The Worcester City Council voted Tuesday night to request the Commissioner of Inspectional Services consider additional amendments to the City’s Rental Registry Program, a new requirement for the owners of rental units in Worcester to register their properties with the City.
The deadline to register was originally set for April 30, but City Manager Eric Batista has since pushed the deadline back to July 30.
The proposals request the commissioner consider three changes to the program: Allowing private companies to complete inspections, allowing newly built rental properties one year to register with the program, and allowing an exemption from registration requirements for owner-occupied properties with three units or less.
District 5 Councilor Etel Haxhiaj pushed back against the proposed amendments to the registry program, which was originally approved by the council in 2022.
“What we’re trying to do with these orders, at least in my view, is trying to further meddle into an ordinance that has been approved by this council and create all these different avenues for weakening it,” said Haxhiaj.
District 2 Councilor Candy Mero-Carlson said newly built properties like Alta on the Row and the Revington should have a year to register, citing the fact those buildings would have been inspected before being granted their certificate of occupancy.
“When people talk about the City of Worcester in that this rental registry is a money grab, to be honest with you, if we’re going in and inspecting brand spanking new apartments, I would agree with them,” said Mero-Carlson. “If we’re going in and inspecting buildings that are, quite honestly, older, then I would agree with that.”
The three amendments were approved in separate votes which resulted in the same tally; nine votes in favor, with Haxhiaj and Councilor-at-Large Thu Nguyen opposed.
In addition to Monday’s night vote, councilors have floated a number of other changes to the program, including a reduction of fees and carving out exemptions for certain types of properties.
