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City consultant outlines landlord-registry study as residents debate costs and privacy
Summary
City staff presented a study plan to inventory rental housing and evaluate landlord registries and licensing options; public commenters offered sharply divided views — tenants and housing advocates urged mandatory registration, while some residents warned of costs, surveillance risks and duplicative bureaucracy.
Rainn Daugherty, a city staff member leading a rental housing study, told the City Council on July 20 that she will compile an inventory of rental housing, map ownership, gather stakeholder input and present policy options by December. She said the study is informational and not a policy recommendation: "My job is not to make policy recommendations," she said, describing the work as research to help the council decide whether to adopt a landlord registry or a licensing program.
The proposal would begin with a database to identify property owners and contact people for the city to reach. Daugherty outlined a spectrum of options — from a basic registry to a licensing program that could include inspections and renewal requirements — and said the study will assess costs, staffing, legal issues and technology. She also proposed bilingual public engagement and outreach to tenants, landlords and community organizations.
Public commenters offered sharply different views. Beth Sebelia, director of the Center for Housing Opportunity in Eastern Connecticut, said the city faces an affordability crisis and urged a mandatory registry to increase accountability and protect tenants. "Housing costs are rising much faster than incomes," she said, and added that a registry can support safer, more stable housing.
By contrast, several residents warned about cost and privacy. Brad Sheridan said he worries about adding searchable databases and surveillance risk: "I don't trust that that information can be safeguarded," he said. Another speaker argued a registry could duplicate enforcement already available through building code and the fair‑rent commission and could prompt landlords to pass costs on to tenants.
Council members asked staff to provide the rental inventory used in the study and to include comparative examples from other cities and projected staffing and IT needs. President Pro Tem Hart said the program should be sized to the city's needs and that it should be self‑sustaining; other councilors urged outreach to elders and school‑age residents to capture varied tenant experiences.
Next steps: staff will continue the stakeholder engagement Daugherty described and return findings and options to the council; no ordinance or licensing program was adopted at the meeting.
