The city of Columbus is known for its beautiful architecture and inviting city center. But some worry that its historic downtown neighborhood has fallen into disrepair.
The city is trying to clean up the area by creating a landlord registry that will make it easier for the city to hold landlords accountable.
Abandoned homes and rental houses with peeling paint dominate the city's historic downtown neighborhood. They are a stark contrast to the shiny modernist glass buildings just a few blocks over.
"In the downtown area we've had a lot of abandoned homes and abandoned vehicles a lot of personal property crime," says Elaine Wagner, the Columbus City Council Member who proposed the landlord registry.
She says the city's downtown area used to be predominately owner-occupied homes, but now 70 percent of the neighborhood is rental properties.
The ordinance would require that all rental properties have the name and phone number of the property owner on file with the city. Landlords would have to pay a one time, $5 registration fee.
Landlords upset about the proposal came out in force to a council meeting Tuesday to show their disapproval.
But it's not the fees that worry many landlords in the community.
"This is going to affect investment properties in Columbus," says landlord Greg Simo. "If there is more regulations there is going to be less people trying to come to Columbus and invest in rental properties, that is gonna create a shortage of rental housing and the current houses that we have the rents are gonna increase."
"If there is more regulations there is going to be less people trying to come to Columbus and invest in rental properties.
They also say they worry about their privacy, and the potential that the registry could balloon into something like the far more restrictive landlord rules in Bloomington, where regular inspections are simply a part of being a landlord.
However, city officials say they have no intention of expanding the scope of the ordinance. They say the registry is nothing more than a landlord's name and phone number so they can be quickly contacted when needed.
"Currently if there is a problem with a code violation, if we have the landlords phone number, we can call them and typically get it resolved in a few days," says Robin Hilber, programs director with the Department of Community Development.
If not, she says, the process can take weeks and that it is too slow for code violations that need to often be addressed quickly.
Police also support the proposal. They say information about the property owner will help them do their jobs because they'll be able to contact the "keyholder" of a property any time, day or night.
City Council voted to approve the proposal Tuesday and is expected to take a final vote on the measure at a Feb. 6 meeting.
