A Certificate of Approval is required when there is a change of occupancy of any residential property for sale or re-rental. Prior to issuing any Certificate of Approval, the residential property shall be inspected by the Office of Housing Inspections.
The application (PDF) shall be submitted by the owner who is selling the property or his real estate agent. These application forms are available on the website or in the Office of Housing Inspections. Access through the township portal to apply.
Bring the application (PDF) and fee ($200) to the Inspection Office located on the 3rd floor of the Municipal Building. At that time the inspection will be scheduled.
Upon completion of an inspection, the owner or agent will be notified in writing if any violations are found on the property.
Please follow the following instructions to access the township portal to apply and schedule online.
Steps to schedule an online Sale or Rental Certificate of Occupancy:
- Go to the Housing and Landlord Compliance Citizen Portal.
- There is no need to create an account. Select "Change of Occupancy" and follow the rest of the steps to submit your payment and application.
You may also access paper documents to print out on the 'Housing Inspection and Landlord Compliance' page. They are listed under "Related Documents." You can access the following documents:
- Change of Occupancy Checklist
- Change of Occupancy Application (for sales and rentals)
- Landlord Rental Unit and Landlord License Application
- Vacant Property Registration Application
All major violations shall be corrected. Buyers may sign for minor violations and all outside work shall be corrected within nine months of signing for the violations. In a case of a rental property, all violations shall be corrected prior to issuance of any Certificate of Approval.
Note: It is important to note that the inspection by the Township of Hamilton is only a preventive maintenance type of inspection, and it does not take the place of a more detailed inspection that the owner or prospective buyer may wish to have performed by a private inspection company.