Columbus City Council held a press conference Wednesday morning to discuss proposed legislation that aims to address problem landlords by creating a registry of all rental properties in the city.
The registry would require every residential rental property in Columbus to register with the city annually.
“The rental registry is not a silver bullet for our housing crisis, but it is a strategy for us to be more proactive,” said Columbus City Council member Nicholas Bankston. “It is a framework that allows us to engage with properties on a predictable, organized basis to catch issues before they become emergencies and to centralize the data and contact information necessary to address emergencies in a timely fashion when they do arise.”
Bankston said the registry would include information about rental properties, such as the number of dwelling units, parcel IDs and an emergency contact for the property.
He also said properties with repeated code violations, unresolved safety orders or public nuisance designations will be given a conditional registration status. Properties with this status would face increased mandatory inspections, require remediation plans and apply civil penalties until the problems are resolved.
“At its core, this is about one simple goal. No matter your zip code or income, you should have access to healthy and safe housing,” Bankston said.
Columbus resident and landlord Jeff Covell also spoke in support of the registry, saying the proposed registry would also positively impact landlords.
“I view myself as a good landlord, and I hate that my good name can be tarnished by association with predatory landlords who care little about the lives and welfare of their tenants,” Covell said. “The proposed rental registry is one way that we might exercise some control over predatory landlords, and just maybe help elevate society's view of landlords and maybe make us as landlords just a little more respected.”
Sarah Dreyer, a member of the Columbus nonprofit Building Responsibility Equality and Dignity (B.R.E.A.D.) and a Clintonville resident, also spoke in favor of the registry. She said when she reported her landlord to the city, it felt like nothing changed.
“I filed complaints and the city code did come out, and they did file violations, but it didn't stop," Dreyer said. “It didn't stop and one violation after another turned into emergency violations.”
Dreyer said this ordinance will help prevent what happened to her and her family from happening to others by holding landlords accountable.
Columbus City Council is set to vote on the legislation Monday.
