It is unfair to characterize the annual registration fee for apartments as discrimination. Homeowners have an incentive to maintain their properties in a livable condition; absentee landlords – most of whom see their apartments as nothing more than a source of income – do not.
The $50 a year fee doesn’t really cover the city’s cost of regularly inspecting all rental units, and as a homeowner it would be discriminating against ME if my real estate taxes were being spent to keep absentee landlords honest.
As for trash, the single lady who lives down the street pays the same amount that my wife and I do, which is the same amount as the large extended family around the corner. Each residential unit in Lancaster City pays the same amount, whether owned or rented.
Although absentee landlords can certainly be a problem, but let’s face, many homeowners aren’t any better. I would venture to say that the city receives as many complaints against careless homeowners as it does against landlords.
At a minimum, every property should be inspected for working smoke detectors. It’s not fair to landlords or tenants if their property is destroyed due to a neighboring careless homeowner.