Register Your Rental Property

Pursuant to City of Ames Code Chapter 13, no owner or operator shall rent any unit unless the rental unit is registered with the City of Ames and a valid Letter of Compliance has been issued or is pending.

The Rental Registration Form must be completed prior to offering the property for rent. The owner or the operator of the rental property must be the individual to complete the registration, and the following items are required to process any application:

  1. The address of the property.
  2. The number and type of units included in the rental property
  3. The owner’s name and contact information:
    • mailing address
    • telephone number – contact number during normal business hours
    • telephone number – emergency contact number/cell phone
    • e-mail address
  4. The registered operator’s name and contact information – i.e., contracted property manager, local agent, on-site manager, etc., if management responsibility has been delegated by the owner to a different party:
    • mailing address
    • telephone number – contact number during normal business hours
    • telephone number – emergency contact number/cell phone
    • e-mail address

The rental registration needs to be renewed annually, upon notice issued by the City to the owner or registered operator, and there is a fee associated with each renewal. The Ames City Council established a fee schedule to defray the cost of inspection, enforcement, and administration of the provisions of the Ames City Code. Timely payment of fees due is a required component of the registration process. The billing period for the annual registration fee is for the previous twelve months (7/1 - 6/30). See the fee schedule at Ames Municipal Code Appendix L(PDF, 610KB).

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