Occupancy & Rental Registry

An Occupancy Permit (PDF) is required from the City of Sunset Hills whenever occupancy is established or changed in a residential structure. This includes all homes, trailers, apartments, etc. The city is not specific as to who is required to obtain the permit, but the ultimate responsibility lies with the owner of the property. For property sales, this is a 1-step process for the entire transfer of the property from 1 owner to another. Sellers typically apply for the permit ahead of the sale in order to ensure that the home is ready to sell.

Occupancy Inspection

An Occupancy Inspection should not be confused with a professional home inspection. The city checks for cosmetic issues and does not insure such inspections for any use as a home warranty. The fee is a flat $25 and an application is good for up to 6 months. A permit has to be issued within that time frame or the application becomes invalid.

Inspection Details

The process is simple and requires an application and fee to set up an inspection time with the City Inspector. Inspection times are from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. At the inspection, any deficiencies are noted and the inspector prepares a report that is mailed to the property owner. The owner or applicant is responsible to call for any re-inspections required. Once there is an approved inspection, a permit is generated and mailed to the applicant unless there are other instructions given by the applicant, regarding the permit disposition.

Items Checked

The items checked in an occupancy inspection include: 

  1. Every dwelling unit shall be clean, sanitary and fit for human occupancy
  2. Every foundation, floor, wall, ceiling and roof shall be structurally sound, reasonably weather tight, watertight, and rodent proof; shall be capable of affording privacy and shall be kept in good repair
  3. Every window, exterior door and basement hatchway shall be reasonably weather tight, watertight and rodent proof, and shall be kept in satisfactory working condition and in good repair
  4. Every inside and outside stair, porch and appurtenance thereto shall be so constructed as to be safe to use and capable of supporting the load that normal use may cause to be placed thereon, and shall be kept in satisfactory condition and good repair
  5. Every plumbing fixture, water and waste pipe and sanitary sewerage facility shall be properly installed and maintained in good sanitary working condition
  6. Gutters, downspouts and other storm drainage facilities shall be properly installed and maintained in good working condition
  7. Every water closet compartment floor surface and bathroom floor surface shall be constructed and maintained so as to be reasonably impervious to water so as to be kept in a clean, sanitary and dry condition
  8. All equipment (including smoke detectors) and their appropriate supply systems, including gas, electricity, oil, water, wood or coal, shall be so constructed or installed that they will function safely and effectively and shall be maintained in satisfactory working condition
  9. All stoves and fireplaces shall be so constructed or installed that they will be function safely and effectively and shall be maintained in satisfactory working condition
  10. Any auxiliary structures, such as sheds, barns, garages, fences, retaining walls or other outbuildings, shall be constructed properly and maintained in a safe working condition. Any outbuilding found so damaged, decayed, dilapidated, unsanitary, unsafe or vermin-infested as to be a public nuisance shall be corrected or the structure removed
  11. Any exterior painted surfaces, including fences, shall be finished. Surfaces which have peeled, scaled, deteriorated or failed to the extent of being unsightly shall be corrected
  12. All trash, debris, weeds, abandoned vehicles or parts thereof shall be removed from the premises. In the case of new construction, landscaping shall be completed, and vegetation shall be established. If vegetation is not established, erosion control can be implemented with the approval of the city inspector. Occupancy can be granted via an occupancy agreement until the vegetation is established
  13. All hard surface areas, including concrete, asphalt, brick or stone driveways and sidewalks, shall be free of large cracks, potholes and depressions
  14. Anything relative to the property that exists in violation of any provisions of the building code of the city, the fire prevention code of the city or other ordinances of the city

Registry of Rental Properties

In 2019, the City adopted criteria for Ownership and Rental Property responsibilities.  A registry of Rental Properties and Responsible parties was developed by the Public Works Department.  A copy of Ordinance 2128 passed on February 12, 2019 is pasted below to detail these requirements.

Annual registrations of properties and their owners are required to apprise and keep the City current on ownership, responsible parties, maintenance, and other contact details.

A copy of the Registration form can be found online via this an input able PDF file.

BILL NO. 47

ORDINANCE NO.  2128          

AN ORDINANCE PROVIDING FOR REGISTRATION OF RENTAL PROPERTIES

WHEREAS,  the purpose of this legislation is (1) to identify those properties citywide that are being rented to the public and to gain contact information for code enforcement and emergency situations; and (2) to proactively identify substandard and deteriorated rental housing stock in areas of the city that will gain the most benefit from the implementation of a rental housing inspection program in order to aid in the preserving, maintaining and upgrading of those neighborhoods to the benefit of the city’s social, economic and environmental well-being and to further preserve and enhance the quality of life for residents living in residential rental units.

BE IT ORDAINED BY THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN OF THE CITY OF SUNSET HILLS, MISSOURI, AS FOLLOWS:

Section 1:        Chapter 7 of the Code shall be amended to add the following Article VII, Sections 7-138 through 7-142 thereto:    

Sec. 7-138. Annual registration of rental dwellings required.

