Bloomington, IN Rental Property Rules: Rental Registration (2026)

Section 16.03.020(a) bars an owner from letting a residential rental unit for occupancy until the unit is registered with HAND. The registration form, filed under subsection (b), must give the owner's name, a street address good for service of process, a phone number and an email address, plus the same contact details for any authorized agent; an owner who does not live in Indiana must name an in-state agent. The registration form itself has to be signed by the owner personally, not by the owner's agent.

Registration isn't a one-time filing. Under § 16.03.020(c), whenever an owner or agent's mailing address, phone number or email changes, the owner must submit an updated, owner-signed registration form to HAND. Under § 16.03.020(d), a sale of the property triggers a fresh registration obligation: the new owner has to re-register the unit with HAND before it can continue to be rented. Registration is the gateway step for every other Title 16 requirement; a unit that isn't registered cannot receive the occupancy permit that § 16.03.030(a) requires before a tenant may occupy it, and HAND uses the registration contact information to serve notices of violation and schedule the cycle and complaint inspections that keep the permit valid.