There are a few negative landlord stereotypes out there — every landlord knows his or her reputation is built not just on one’s own actions and history with tenants, but on the public’s general perception of landlords being people who might want to cut corners on maintenance and repairs in favor of a better bottom line.
That stereotype is unfair for the vast majority of landlords, who conscientiously stay on top of needed repairs and treat their tenants with respect and honesty. But there are still bad landlords out there, muddying the rental waters for the good property managers. Now New York City’s public advocate is trying to change that, at least in his town. Thanks to an agreement with the online classified website Craigslist, tenants in New York City can find out more about a prospective landlord by clicking a link, “NYC’s worst landlords,” on the apartment search pages on Craigslist. The link takes renters to a page on public advocate Bill de Blasio’s website that lists dozens of landlords with the worst inspection records. Tenants can even click on the landlord’s name and be shown a map via Google Maps with the buildings that landlord owns.
The information is compiled by the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, and the website also tells tenants how to file a complaint against their landlord. The list is revolutionary in giving tenants greater and easier access to information about landlords whose credentials and professional records are sub-par at best. Tenants often don’t have the luxury of performing a background check on their prospective landlord the way landlords do on their prospective tenants.
Beyond that, the list also is a wake-up call to landlords everywhere to make sure your reputation is solid, your record of housing violations is clean, and you are in good standing with your current tenants and the community at large.
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