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After nearly two hours of debate, the Charlotte City Council passed a limited landlord registration ordinance Monday night, which only requires property owners of the most crime-ridden properties to identify themselves to the police.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police proposed more than a year ago that all landlords register with the city, and be subject to fines if their rental units don't improve. Police have said it's often difficult to identify problems landlords because property records list corporations or don't have current addresses.
The proposal was based on similar measures in cities such as Raleigh, Minneapolis and Houston.
But a number of landlords, as well as industry groups, such as the Real Estate and Building Industry Coalition, opposed the blanket registration. The compromise approved Monday requires only landlords who are in the top 4 percent of highest crime calls
“We think we are targeting crime,” said Elizabeth Barnhardt of the Charlotte Regional Realtors Association. “We think it holds landlords accountable.”
The vote was 7-3. Mayor-elect Anthony Foxx, and council members Michael Barnes and Warren Turner, all Democrats, voted against it. They wanted to expand the ordinance to require all landlords to register.
Council member James Mitchell was absent.
Mayor Pro Tem Susan Burgess, and Democratic colleagues Nancy Carter and Patsy Kinsey, joined the Republican minority in supporting the 4 percent compromise.
Council member Warren Cooksey, a Republican, said requiring all landlords to register would be like holding a principal accountable for a crime a student committed on school property.
But there were dozens of residents who attended Monday's debate, holding “FULL REGISTRATION” signs.
One was John Autry of the Coventry Woods homeowner's association in east Charlotte. He said his neighborhood is plagued by crime at nearby apartments, and said it made sense to give police the most accurate information.
“How can police chase all that down?” Autry said, referring to following a paper trail to identify a property owner. “There is no need to put a partial ordinance in place.”
The ordinance calls for police to set up meetings with problem landlords to develop plans to improve their properties. Failure to comply could result in fines of $50 a day for the first 30 days, $100 a day for the next 30 days and $500 a day for each subsequent day.
The ultimate penalty would be the city moving to revoke the landlord's ability to rent the property and collect rent.
