Pittsfield considers Pre-Rental Inspection Program

12:00AM / Wednesday, March 06, 2002Print Story | Email Story

Last month's meeting of the Rental Housing Association of Berkshire County Inc. (RHABC), was held Feb. 19. The RHABC is a group of landlords from around Berkshire County that seeks to create better relations between themselves and their tenants through education and communication. "Our goal," said Tom Arsenault, RHABC treasurer, "is to create productive communities and protect tenant and landlord rights." The number of units a landlord owns is not a factor for membership. Typically, member landlords own anywhere from one to 10 apartments. Members of RHABC automatically gain membership in the Massachusetts Rental Housing Association (MRHA). The association holds monthly meetings that consist of dinner and a guest speaker. The meetings are held once a month (excluding July and August) on the third Tuesday of each month at Mazzeo's Restaurant in Pittsfield. Meeting topics vary and can range from health codes, deleading issues, and discrimination laws, to tenant and landlord rights. The speakers also vary from month to month. Past speakers have included the Pittsfield and North Adams housing authorities, state representatives, regional housing authorities, lead inspectors, loan officers, credit bureaus, health inspectors, judges, lawyers, and police officers. Ensuring landlord rights Joslin Santos, the former treasurer and a current member of the MRHA, spoke at last month's meeting. Santos gave an update on several of the current legislative issues that are being pursued by the MRHA as well as by similar associations around the state. Of these issues, Santos encouraged the support of House Act numbers 408 and 3994. The approval of House Bill No. 408 would authorize the assumption of certain utility costs by tenants. The proposed amendment to the General Laws reads that "a lease or rental agreement may provide for the assumption by a lessee or tenant of the partial or total costs of water and sewer services to the leased or rented premises." House Bill No. 3994 is a petition for legislation to grant landlords tax credits for the installation of energy efficiency measures in some multi-family properties. Santos summarized the apparent advantages to both of these acts to both landlords and their tenants. "When each tenant is responsible for their own utilities, then no one suffers," stated Santos. "We've all heard of the angry tenant that leaves his water running all day long to hike up the landlordâ€™s water bill. Or the tenant that keeps the heat down to save money and ends up paying a lot more anyway because the other tenants they're splitting the heating costs with have their heat up to 80 degrees." Santos continued, "The plus for tax credits being given to landlords for using energy-efficient measures is pretty obvious. We [landlords] get an incentive for helping our tenants keep their heating and water usage bills low." Although these acts obviously aid both landlords and tenants, Santos stressed the necessity for landlords to "keep on top of current legislation, be active in your landlord association. â€œPeople seem to think that we're [landlords] all rich or something; they don't realize that most of us are just making a living like everyone else. The best way to do this is to be active, write to our senators and our House reps. It doesn't take much to write a letter and e-mail it to a whole bunch of people at once. Most of the laws out there cover just the tenants. We have to make sure our rights aren't overlooked." Assuring quality apartments Another topic up for discussion during the February meeting was the city of Pittsfield's proposed Pre-Rental Inspection Program. This program is meant to ensure that, whenever a rental dwelling unit becomes vacant, the landlord shall have it inspected by the Pittsfield housing code inspector, or this person's equivalent at the Pittsfield Board of Health. According to Kent Fox, president of the RHABC, this program is being modeled after North Adams's Certificate of Occupancy (CO) regulations. "Currently, COs aren't required in Pittsfield. Now they're thinking about having them. Through this program the housing inspector will determine whether or not an apartment is in compliance with state sanitary codes." Debate arose as to whether or not there is a need for this regulation, as well as on specific parameters of the regulation. As in North Adams, the proposed Pittsfield regulation states that a new CO must be obtained each time a tenant vacates an apartment and prior to a new tenant moving in. One North Adams landlord stated that the issuance of COs "supports the growth of the community. Nice apartments attract quality renters. I moved to North Adams to become a landlord and I hate seeing all the run-down buildings in town. I want my apartments to be places I wouldn't mind living myself." Rusty Ransford, also a landlord of North Adams, stated that COs "raise property values by getting rid of buildings that look bad." However, landlord David West of Williamstown stated that "having COs can be good and bad. If you have a high turnover of tenants or a lot of repairs to do then it can get pretty expensive." Others suggested that the regulation be limited to a new CO being obtained after a specific period of time, such as every two years. Still others argued that this would not ensure satisfactory living conditions for new tenants acquiring an apartment vacated by a destructive former tenant. This program is to be presented to the Pittsfield Landlord Association for review (meeting date has yet to be announced). According to a North Adams Board of Health representative, the program has been in place in North Adams since 1981 and took approximately two years to implement. The next RHABC meeting will be held March 19. For more information, call 499-7875.

