Less than half of Laramie’s landlords have complied with the City Rental Housing Code. So far, five complaints have been filed with the city, but more are expected when UW students return this fall.
In short, this needless, huge expansion of bureaucratic city government has accomplished... nothing. If the data in this blog post is accurate, 3,373 registrations at $40 apiece means a windfall of $134,920 for the city, and there have been 5 complaints - that's $26,984 per complaint! And one of them was not even a complaint about an actual problem but rather a complaint that the owner of a property didn't register with the city - which, ironically, saved tenants money.
One effect that the ordinance HAS had is that fewer properties are on the market. Laramie has not had a shortage of rentals since the early 90s, but the ordinance has apparently caused many owners to pull their properties off the market, making it tighter - which will also cause rents to rise.
The ordinance is a flop and should be repealed. It is hurting landlords, tenants, housing affordability, the local economy, and Laramie's quality of life.
Hi Brett, if you know a landlord who has pulled a rental off the market because of this $1.67/month fee or because their rentals did not meet the standards outlined in the code and they couldn't bring them in line, I would like to interview them. Could you put me in touch?
In short, this needless, huge expansion of bureaucratic city government has accomplished... nothing. If the data in this blog post is accurate, 3,373 registrations at $40 apiece means a windfall of $134,920 for the city, and there have been 5 complaints - that's $26,984 per complaint! And one of them was not even a complaint about an actual problem but rather a complaint that the owner of a property didn't register with the city - which, ironically, saved tenants money.
One effect that the ordinance HAS had is that fewer properties are on the market. Laramie has not had a shortage of rentals since the early 90s, but the ordinance has apparently caused many owners to pull their properties off the market, making it tighter - which will also cause rents to rise.
The ordinance is a flop and should be repealed. It is hurting landlords, tenants, housing affordability, the local economy, and Laramie's quality of life.
Hi Brett, if you know a landlord who has pulled a rental off the market because of this $1.67/month fee or because their rentals did not meet the standards outlined in the code and they couldn't bring them in line, I would like to interview them. Could you put me in touch?