Landlord Registration

On September 21st, 2020, the Common Council of the City of Shelbyville approved the creation of the “Shelbyville Landlord Registration Program” through Ordinance No. 20-2890.

While there are many advantages to having a landlord registry, there were two main drivers that lead to the development and eventual adoption of the SLRP.

1. Throughout the years, as planning efforts have been undertaken, policy development has occurred, and general government administration has taken place, a single question comes up repeatedly, “How many rental properties exist in our community?” As this question has been asked, City staff have researched to find an accurate and reliable answer, with no luck. Many organizations have modeled the community and can provide estimates, but no definitive accounting has ever occurred. One of the main things the SLRP will accomplish is that it will lead to the development and continual maintenance of an accurate count of the number of residential rental properties in our community. As this directory is developed and maintained over the coming years, it will serve as a tool for policymaking, as it can serve as another indicator about the City’s residential real estate market.
2. The other main driving force in developing and implementing the SLRP is the City’s need for accurate contact information for residential rental properties. When the City’s Code Enforcement Department attempts to address code violations at these rental properties, they must properly “serve” both the tenant and property owner with the necessary paperwork. Far too often, the City has issues contacting the property owner, because they are out-of-state and can’t be reached easily. This requires the City to use additional time and resources to properly contact the property owner, leaving the nuisance violation unaddressed for numerous days or even weeks. The SLRP will require current contact information for a person that lives within the state of Indiana that can be served with this necessary paperwork, allowing City staff to address these violations in a faster more efficient manner.

All landlords of rental units shall register their units with the Planning and Building Department via the application provided on this page. This includes all rental units where any of the following apply:

• The unit is currently occupied
• The unit is currently vacant
• The unit is currently being offered for rent
• The unit is currently being advertised for rent
• The unit is being offered for sale through seller-financed agreements without recorded title transfer (Commonly known as “rent-to-own”)

Note: The term “Rental Unit” is defined in IC 32-31-3-8

The following items are required to be provided on each SLRP application for each property:

• Contact information (Name, Phone Number, and Address) of the property owner
• Contact information of an individual who resides in Indiana who actively manages the subject property (This can be the property owner)
• Contact information for an agent that may be served with any legal notices or demands in relation to the subject property (This may be the property owner)
• The number of rental units at the subject property

The following information may be provided, but is not required:

• Contact information for the tenant(s) of the subject property
• The amount of the monthly rent for the units at the subject property
• Whether the utilities for the subject property are included in the cost of rent

The registration cost per unit is $5.00, but if multiple units are applied for at once, they can all be included in one single $5.00 fee.

For example: If you own 10 rental units, and you submit all 10 applications at one time, the total registration fee is only $5.00, but if you submit 5 applications, then a few weeks later submit the next 5 applications, the total registration fee would be $10.00.

2021 Registration Year: For the 2021 registration year, a grace period has been granted to allow applications through the end-of-March. Any applications submitted on or after April 1st will be considered late applications.

Annual Renewals: Annually, the registration must be renewed no later than January 1st. The renewal window will begin on November 1st, allowing a two-month period to submit all necessary applications to complete the renewal.

Newly Acquired Rental Units: If a new unit is acquired or ownership of a unit changes during the year, the new property owner is required to register that unit within 30-days.

Change in Registration Information: If any portion of the required registration information changes, the property owner is required to update that information within 30-days.