(a) This subdivision shall apply to all rental dwellings, as defined in this chapter, including dwellings owned, operated, or subsidized by public or nonprofit agencies. Effective April 1, 2019, the annual rental dwelling registration requirement established by this subdivision shall go into effect.

(b) The owner of any rental dwelling as defined in this chapter shall register such dwelling annually with the Department of Public Works (“department”). It shall be a violation of this code for any person or entity to fail to register any rental units regulated by this chapter. If a complex of rental dwellings on the same lot or property is under common ownership, the entire complex shall be considered to be the equivalent of a single rental dwelling for purposes of registration.

(c) Prior to May 1, 2019 the owner of each rental dwelling shall make written application to the director for registration of such dwelling. There shall be no fee charged for this registration. After April 30, 2019 no person or entity shall allow to be occupied, or let to another for occupancy, any rental unit unless the unit has been registered as provided for in this article.

(d) All registrations issued under this article shall expire on December 31 of each year and shall be subject to renewal annually. Application for renewal of registration in any year will be accepted beginning January 1 and may be made without penalty through January 31.

(e) All owners shall apply for registration and renewal on a form provided by the department which shall include provision for the following owner, agent and other information:

(1) The common name of the property, if any, and exact street address of each dwelling to be registered and the number of dwelling units in the dwelling.

(2)    An identification of the owner(s) by full name, telephone number, mailing address, e-mail address and date of birth. If the property is owned by a corporation, Limited Liability Company, partnership, limited partnership, trust or real estate investment trust, the name and address of any of the following shall be provided:

        i.   for a corporation, a corporate officer and the chief operating officer;

        ii.  for a partnership, the managing partner;

        iii.  for a limited liability company, the managing or administrative member;

        iv.  for a limited partnership, a general partner;

         v.  for a trust, a trustee; or

        vi. for a real estate investment trust, a general partner or an officer

(3) If the owner does not reside within the city of Sunset Hills, Missouri, he or she shall designate a local agent who shall be authorized to receive on behalf of the owner service of any notice, order or summons issued because of a violation of this code. Such agent must be an individual over the age of eighteen (18) years and must reside within the city or customarily and regularly attend a business office located within the city. A partner, associate or corporate principal who meets these qualifications may be designated and registered as the agent. All official notices may be served on the responsible local agent and any notice so served shall be deemed to have been served upon the owner of record.

(4) The full name, telephone number, mailing address and email address of an agent, if one is so designated by the owner, to schedule inspections and receive service of any notice, order or summons issued because of a violation of this code.

(5) The names, addresses, and phone numbers of designated employees or authorized representatives who may be contacted in the event of an emergency.

(6) The signatures of the owner, an officer if the owner is a corporation, a partner if the owner is a partnership, a member if the owner is a limited liability company and the registered agent if so designated. A registered agents signature shall indicate consent to the designation.

(7) The name, street address and telephone number for any buyer on a contract for deed, if one shall exist.

(8) The name, mailing address, telephone number and email address for the person or entity, whether it be the owner, tenant, manager or agent, responsible for maintenance of the yard and grounds, including but not limited to trash pickup and lawn maintenance.

(f) A rental unit certificate of compliance as described elsewhere in this division shall not be issued if the registration provisions of this subdivision are not complied with.

(g) The owner of a newly constructed rental dwelling or of any dwelling newly converted to a rental dwelling shall register the rental dwelling prior to allowing occupancy of any new rental units. There shall be no charge for the initial registration provided that the application is made within thirty (30) days following the date of a certificate of occupancy for the property.

(h) No person or entity shall rent, let, lease or otherwise allow the occupancy of any dwelling, dwelling unit or rooming unit unless the property has been registered as above provided.

Sec. 7-139. Change in registration information.

The owner of a rental dwelling already registered with the city shall register any changes in the original registration information within thirty (30) days of said change. There shall be no fee for this registration update if done within the thirty days.

Sec. 7-140. Notice on sale of dwelling

(a) Every seller of a rental dwelling registered as provided in this subdivision shall give notice in writing to the department within thirty (30) days of closing. This notice shall include the name and address of the buyer.

(b) The new owner shall have thirty (30) days from the date the change of ownership occurred to file a new registration with the department.

Sec. 7-141. Registry of rental dwellings.

The department shall maintain a registry of all rental dwellings and rental units within the city that contains the following information:

(1) The address of the rental dwelling.

(2) The number of dwelling units in the dwelling.

(3) The name of the owner.

(4) The name of the manager or other responsible person designated by the owner.

(5) The telephone number where the owner and/or other responsible person will accept calls.

(6) The name and address of the person or entity responsible for maintenance of the yard and grounds.

Sec. 7-142. Inaccurate or incomplete register information.

It shall be a violation of this code for an owner or a responsible person to provide inaccurate information for the register of rental dwellings or to fail to provide information required by the city for the register. In those cases in which the owner is not a natural person, the owner information required for the register shall be provided for the organization owning the rental dwelling and for the president, general manager, resident manager or other chief executive officer of the organization.

Section 2:        This Ordinance shall take effect immediately upon its passage and approval.          

PASSED THIS 12th DAY OF February, 2019