Albany, N.Y., Code of Ordinances ch. 231 § 231-132

A. Registration. The City shall maintain a registry of all rental dwelling units and rental dwellings containing the following information, which shall be provided to the Department of Buildings and Regulatory Compliance by the owner thereof on forms available from the Department of Buildings and Regulatory Compliance: (1) Owner information. The name, legal residence address and telephone number of the owner or owners, or in the event that the owner is a corporate entity, the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of at least one officer(s), partner(s), and/or member(s) responsible for the property, an address for service of process, and the entity's Employer Identification Number (EIN), if applicable. (2) Further owner information. A copy of government-issued identification for, or the driver's license number or social security number of, each owner of the property, or if the owner is a corporate entity, a copy of government-issued identification for, or the driver's license number or social security number of, the officer, partner, or member responsible for the property. (3) Agent information. The name, contact address, and telephone number of any agent of the owner in control of the rental dwelling. (4) Emergency contacts. The names, telephone numbers, email addresses, and contact addresses of two emergency contacts for the rental dwelling who shall be designated primary and secondary contacts. (5) Property information. (a) The address of the rental dwelling. (b) The tax map parcel number of the rental dwelling. (c) The number of rental dwelling units in the rental dwelling. (d) A list of units in the rental dwelling as they are referred to at the premises. (6) Certification. Certification by the property owner that the registered rental dwelling units are, to the best of the owner's knowledge, safe, habitable, and in compliance with all relevant New York State building codes and the City of Albany Code. B. Inspection. (1) All residential rental dwelling units shall be inspected and certified by the Department of Buildings and Regulatory Compliance (hereinafter "the Department"), which shall determine compliance with, administer and enforce all applicable provisions of this Code and the NYS Fire Prevention & Building Code. The Chief Building Official or their designee may accept such inspections and certifications from uninterested and qualified third-party inspectors where sufficient proof of such inspection is provided. Residential occupancy permits shall be valid for 24 months from the date of issuance. (2) Nothing contained herein shall be construed or operate to invalidate an otherwise legally effective permit or certificate issued prior to the effective date of this part, except that such permit or certificate shall be valid only until the permit or certificate's expiration date, or two years from the effective date of this part, or a change in the tenancy of the residential rental dwelling unit to which the permit or certificate relates, whichever occurs first. (3) Except as otherwise provided herein, it shall be unlawful and a violation of this part to rent, lease, or otherwise allow the occupancy of any residential rental dwelling unit without the inspection and certification as required herein. (4) If, upon inspection, said premises are found not to comply with applicable provisions of this Code or the Uniform Code, the specific reasons for noncompliance shall be specified in writing in a notice and order, in the manner set forth in Chapter 133A of this Code. Occupants or proposed occupants of dwellings shall have the right to inspect the certificate of occupancy of the residential rental dwelling unit, apartment or multiple residence in which they have an interest at no cost. (5) When inspecting a dwelling unit within a multiresidential complex, as defined in § 313-12 of this Code, the Department shall inspect and certify compliance with the provisions of § 313-14 of this Code requiring the establishment of solid waste private collection and source separation facilities in such complexes. No residential occupancy permit for a dwelling unit under this Part 4 shall be issued unless the multiresidential complex is in compliance with § 313-14 of this Code. C. Renewal and update. It shall be the obligation of the rental dwelling owner to register the rental dwelling with the Department of Buildings and Regulatory Compliance and it shall be the obligation of the current or succeeding owner or owner's agent to update registration information with the Department of Buildings and Regulatory Compliance within 30 days of any change. There shall be no cost associated with such an update. D. Continuing compliance. Upon registration, it shall be the obligation of the rental dwelling owner to ensure that the rental dwelling and all rental dwelling units contained therein comply with all relevant New York State building codes and the City of Albany codes. In the event of such noncompliance a rental dwelling unit may be deregistered and have its residential occupancy permit suspended according to Albany City Code. E. Except as otherwise provided herein, it shall be unlawful and a violation of this chapter to rent, lease or otherwise allow the occupancy of any rental dwelling unit without said rental dwelling unit having been registered in accordance with this part. No owner, agent or person in charge shall collect rents during any period of noncompliance with the provisions of this part which would otherwise be due and owing for the rental of premises unless and until he or she shall have complied with the provisions herein. Nothing herein shall be construed to prevent a landlord, upon receipt of the residential occupancy permit, from receiving the equitable value of the occupancy of the premises from the earliest date of occupancy, but in no event shall a landlord recover in excess of the agreed rent in the form of late fees or other penalties. F. All rental dwelling units within a given rental dwelling must have the same registration expiration date. When it becomes necessary to do so, the Department of Buildings and Regulatory compliance may extend the registration period for the purpose of ensuring all rental dwelling units in a rental dwelling have the same registration period so long as the registration fee is pro-rated over the extended registration period or, in the event that there is a delay in registration caused by noncompliance, the registration termination date for a rental dwelling unit shall be the same as that of the already registered rental dwelling units in the rental dwelling. G. The passage of an inspection pursuant to this part or the issuance of a residential occupancy permit shall not constitute a waiver of any rights or immunities accorded the City of Albany as a municipal corporation pursuant to the laws of the State of New York or other provision of the Code of the City of Albany, in particular, Chapter 24 of this Code, nor shall the passage of an inspection pursuant to this part constitute a representation that any rental dwelling or rental dwelling unit is free of danger or entirely free of NYS Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code or Albany City Code violations.