City Council addresses illegal rooming house enforcement and procedures

By Barbara Taormina

The city has begun looking at ways to clamp down on illegal rooming houses, but it isn’t easy. Director of Inspectional Services Michael Wells, Building Commissioner Lous Cavagnaro and Vincent Argenzio from the city’s short-term rental office were at this week’s City Council meeting to discuss the rooming house ordinance and enforcement procedures.

“Rooming houses are very disruptive,” said Wells, adding that they are typically noisy and bring a surge of people into the city’s already densely packed neighborhoods. Wells explained that the ordinance, which only allows rooming houses in certain zones, is difficult to enforce. Wells said that after receiving a complaint the Building Department will send out a letter to schedule an inspection within 30 days. The first letter is followed up by two more requests to inspect the property. If the owner of the property doesn’t respond, the city is forced to go to Chelsea District Court for a warrant. But Wells said once an inspection is scheduled, everything is moved out of the house prior to that date. Wells also said that if there is a lease and everyone is listed on it, there isn’t anything they can do.

Argenzio explained that the short-term rental office is using software that combs through advertising to find listings for rooms in a shared house, or a rooming house. Ward 4 Councillor Paul Argenzio suggested that immediately sending out a cease-and-desist order and a fine should curtail those rooming house businesses. Argenzio also suggested that the Inspectional and Building Departments should operate under 40U regulations, which allow more leeway with inspections and penalties.

But councillors, who field complaints from constituents, were not optimistic.

“I wouldn’t want your job,” Councillor-at-Large Anthony Zambuto told Wells, Cavagnaro and Argenzio. “It’s an impossible task.”

Ward 5 Councillor Angela Guarino-Sawaya said she has been struggling with rooming houses in her ward. “A letter goes out and announces an inspection, and the night before they are pulling all the mattresses out of the house,” said Guarino-Sawaya.

“People don’t know who to complain to,” she added.

Wells said complaints usually go through 311. But he added that city officials visit properties during the day when no one is home. They are not allowed to ask for any documentation that residents are from the same family. All they can do is count the beds and rooms and write that up.

The council agreed to send the issue to the Legislative Affairs Subcommittee to discuss a possible city ordinance regarding rooming house enforcement and other issues surrounding illegal rooming houses.