Is It Time For Landlord Registration In Youngstown

[Ted]

Rental registration was part of the housing code enforcement and administrative penalty legislation that was passed in 2003. Unfortunately, the previous mayor's administration didn't implement it. I believe it called for a yearly fee of $20.00 per unit and that money was to be used to administer the program.

[Towntalk]

I've noticed as has anyone who uses eBay that a day doesn't"t go by that there aren't houses being listed, and most, if not all are properties that no self respecting real estate agent would look at a second time, and most of these houses are on the South and East sides of town. I've also noted that many are being sold by a so-called company out of state that admits that it only has the word of a third party and didn't do an inspection on their own. As far as I'm concerned, these are fly by night outfits that I would trust as far as I can throw the Metropolitan Tower. There should be some way that the State of Ohio could regulate these out of state operators the way they do in state real estate agents. Likewise eBay should be forced to be held to the same standards that other media sources are held to under the truth in advertising laws.

[Glenna]

I would love to see landlord registration. I believe it only takes one house to ruin a neighborhood. I do not think you should be able to tell which house is rental when you drive down a street. Of course this is just my opinion. I also think some of the problem in Youngstown are these rent to own homes. Also, has anyone else noticed the number of homes being "sold" to people out of state?

[northside lurker]

I think this is a good idea.  I think absentee landlords who don't take care of their property are a big part of the city's problem.

[jay]

Problem homes in many neighborhoods are often rental units.  Some landlords do not maintain their properties, and they sometimes rent to undesirable tenants.  These landlords are often impossible to find because of faulty address listings on the county auditors website, or they have unlisted phone numbers.  Among other things, landlord registration would require that the name, address, and phone number of a local contact person be on file for all rental units.

A group of citizens from the west side will start attending city council meetings to make presentations demanding that a landlord registration program be fully implemented in the city of Youngstown.  Would residents from other parts of the city be willing to help?