Latest news with #RentalRegistry
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Look Before You Rent webinars
SYRACUSE. N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — The city of Syracuse is set to host two technical assistance webinars involving a tutorial on 'Look Before You Rent,' which is an online tool to help you become more educated on rental properties in Syracuse. This online map includes all the information you need about rentals. Including how to search by address or neighborhood to discover a property's status on the City's Rental Registry, Certificate of Compliance programs and any code violations or other property information. The webinars are scheduled for Tuesday, June 10, from 1:30 to 2:15 p.m. and Wednesday, June 11, from 5:30 to 6:15 p.m. Staff members will show attendees how to access and use the tool. There will also be times to ask questions and give feedback. To participate, you must register here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
10 takeaways from this year's RI Kids Count factbook
WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) — For 31 years, Rhode Island Kids Count has been using available research and data to create a 'statistical portrait' of children and families in Rhode Island. On Monday, Rhode Island Kids Count released its most recent factbook, delving into a variety of topics including housing, education and poverty. The state's congressional delegation was at an event on Monday morning where the findings were revealed. Here are 10 takeaways from the report: This finding likely doesn't come as a surprise to many people living in Rhode Island. According to the factbook, rents have increased by 17% from 2020 to 2024. 'I'm just trying to survive': RI renters struggle as cost of typical apartment nears $2,000 The number of children identified by Rhode Island public schools as living in a hotel, in a shelter, unsheltered or doubled up has steadily increased in recent years. In the 2021-2022 school year, the total was 1,461 children. In the 2022-2023 school year, the number jumped to 1,739 children. That number went up again in the 2023-2024 school year, rising to 1,966 children. Between 2019 and 2023, Rhode Islanders reportedly had the highest percentage of low-income children living in older housing in the country. The state also had the second-highest percentage of children of all income levels living in older housing. These types of homes can pose a risk to children when it comes to lead exposure. RELATED: Rhode Island launches 'Rental Registry' database The rate of newborns who were diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) decreased from 2022 to 2023. According to a source from the National Library of Medicine, NAS happens when a baby has withdrawal symptoms after intrauterine drug exposure. The factbook noted that the rate of NAS will decrease when opioid use disorder decreases. The factbook said the number of girls who have passed through the Rhode Island Training School almost doubled from 19 individuals in 2021 to 35 individuals in 2024. Nationally, a growing number of girls are interacting with the justice system. In 2024, 118 children in the care of the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) were adopted in Rhode Island. The factbook noted that this figure is down 21% from 2023. According to the factbook, the federally funded program 'Early Head Start' is helping both children and their caregivers. The factbook said the program 'has been shown to produce cognitive, language, and social-emotional gains in participating children and more positive interactions with their parents.' In October 2024, there were 553 individuals enrolled in Early Head Start. White House proposes eliminating Head Start funding as part of sweeping budget cuts Students are catching up to certain pre-pandemic learning levels. 'During the COVID-19 pandemic, the percentage of Rhode Island third graders meeting expectations in math declined from 36% in 2019 to 25% in 2021 and then increased to 39% in 2024,' the factbook explained. The factbook reported that the rate of multilingual learners has increased by 92% from the 2013-2014 school year to the 2023-2024 school year. The four-year graduation rate for the class of 2024 was 84%. The factbook said the four-year graduation rate for the class of 2014 was also 84%. You can check out the full report here. RI Kids Count: 2025 Factbook Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Worcester City Manager names new inspection services commissioner
Worcester City Manager Eric D. Batista on Monday named Nicholas Antanavica as the city's new commissioner of inspectional services. Antanavica will become commissioner effective May 12, succeeding David C. Horne, the current interim commissioner. 'Antanavica has a great deal of experience with permitting, and code enforcement and a proven track record of achieving municipal health, development, and sustainability goals,' said Batista in a press release. 'I look forward to working with him and seeing the new ideas and leadership he brings to the Inspectional Services Department. He will play a key role in major initiatives including the next phase of our Rental Registry and rodent control program.' Antanavica will be in charge of overseeing the inspectional service department, which oversees the city's building and zoning division, housing and health division and the licensing commission, according to the city's website. Prior to joining the City of Worcester Antanavica served as the Director of Inspectional Services for the City of Somerville, a position he has held since 2019, according to the press release from the city. 'I'm excited to join the City of Worcester and look forward to partnering with staff, residents, businesses, and developers to continue the great progress and improvements made over the past several years,' said Antanavica. Department of Justice ends 9-year oversight of Worcester schools Worcester man who killed and burned woman on rooftop asks for parole 'She made the world better': Funeral held for Molly McGovern, Rep. McGovern's daughter Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
‘My safety has been jeopardized': Landlord shares privacy concerns with RI's new rental registry
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — A landlord says she is worried her ex-boyfriend could use Rhode Island's new lead registry database to find her since it makes public her address and contact information. The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said she had a restraining order against her ex-boyfriend and had not heard from him in 10 years, but last month he reached out. 'I got a phone call from my daughter's father who said that he had my ex on the phone and that he was looking for me, that he was in a jail in Los Angeles,' she recalled. The woman said when she found out her ex-boyfriend was soon being released from prison and planning to move back to the area, she bought locks for her home. 'This particular ex can be very resourceful, and so I was concerned that he was going to show up at my property,' she said. But last week, she learned her name, address, cell phone and email were all on Rhode Island's new rental registry. The registry requires landlords to provide their information and lead certificates, which are posted online so renters can see if their apartment is certified. The website went public last week. MORE: Rhode Island launches 'Rental Registry' database The Rhode Island Department of Health said this summer it will likely start fining landlords who don't sign up for the registry. The woman said she did not realize her information would be public when she signed up. She doesn't feel it needs to be on the website because she lives in the same building as her tenant. 