Boston City Council considers making list of city's worst landlords

The Boston City Council is considering publishing a list of the worst landlords in the city. 

There are more renters than owner-occupied homes in Boston. The latest data from the city has the rental population at over 60%. Landlords of Boston properties often live out of the city or even the state. For years, tenants have complained accountability seemed next-to-none.

Just this week, the Boston City Council decided to explore a proposal that would create a "Bad Landlords List." The city councilors behind the proposal said it would be a way to publicly name and shame the worst of the worst landlords in the city, in an effort to help renters make decisions when moving.

The proposal would create a new points-based system where landlords would earn points for each violation or reported issue that went unresolved. The city would tally the points twice a year to publish a list of the worst landlords in the city.

"I definitely think it would be helpful," said Sammie Vides, a renter in South Boston. "I think that it's hard to know until you're in the situation and then you're like I wish I could go back and redo a million steps but there's really no way out of it until the lease breaks."

"If I was in the market for a new apartment or maybe if I was just moving here and looking for somewhere to live, I think that might be helpful," said Delaney Deitrick. "Maybe it would also hold people accountable to have higher standards as landlords."

The proposal was moved to the city council's Committee on Government Operations. A date for a hearing has not been set.