The Greater Lehigh Valley REALTORS® has been working with the Borough of Bangor since December to review and amend its Residential Rental Unit and Landlord Registration Ordinance.

The original ordinance, passed on November 25, 2024, contained provisions that posed potential hardships for our members and could have discouraged residential investment. To address these concerns, GLVR utilized the National Association of REALTORS® Land Use Initiative Program for a full, detailed policy review. Our internal counsel also provided critical analysis and recommendations. In addition, we met with prominent landlords in the Borough to gather feedback on the ordinance’s impact. GLVR is sincerely appreciative of the ongoing communication and efforts of Bangor Borough officials.

Key changes in the revised ordinance include:

• Refined definition of “disruptive conduct.” State law–required exceptions now protect emergency calls made in good faith regarding domestic violence, sexual assault, or medical crises.
• Updated landlord penalties: 1st occurrence = warning (previously $1,000 fine); 2nd = $1,500 fine; 3rd = $2,000 fine.
• Removal of the requirement to publicly post an owner’s personal information.
• Elimination (mostly) of the five-year ban that had prevented evicted tenants and all occupants of a rental unit from renting again in the Borough. The five years has been changed to “a period of time from the date of eviction as permitted by law.”
• Extended reporting deadline: responsible parties now have 30 days to report a transaction, up from the initial 72 hours.

Click here to review the redlined version of the ordinance.