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Friday Front Porch Feature: A Charming House Like New

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
06:57PM / Friday, December 19, 2025

The home prior to renovations.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Are you looking for a newly renovated home with great space? Then this might be the perfect fit for you!

Our Friday Front Porch is a weekly feature spotlighting attractive homes for sale in Berkshire County. This week, we are showcasing 100 Autumn Drive.

This three-bedroom, two-bathroom split level was built in 1965 and is 1,396 square feet on 0.32 acres.

The house was completely renovated recently. It includes a one-car garage, and comes with appliances including a dishwasher and stove/oven, and other major appliances.

The house is listed for $359,500.

We spoke with owners Michael Zeppieri and Chris Andrews, who did the renovations. Zeppieri is an agent with Alton and Westall Real Estate Agency.

What was your first impression when you walked into the home?

Zeppieri: I purchased this home to do a full renovation flip and saw tremendous potential in this mid-century split level home that had not been updated since it was built in the 1960s, in a great North Adams neighborhood.

Andrews: The house was a much different house when we first purchased it in 2022 (photo attached is from about 2010.) The interior was painted all in dark colors and we brightened it up with neutral colors. The transformation makes you feel like you are in a totally different house.

What were the recent renovations, any standout design features?

Zeppieri: The house has had a complete reconfiguration including new kitchen with high-end appliances, ceramic tiled baths, hardwood floors, new windows and roof ... just to name a few. All a buyer has to do is move in and enjoy.

Andrews: Yes, we renovated the entire house. New windows, new roof, all new custom black gutter system, new blacktop driveway, hardwood floors were installed through out the house. New kitchen and bathrooms as well as painting the exterior and interior of the house. New paver patio in the back yard.

What kind of buyer would this home be ideal for?

Zeppieri: The buyer for this home could be a first-time homebuyer or a retiree ... the location is close to attractions in North Adams ... and the property is located in Autumn Heights, which is a very small residential development with several long-term owners.

Andrews: This home is truly ideal for a variety of buyers. Whether a first-time homebuyer, a small family or even someone looking to downsize from a larger home.

What do you think makes this property stand out in the current market?

Zeppieri: The location, price and move-in condition of this home make it a true market leader in the North Adams Market.

Andrews: This house is completely renovated and in a desirable location of North Adams. The natural light in the home really makes the interior pop. And with all the upgrades the home stays quite cool in the summer months.

Do you know any unique stories about the home or its history?

Zeppieri: This home was built for the Gould family in 1969 and they lived there till 2010. It was always a family home during that time in which the Goulds had two children ... and Virgina Gould managed Mohawk Forest Apartments and was a very active resident of North Adams.

Andrews: Built in about 1965.

What do the current owners love about this home?

Zeppieri: As the current owner it was a fun project to transform this home and get it ready for its next adventure with a new family to enjoy for many years.

Andrews: No one has lived in the house since we purchased the home. The new owners would be the first to live in the house since the renovations have been completed.

What would you say to a buyer trying to imagine their life in this space?

Andrews: I would suggest seeing the house either on a sunny day or at twilight to really get a vision of how special the home feels.

You can find out more about this house on its listing here.

*Front Porch Feature brings you an exclusive to some of the houses listed on our real estate page every week. Here we take a bit of a deeper dive into a certain house for sale and ask questions so you don't have to.

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