Licensing B efore you move into your new apartment, your landlord must have and be able to show proof of a rental license. It is illegal to offer a dwelling for rent without a current rental license. The license lets you know, among other things, that the place in which you are going to live has been inspected, either by building officials, or by the Fire Department, or both, and has been approved as rental property. In order to make sure that your apartment stays in compliance, routine inspections are conducted by the Fire Department. Your landlord should let you know in advance so that you are not taken by surprise and so that you can have all pets caged or secured.
Many tenants are surprised to see the fire engine arrive at their home for an inspection.
If your landlord lives outside the local calling area, he or she will need to enlist a local agent who may act on his or her behalf at inspections and in case of an emergency. Likewise, any neighbor or other citizen can file a complaint about the appearance of your apartment building or the property it is on. Naturally, complaints involving life-safety issues will take priority over a junk car or trash in the yard, but all complaints will be investigated by either the Police or the Fire Department. Anyone making a complaint will be asked to provide his or her name, but that information will be classified as confidential and will not be released except by a court order. This is a local ordinance as well as a state statute.