In their latest effort to improve the city’s rental stock, elected officials in Wilmington are pushing for landlords to be required to have business licenses.
Wilmington City Council unanimously passed a resolution Thursday urging the General Assembly to enact legislation to mandate all Delaware landlords maintain a valid business license. The City already requires landlords to register their properties and maintain a rental license.
“I believe it will have a major effect on the number of registered properties,” said first-term Councilwoman Shané Darby, who sponsored the resolution. “The number of business licenses will go up, and [it will help] make sure people have affordable and up-to-code housing they can live in and rent here in the City of Wilmington.”
The resolution also asks state lawmakers to prohibit any landlord without a valid business license from filing an eviction action or having a judgment entered against a tenant.
Other Councilmembers said such legislation could hold landlords accountable, or level the playing field during evictions.
