechanism. This ensures that the program is self-sufficient and can remain funded properly to cover the resources needed for all the required functions. The rental registry has been designed to ensure a minimal cost to property owners, to cover the purchase and implementation of the software for the centralized database, scheduling software, site upgrades, and connections to various other relevant datasets. The rental registry fees are as follows:
The rental registry is a new program that will be adjusted based on use and user feedback.
The municipality is also providing an opportunity for non-rental property owners to register (free of charge.) This will give the municipality accurate information on who owns the property and how to contact them if there is something they should be made aware of regarding their property.
Property owners can register their properties here. Individuals can also register in person at the Department of Inspectional Services at 25 Meade St. or call 508-799-1198 for assistance.
