Things to Know - Rental Housing

  • All rental properties are inspected at least once every 36-months.  You will be notified, by a right-to-enter letter, of the scheduled inspection  two weeks prior to the date.  In order to effectively conduct the inspection with minimum disruption, you are required to notify tenants of the inspection date and provide staff assistance to the inspector during the inspection of the structure and tenant spaces.
  • At the beginning of each lease period and at least annually thereafter, the property owner shall provide all tenants on the lease with a Fire Safety Certification that all fire extinguishers, smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors are in working condition.  It is the responsibility of the tenant to verify that the smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detectors are in working condition and the fire extinguisher is inspected and charged, sign the certification and return it to the property owner.  The owner shall maintain the original certificate and make it available to Code inspector upon request.  In addition, the owner is required to provide the tenant with instruction on how to report deficiencies with these fire safety systems.

  • New July 2017, at the beginning of each lease period and at least annually thereafter, the person in charge shall provide all tenants on the lease, information regarding the following requirements, including reference to any ordinances:

    • maximum occupancy for the residential property
    • maximum number of persons who can reside in the rental property
    • if the property is a student home
    • regulations regarding dogs (if present)
    • regulations regarding property maintenance
    • regulations regarding refuse, parking, weeds and snow removal from sidewalks
    • information on the handling of recyclable materials
    • specific information regarding the State College Division of Health and Neighborhood Services and the Centre Region Code Administration
    • written notification of inspections
    • notice of regulations regarding roof occupancy and possible penalties

    A signed Tenant Notification Acknowledgement shall be maintained by the person in charge and made available to the tenant, code official or municipality upon request.

If you are looking to make structural changes to the property please review Building Permit Application .

Common Corrections List for Rental Housing

Common Unsafe Condition Violations 2017 Edition (Bellefonte)

Common Unsafe Conditions Violations 2023 Edition

Rental Housing Program Information