Councilmember Shané Darby brought the ordinance to Council June 4 to bolster rental oversight and give residents easy access to information on rental properties.
The goal is to build better relationships with landlords while also serving tenants.
“This updates us with what other cities are doing, where landlords can log on, go online, and say, I'm renting out this building, I want to register it, I want to get my business license, I'm renting out this apartment, and then they're able to apply to then get that online,” Darby said.
Darby added from her meetings with local stakeholders, this process would ease administrative labor for the Department of Licenses and Inspections.
Mayor John Carney didn’t sign the legislation but allowed it to become law.
Darby’s ordinance allows for a year to implement the program and requires the L and I Department to update Council every 90 days on its progress.
The idea for the registry came from the National League of Cities’ Landlord Engagement Lab, which helped create a working group in Wilmington composed of landlords, renters and housing advocates.
The registry aims to bolster rental oversight and give residents easy access to information on rental properties. It’s also expected to lessen the administrative burden on the city’s Department of Licenses and Inspections.
“Instead of having people come in, they have an online system that they can use,” Darby said. “So, I think it's like a win-win for each department, for our landlords, and for our tenants.”
The first year fiscal impact totals $816 thousand, with each following year quoted as $221 thousand. Staffing would not bring any additional cost.
Councilmembers agreed they would have to reconvene at a later date to discuss financing.
