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ALOC NEWS
February 4, 2003 Vol. 9, Issue 2
The MDE has issued their yearly report for 2001, which
as usual is over a year old before anybody sees it. It would seem
reasonable to think that such a report could be ready within the first
quarter for the previous year. Oh well, government is not known for its
quick action! Testing has increased across the state, especially at
ages 1 and 2. Allegany County had 22.6 % of at risk children tested, which
places us 4th highest in the state. We have slipped a little
from past years, but this is primarily due to other counties increasing
their testing, not because we decreased our level. The number of children tested with elevated blood lead
levels continues to decrease from 353 with levels above 20 ug/dL in 2000 to 288 in 2001. This
approximate 18 % decrease continues to prove that we do not need any
harsher regulations. Let the program work! Allegany County had 4 cases of
lead levels above 20 ug/dL, which places us in an average position compared
to other counties. As expected the residences of children with elevated
blood lead levels continues to be disproportionately concentrated in
Baltimore City and other areas of older housing. For some reason MDE tries
to lump the Eastern Shore and Western Maryland in with Baltimore in spite
of the numbers. For instance in Baltimore there are 230 children with
levels above 20, which accounts for 80 % of the lead poisoning in the
entire state. Once again Allegany County and other outlying areas must pay
the price for compliance with a problem that is predominately a “big city”
issue! Keep in mind that since 1993 the number of lead poisoned
children has decreased from 1904 to 288 for 2001. This tremendous decrease
is encouraging for most of us, however we can expect the lead paint gang to
not let up until we reach “0” which will prove impossible! For those persons wanting to review the entire report,
it can be found on the MDE’s website soon. We assume that the final version
may already be out. Our speaker for February will be Denny McCormick, Public
Works Director for the City of Cumberland, who will fill us in on the
latest regarding garbage pickup, keeping your sidewalks clean and other
services provided by Cumberland’s public works departments. In March Chief Bobby Dick of the Cumberland Police
Department will again visit us to go over procedures and policies used by
his department when dealing in landlord tenant matters and will answer any
general questions regarding police matters in Cumberland. In April we will have local Real Estate appraiser,
Denny Perrin, as a speaker and in May we will have Tim Michaels, CPA, from
Huber Michaels. MDE Violation Notices
Continue We continue to see more landlords getting fined for failure
to comply with the lead paint regulations and Allegany County had one case
this past November. This involved a
$ 5,000 fine for failure to register and have risk reduction work
done. This involved only one unit. In Baltimore City a $ 20,000 fine was levied against a
landlord for failing to provide Tenant’s Rights Notice and failing to
obtain risk reduction certificate(s) of lead inspection compliance. Need we say more! Compliance, whether you like it or
not is the only way to stay out of trouble! Frederick and Hagerstown
Codes Hagerstown’s Housing Code continues to be in limbo as
the Hagerstown City Council grapples with the referendum to decide on the
Code. Somehow they have managed to figure that there are 39 signatures
short on the referendum petition and a recount may be in the works. In
Frederick we believe that the Code is still being studied. Rental Property Inspections Dust Wipe Tests/Visual
Inspections 301-777-1369 MDE: Certified Lead
Paint Visual Inspector HUD: Certified Lead
Sampling Technician 9-30-03 Lead Inspections
for Rental Housing Visual Inspections and
Dust Wipes 201 Massachusetts Ave. Cumberland, MD 21502 301-722-8328 3-03
MDE 2001
Report
Speakers
Richard Bonig
Carey Walker
Lead
Abatement - Lead Risk Reduction Rental
Property Maintenance Contractor Telephone
301-729-1086 FAX
301-729-4801 - Pager 301-546-0221 3-30
/ 9-30 VISUAL INSPECTOR MDE
Inspections Lead Dust Wipes LEAD PAINT
SUPERVISOR Telephone/FAX: 301-729-2994 1-30
Highland
Enterprises LLC
Robert Saville
“Excellent Rates”
Miscellaneous
The Maryland Property Owners Network met in Annapolis on
Friday January 10th at the Maryland Board of Realtors Office and
ALOC President Jeff Hutter was in attendance. The meeting was well attended by a broad group from across
the state including Cumberland, Frederick, College Park, Salisbury and
