Matt Ritter

The House approved legislation that seeks to make it easier to track down slumlords who hide behind corporate entities.

Residents of Hartford deserve and demand landlords who care for our community and are not simply looking to cash in on federal housing contracts while putting tenants at risk. Thanks to this legislation, municipalities will have the tools they need to have a name associated with every landlord. Absentee landlords will have a harder time hiding in the shadows.

The bill (HB 7225) requires nonresident rental property owners and project based housing providers (PBHPs) to file the landlord’s or agent’s current residential address with the municipality in which the properties are located. The bill also requires PBHPs to file additional identifying information about their owners.

Clay Arsenal Renaissance Apartments, Infill 1 and Barbour Gardens in Hartford’s north end all made headlines this year because of unsanitary and unsafe living conditions. Hundreds of residents are being relocated due to the negligence of their landlords.