Vacant Property Registration Law Moves Forward

A new vacant property registration law took one step closer to becoming a reality this week for Kent property owners.

approved the new law by passing it at council. The ordinance outlining the law will come back to council in December for a third and final vote before the law takes effect.

In a new twist Wednesday, Councilman John Kuhar amended the ordinance to exempt residential properties from having to register — and pay a hefty registration fee — if the property has been vacant for less than a year or is in the midst of a renovation.

"I didn’t want to see the ordinance go through at all, but rather than see it go through and be as unfair as it was I presented this as a compromise," he said.

Under the law, owners of vacant residential properties must pay $50 per year to register well-kept properties and $200 annually for properties that are not well-kept, which is defined in the ordinance as: a house or building with windows and doors in place or otherwise boarded up securely; grass is cut, weeds are not present and trees and shrubs are trimmed; and it's free of trash and debris and kept painted.

Owners of vacant commercial properties must pay a steeper fee — $500 for well-kept and $1,000 fee for not well-kept properties.

Councilman Robin Turner, who has opposed the registration of residential properties, again voted against the issue Wednesday night. He cast the only vote against the new law.

"If people don’t want to rent their houses and they’re maintaining them, what right do we have to go in and dictate that you have to do this?” Turner said. “I’m amazed that I, as a liberal, am up here saying these things."

The new ordinance, as passed on its second reading Wednesday, was amended to "limit it to commercial properties and residential properties that have been vacant for a period of 1 year and are not under renovation."

The law also requires that a vacant property with out-of-town owners post contact information on the property.

Jennifer Filipczak-Turner, an area realtor, wrote to council opposing the registration program for several reasons, including, she said, because houses that advertise their vacancy invite vandals.

"People have lost jobs, homes and such; they are walking away from these properties," Filipczak-Turner said. "They are not going to follow these rules. They can't follow the rules to pay off their mortgage, which is more of a concern to them than this ordinance."