City Comes Down on Absentee Landlords

Cleveland City Council passed legislation intended to create additional accountability for out-of-state landlords. The passing of the code modification, titled “Residents First,” is a huge win for Cleveland’s Mayor Bibb. Since winning office in 2022, Bibb had been a passionate change agent for the City of Cleveland.

The legislation aims to amp-up accountability for property owners who do not live in the City, with the ultimate goal of safeguarding renters in Cleveland by closing loopholes and strengthening the existing rental registry process in the city.

According to Census figures, almost 60% of Cleveland residents are renters. As part of the set of laws, property owners living outside Cuyahoga County would be required to designate a local agent who assumes legal responsibility for the rental property. This may raise some concern with local property managers who now have to assume greater responsibility for the properties they manage.

The legislation establishes a registry for the city’s approximately 10,000 vacant homes. Another big piece of the code revision is a new point-of-sale inspection which will now be mandatory before any vacant properties can change hands. This is to prevent further deterioration of housing stock during property transfers and force homeowners who are not owner-occupants to keep up with their properties.