Baltimore just to name a few. While only a few bills have been filed that
effect real estate we did briefly review them. On the Senate side we have
SB1, which is a broad bill that revises the Code for everything from
buildings to public safety. SB4 would increase the small claims amount that
can be heard in District Court from $ 2500 to $ 5000. SB15 would require insurers to have policy
cancellation or non-renewals mailed via certified mail with return receipt
requested. SB57 would change the
current 4% interest on security deposits to whatever interest is actually
paid by the bank with a 0.25 % deduction for administrative expenses. On
the House side we have HB2, which would specify the manner in which health
insurance benefits must be offered in Maryland. HB7 would require that out
of service elevators located in multifamily dwellings be repaired within a
certain time. HB19 involve the recordation taxes imposed with real estate
sales and or transfers when a corporation has a change in controlling
interest. For more specific details check the state’s Internet site and or
contact your local Delegate or Senator. Mold may be the hot button issue for the next decade as
more and more cases end up in court. The primary problem is that there are
no regulations or standards for either side to follow. Many mold problems
come about because the tenant doesn’t report water damages and or leaks
until mold has crept into walls, carpets and other areas of a building
necessitating costly repairs. This can include the removal of drywall and
repainting and the replacement of carpet. This should be added to each
landlord’s checklist when they inspect their rentals.
t
ALOC DUES for 2003 It is that time of year again when membership dues in
the amount of $ 40.00 will be
due. Your prompt payment will be
appreciated. A dues bill will be enclosed with member’s newsletter if their
payment is required. The dues cover the costs of our mailing and
correspondence, membership in the Maryland Property Owners Network,
telephone costs, costs associated with attending meetings in Annapolis,
development and reproduction of our leases and etc. J. Jeff J. Jeffrey Hutter President Carey Walker
Vice President Stephanie Wharton
Secretary J. Jeffrey Hutter
Treasurer Board of
Directors Clarence Anderson Steve Jenkins Bob Saville Bob Miles ALOC has available leases, rental applications and
tenant checklists for sale, at cost, to members. The cost for each item is
as follows: Lease @ $ 0.50
Rental Application @ $ 0.50
Move in Checklist @ $ 0.50 Lead Paint Brochures, both EPA and Maryland and
document receipt@ $2.50 for the set. Document Receipt for MDE and EPA brochures (disclosure)
@ $ 0.25 These forms are kept at Jeff Hutter's office, TWR Comm.
at 549 N. Centre Street. Any paid member can stop by and pick up whatever
they need. If you need mare than 5 of each item please call at least 24
hours in advance so that we can make sure we have plenty on hand. Call
777-2692 ext 113 Monday through Friday and you can talk to Pam, Gary or
Sean. Please note: We do not keep MDE or City Housing registration forms on
hand. February 10, 2003 March 10,2003 April 14, 2003 May 12, 2003 June No Meeting July No Meeting August No Meeting Meetings are held at
the South Cumberland Library on Race and Seymour St. at 7 PM The line between
failure and success is so fine that we scarcely know when we pass it; so fine that we are
often on the line and do not know it. Elbert Hubbard You can get
everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people
get what they want. Zig Ziglar TWR
Communications 301-777-2692 9-30-02 The leading supplier of quality
high speed Internet Access in Allegany-Garrett-Washington Counties and
surrounding areas of West Virginia using K56 Flex modems. TWR provides
other computer services including training, computer repairs, networking,
website hosting and Internet advertising. TWR is an agent for Cellular
One, operates a wide area network with wide area paging and mobile 2-way
radio. Check us out at twr@hereintown.net This space is available for advertising! Contact Jeff Hutter at 301-777-0379 In the evenings for information! A-1 Inspections, Inc. PRE-PURCHASE/PRE-SETTLEMENT INSPECTIONS RESIDENTIAL
AND COMMERCIAL LEAD INSPECTIONS 301-724-5323 9-30 9-30 Credit Bureau, Inc. We have been in the
business of building databases for over 50 years. Let us build one for you!
For those of you contributing rental history, thank you. For those who
haven’t called me, it’s easy. Mike Wright
301-729-5202 5-03
ALOC Officers
Leases and other Documents
Meeting Schedule
Thought for
the Month
PHONE 301-724-LEAD