Description and purpose of the
Rental Property Database (RPD)
Off Campus Rental Property Database description:
Information on a particular property included in the Rental Property database should be verified as accurate at the time the property is considered by potential renters.
Non-owner occupied one and two family dwellings located within the City of Buffalo are required to be registered in the City’s Rental Property Registry. Compliance with the Rental Property Registry law is indicated according to information provided in advertisements for each property listed.
NOTE: It should be noted that a property owner’s claim that a particular property is registered with the Rental Property Registry, is not a guarantee that the property is compliant with requirements contained within the Rental Property Registry law and the property codes of New York State.
The City of Buffalo issues a Certificate of Compliance to properties that have been registered on the Rental Property Registry and requires that this document be posted in the property. Persons considering a property as their residence should require that this document be provided for their review.
Properties containing three or more living units are considered to be multiple dwelling residences and are subject to specific laws regulating multiple dwellings. Proof of compliance with multiple dwelling requirements should also be made available to persons considering a property as their residence.
The Rental Property Database is a running listing of properties identified as being offered to students as the primary customer. Information specific to each property listed is gathered through the advertisement initiated by the property owner/ tenant seeking roommates and local government records. Local government information includes the property owner, type of residence, i.e. one family or two family and the number of bedrooms in each property. Each new advertisement foe a property is added as a new record on the Rental Property Database, therefore a clearer understanding of the property may be revealed.
The number of bedrooms listed in the advertisement is matched against the number shown in the local government record to determine if the property has been altered to create additional bedrooms. A discrepancy in the number of advertised and local government listed bedrooms may be an indication that the property has been illegally altered and is not in compliance with local/state laws. A difference between the number of bedrooms advertised and the number of bedrooms listed by the local government is used to rank properties in order of concern. Properties with one additional bedroom are ranked 6, properties with 2 additional bedrooms are ranked 5, and down to 1 indicating 6 additional bedrooms.
The Rental Property Database also includes the answers to three of nine specific safety questions by persons placing ads on the www.Subboard.com website. Two of these questions are specific to the presence of required smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. The third asks for the status of the electrical wiring in the property.
Smoke detectors carbon monoxide detectors are both required in all residential properties.
Electrical wiring compliant with the National Electrical Code is also required and of particular concern in properties that have been altered without required permits and subsequent inspections.
The database is organized in tabular form as follows:
Address – Property Address
R – Rank according to number of extra bedrooms ( 1- 6 )
Listed Description – How the property is described in the advertisement
Listing Method – Where the property was or is listed
Local Govern. Descrip – Local government property description
Ad Beds – Number of bedrooms advertised
Sm Det – Smoke Detector present in property ( Yes or No )
Co Det – Carbon Monoxide in property ( Yes or No )
Co – Number of bedrooms listed on the local government record
Owner – The property owner as listed in Local Government records or the person identified in the property advertisement
RR – Rental Property Registry ( Yes or No ) Note: MD indicated Multiple Dwelling, ( ? ) indicates that the property advertisement does not indicate the property Rental Property Registry status
Date Entered – Indicates the date a particular record was added to the Database NOTE: this is a new addition, all previousrecords do not show an entry date
Download a pdf copy of the Rental Property Database
Keep Upholstered Furniture Inside
Upholstered furniture on a porch or outdoor patio can serve as shelter for rodents or fuel for fire. For this reason, Buffalo and many towns have laws prohibiting the outdoor use of upholstered furniture, based on health and safety issues.
To find out more download the flyer illustrated below.
