The ordinance was approved by the Sugar Land City Council in late November of last year and took effect Jan. 1. Beginning July 1, owners of unlicensed rental properties covered by the ordinance will be subject to a $500-per-day fine for every day the property is rented without a license. The annual fee for the rental license is $80, which equates to just over $6.60 per month.

According to a recent article in the Houston Chronicle, Sugar Land Sun, and Fort Bend Now there will be changes for obtaining permits for Rental Property in Sugar Land.

As the ordinance stands, single family rental units owners must complete the following before utilities can be turned on:

• Obtain a rental license yearly.
• The City must have contact information for the property owners.
• Exterior inspections will be done annually and interior inspections are required when there is a new tenant.

The task force proposed the following changes:

Landlords must apply for a license within 30 days when the property changes owners. Previously the ordinance required a landlord to obtain a license in 30 days.

Property owners will have 15 days to appeal license denials, a length of time deemed sufficient for owners who may live out of state or out of the country.

If a tenant requests an inspection, the landlord will be notified and allowed to attend the inspection.

Safety violations where a tenant's life may be at risk are now required to be "immediately isolated and repaired within a reasonable amount of time."

The current ordinance requires these serious violations to be resolved in 24 hours, but was deemed unrealistic as emergencies don't always fall on normal working days during hours of business.

Emergency contact information is required for all property owners to help fix safety violations in a timely manner.

Council members received the recommendations, and the ordinance amendments will be voted on at a future meeting.

Mike Goodrum, director of community and environmental services, said he hopes to have the ordinance passed this summer and begin voluntary compliance by July 1.

For permits and more information go to: http://www.sugarlandtx.gov/community_dev/environmental/rental_license/index.asp