'I am available because I live a wall away from her,' she said. The Health Department said it compiled information from publicly available tax records and from landlords who signed up for the registry. Spokesperson Joseph Wendelken acknowledged in a statement Monday that some of the information from landlords who have not yet signed up for the registry has been removed, but noted that landlords are required to register. 'Someone who is an owner-occupied landlord is required to register, according to the law establishing the registry,' Wendelken wrote. The woman said she understands the goal of this new registry is to keep children safe, but she said it comes with risks. 'Some of us bought a home because we wanted to have the American dream, and we're out here trying to do the best we can,' she added. 'And not only was this financially difficult for me, but now my safety has been jeopardized. I was furious.' NEXT: 'Rental Registry' database reveals only 10% of landlords have signed up Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Yahoo
Landlord group blasts ‘suspected rental properties' feature on new lead inspection registry
A screencap shows a portion of the map on the Rhode Island Rental Registry website. Suspected rental properties are shown in green, while confirmed rentals are shown in yellow. (Screencap) You could say a public database of lead inspection data for apartments and rentals across Rhode Island that went live last week is still very green. Of the 98,539 properties shown on the Rental Registry database map on Friday afternoon, properties categorized as 'suspected' rental properties were marked with a green dot. Properties marked with a yellow dot were confirmed rental properties. On the map, green dots far outnumbered yellow. It's one reason why a landlord advocacy group was not celebrating when the Rhode Island Department of Health announced the registry's Feb. 12 launch. The health department manages the statewide database, which was borne out of 2023 legislation intended to publicize and protect tenants from potential lead exposure in their homes. The database is built on a platform made by Tolemi, a Boston firm specializing in governmental and public sector software that aggregates data across different agencies and departments. One of the company's products is a rental registration application designed to help city and county governments collect registration fees, map out an area's stock of rental properties and generally serve as a hub for property owners and governments to conduct business and enforce policies. The public dashboard allows residents to look up any rental property and see if it has been awarded a Certificate of Lead Conformance or other certification of lead safety. Since 2005, the state has required these certificates for older homes built before 1978, and the certificates can be completed by contracting a licensed lead inspector. The Rhode Island Coalition of Housing Providers took issue with the software's use of what it labeled 'AI technology' that populated the database without homeowners' consent in identifying 'suspected rental properties' in a post on its Facebook page and in a letter that was distributed to local media outlets. The coalition questioned why single-family, owner-occupied properties were in the database, which it interpreted as being beyond the scope of the state law authorizing the registry. The algorithmic labeling of properties, coalition spokesperson Shannon Weinstein said on Friday, 'was an unexpected and alarming development.' She added that while the registry database was expected to use such technology, landlords had not expected the database to automatically populate. By Saturday evening, it appeared some of the data had been removed from the site, including landlords' home addresses, which the coalition had flagged as a privacy concern. There were also fewer properties listed on the site. The number of properties on Sunday was down to 98,184. Green dots still outnumbered yellow dots. The platform had, in some instances, linked these addresses to properties the landlords own in the database's public view. 'Perhaps, the next step will be removing owner occupied single families from the site,' Weinstein said. 'This rental registry is the first of its kind in Rhode Island,' RIDOH spokesperson Joseph Wendelken said via email on Sunday in response to an inquiry from Rhode Island Current. 'When the system was launched, we anticipated making some adjustments, based on feedback from tenants, landlords, stakeholders, and others.' The coalition also claimed there was little effort made to let property owners know about the registry in advance. 'Many homeowners and landlords were unaware of the rental registry requirement, and we are working to update them while growing our membership,' Weinstein said on Friday. 'In less than 24 hours, over 100 complaints were received via social media, email, or personal connections.' Asked about the coalition's letter, Wendelken said via email on Friday: 'Every property listed as a rental was registered by a landlord or a property owner. The registry also lists properties that are potential rentals. Those potential rentals were given that designation based on tax assessor information and other public information.' No fines had been issued to landlords as of Friday, Wendelken said. The registry law specifies that a failure to register will cost a landlord $50 per month, per unit. Not getting a valid lead certificate will cost $125 per month, per unit. A landlord who owns an unregistered property cannot file for eviction based on a tenants' nonpayment. Rhode Island's housing stock includes many homes that were built prior to 1978, when lead paint was banned from being used in homes. The element can have damaging, long-term effects on the body if ingested, and it is considered particularly toxic to children. Marked cognitive decline has been shown in kids whose blood shows even small amounts of exposure. Lead blood levels of 5 micrograms per deciliter was long considered the threshold for an 'elevated' level in children, and in 2021 federal health regulators lowered that number to 3.5 micrograms per deciliter. The rental registry was added into Rhode Island General Law via 2023 legislation called the Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, which specified landlords would face fines if they did not register their properties by Oct. 1, 2024. The new Rental Registry is meant to expedite the registration process with an easy-to-use online portal, the health department's announcement noted. Landlords will also need to re-register their properties annually. The rental registry's October deadline caused some confusion among property owners, as scores of landlords, not realizing the deadline was fast approaching, temporarily crashed the online registration portal. (It was up and running a few days later.) Weinstein expressed a general dissatisfaction with the entire process. 'Landlords are being required to address the entire housing stock at once rather than focusing on properties where at-risk individuals reside (children under six and pregnant women),' she wrote. 'The recent expansion of the lead law to include tens of thousands of owner-occupied homes, previously exempt, has put immense strain on the system.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
