CAPE CORAL, Fla. — The City of Cape Coral says they want to make life a bit easier for those who own rental properties.
On February 3rd, City Council will be discussing a one-time payment fee of $35 for people who own rental property, including vacation rentals and long-term rentals. If passed property owners would have to complete registration by August 2021.
In an official response via Facebook, The City of Cape Coral says,
“This would allow Code or the Police to be able to address an issue with the person or management company responsible for the property. Tracking down the responsible party isn’t always simple. Other cities have rental registration processes and the proposed one-time fee of $35 is the lowest among Florida cities with a registration requirement,” said Maureen Buice, Public Information Specialist- City of Cape Coral”
Barbara Klare a Realtor and broker associate at Jones and Company Realty says, there have been issues between property owners and tenants that need a resolution.
“The music, the noise, and everything else until 4 in the morning. The trash outside, people running around crazy, so I would say this is a minority of the rental properties but still there are issues,” said Barbara Klare a Realtor and broker associate at Jones and Company Realty.
Klare says she thinks the city’s involvement would make it easier to contact property owners in case of an emergency.
“It would be beneficial to contact the owner as soon as possible in case of a fire, in case of a flood, in case of a break-in, hurricane damage, something like this,” said Klare.
According to Klare while some property owners might not like the idea of the city’s involvement, they should remember it is a business.
“They're going to think oh no I don’t want to register with the city, why do they have to know where I am?, Why can they call me? They might create a fuss. The new purchasing people might not even bat an eye on it; however, it is a business, and they should run it as such," said Klare.
