2018 Legislative Session; a bumpy ride so far!

April 17, 2018April 17, 2018bob

The 2018 General Assembly Session has been anything but a smooth ride as several harmful Bills advanced further than they should have. This could be a signal for trouble on the horizon for CT Landlords unless they wake up and get more involved in the political process and make Legislators understand what they face on a daily basis dealing with their properties.

Bill # 5376 “An Act Limiting Rent Increases In Certain MultiFamily Dwellings” would limit rent increases for owners who received State or Federal funds to improve their property. What was horribly wrong with the Bill besides limiting profits was it tied the rate of increases to the CPI and property owners costs are not tied to that index but property taxes, insurance and utility costs so it was just a bad idea to begin with. The Bill was opposed by CTPOA but few other testified against it and while this version said “if an owner received State or Federal funding”…this is only one amendment away from making this apply to all rental property owners.

Another Bill that concerns us is Bill # 356 “An Act Concerning Licensing and Registration Requirements For Operators Of Certain Short-Term Rental Properties” The proposal requires licensing for those involved in short term rentals of less than 30 days. Again, it’s not that far of a stretch to eliminate the words “less than 30 days” and substitute instead, “all rental properties!” The result would be a windfall of revenue for the cities and State from licensing fees on rental property owners.

There are other troubling Bills alive and kicking but we’ve met with several legislators to try and persuade them not to bring these Bills forward, only time will tell. There are only 3 weeks left in this session so we’ll know soon enough what the future looks like for CT rental property owners!

2018 – What’s In Store For CT Landlords?

January 12, 2018bob

As the New Year begins, we are clearly staring at crossroads here in Connecticut for many issues and not just those that impact property owners.

In a couple of weeks the Legislative Session begins and some items that will be discussed are a Statewide Property Maintenance Code and Lead Paint and Healthy Homes as CTPOA has been in meetings over the past year with advocates and agencies on these topics.

For 2018, the most important issue impacting landlords is the election in November that is truly going to make or break us. Connecticut property owners must step up and work with their tenants to vote some policy makes out of office.

It was recently disclosed that Connecticut lost 40 of the biggest 150 tax-payers in the past couple of years and what is replacing these high-earning individuals are refugees and other people moving into our State that will be dependent on government entitlement programs…so much is at stake and the numbers don’t add up!

What lies ahead is unknown but 2017 ended on a happy note because….

OUR 2017 HOLIDAY PARTY WAS A HUGE SUCCESS

The room was full of happy people

The Prime Rib was fabulous

The entrees were delicious

The Pasta station was a hit

Justin Meadows of TenantTracks in the Holiday Spirit enjoying the open bar

L to R…Housing Chair, State Rep. Larry Butler, CTPOA Pres. Bob DeCosmo, along with Tim Herbst, Republican Candidate for CT Governor

L to R, Sen. George Logan, Bob Stauffer and Tim Herbst

Matt & Eric from Premier Real Estate Consultants In Hartford

Frank & Sal from Pinnacle Development in New Britain

Lin Yang….stealing the show as usual

CTPOA 2017 Holiday Party Announced “End The Year In Style”… December 14th

November 17, 2017November 21, 2017bob

CTPOA and its sponsors are hosting a Holiday Party at the wonderful La Bella Vista Banquet Hall located at 380 Farmwood Road in Waterbury. Mark you calendar for December 14th from 6:00 till 10:pm and don’t miss out on good food, fun and awesome real estate networking.

This years event will also feature a live D.J playing a variety of tunes for you listening and dancing pleasure along with an awesome menu of La Bella Vista favorites including

Tuscan Table–Italian Meats, Cheeses and Crackers, Grilled MarinatedVegetables, Fresh Fruits, Bruschettas and Flat Bread Pizzas
Hot Hors d’oeuvres – Seafood Stuffed Mushrooms, Fried Calamari, Zuppa Mussels, Eggplant Rollatini, Escarole and Beans, Broccoli Rabe and Sausage
Pasta Station with Penna ala Vodka and Farfalle Primavera
Prime Rib carving Station
OPEN BAR all night

Come celebrate they Holidays and enjoy a wonderful night while meeting other people involved in real estate. Tickets are only $40.00 prepaid and $50.00 at the door. You may pay online by visiting the events page on our website…..Advance Registration is Requested

TO REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT…..CLICK ON OUR EVENTS TAB….or Click Here

A message from our President

October 17, 2017November 21, 2017bob

2018 Is the Year for Decisive Action…and then VICTORY!

For the past 21 years, I have been involved at the State Capitol as an advocate for landlords and property owner rights and have learned much.

When I first started the Waterbury Property Owners Association with several other concerned landlords in 1994, it was novel and fun. We were a close-knit group with great expectations and a Governor that called our city “The center of the universe”. I was very trusting and optimistic for the future but now must admit that I was also pretty naive and not really prepared to handle the inner-working of CT State politics and the tenant advocates thinking in the years that followed.

Today, I am speaking up and stating publicly for the first time that there are several politicians and advocates supported by lobbyists and often funded by tax-payer dollars that support a socialist agenda and have made things so difficult on private sector landlords causing them to fail.

When politicians and lobbyists with their own extreme agendas create laws for state-agencies to follow, its only a matter of time when these agencies turn from legitimate “watch-dogs” to biased and zealous “attack dogs,” and we have witnessed this brutish behavior recently in some of our dealings in Hartford concerning our fair Housing laws.

Bob DeCosmo – President of CTPOA

It doesn’t take a scholar to understand that Connecticut as a State is failing and people are leaving in disturbingly high numbers for greener pastures. Much of the blame for Connecticut’s demise needs to be focused on these politicians with extreme agendas. In an attempt to turn the rental housing industry around, I have decided in 2018 CTPOA is splitting into two separate and independent entities to try and stop the downward spiral in CT.

CTPOA will remain as an educational resource center and advocacy group but the political side of the operations will be handled by the PROPERTY OWNER DEFENSE LEAGUE, an Independent Expenditure – Political Action Committee, often called a “Super PAC.” The PAC’s purpose and intent is to influence the outcomes of various races in the 2018 elections and target legislators that are anti-business and hostile towards landlords and support legislators that help us; it’s the only way to change things; we need more like-minded people making decisions up there!

To achieve our goals, CTPOA once again has invested in more technology this summer and added Customer Relations Management (CRM) software to help us with a marketing and outreach campaign set to begin in early November. The campaign will target thousands of contacts we have in order to get new landlords and vendors to support us. With the proper technological tools in hand, we are working with consultants to hire and train paid solicitors to bolster our membership ranks and also gain contributions for the Property Owner Defense League. If you are interested in earning 1099 income and like sales, contact us as you will be paid for every new member or donation you bring forward, call 1-800-369-6153.

I look forward to hosting many events over the next few months and wish to roll into 2018 with a full head of steam so we can help save Connecticut.