Community development officer: rental‑registry pilot improved landlord outreach but needs clearer goals

Robin Stanicky, the city’s community development officer, presented findings from a two‑year pilot of a long‑term rental registry and said the program improved engagement with some landlords but overall had low participation. Stanicky told the committee she encountered "mission drift" in the pilot and urged the council to clarify the problem the registry is meant to solve and whether the program should be mandatory or voluntary.

Staff recounted principal landlord feedback that many property owners "didn't see the point" of a voluntary registry. The pilot had shifted away from the earlier concept of mandatory inspections toward voluntary incentives when funding and participation lagged. Some councilors pressed for mandatory inspections—citing a 2019 housing report that recommended mandatory inspections to ensure housing quality—arguing that mandatory elements could provide the "teeth" needed to protect tenant health and safety.

Several councilors urged staff to explore implementation options that balance tenant protections and landlord cooperation: make it easier for tenants to file complaints (and protect them from retaliation), offer incentives for landlords who participate, and benchmark against other municipal programs (for example, Orono) and possible state action (carryover legislation referenced by a councilor).

Staff said existing tools (code‑office complaint investigations, online portals) could be leveraged and offered to return with several implementation options, including voluntary and mandatory models, possible incentives, tenant‑protection language and ways to shield tenants from retaliation.

Next steps: staff will return to the committee with a set of implementation options and comparisons to other municipal and state models.