City Councilwoman LaToya Cantrell wants New Orleans to implement a rental registry that would aim to root out slumlords.
The councilwoman chaired a Community Development Committee hearing this week, where housing advocates shared stories from tenants living in problem-plagued rentals.
Cantrell proposed a rental registry in 2015, and she was met with opposition from landlords, who believed such a system would unfairly target good property owners and drive up rent costs. Not surprisingly, tenants and housing advocates praised the idea.
The registry would require landlords to register their units with the city and allow them to be inspected. Of course, there is concern that bad landlords will find ways to skirt these requirements—being that they are, well, bad.
Cantrell plans to write legislation for the registry, aiming to be done in time for the issue to become before City Council this summer.
• New Orleans rental registry would root out slumlords [NOLA.com]
• While still just an idea, councilwoman holds hearing on rental registry, inspections [The Lens]