Breadon files 'Bad Landlords List' ordinance with penalties for chronic offenders
Landlords who pile up serious violations would be named twice a year and shut out of city grants and zoning relief until they fix problems and pay fines.
Boston renters could soon look up whether their landlord is one of the city's worst. City Council President Liz Breadon (District 9) filed an ordinance Oct. 21 that would create a public "Bad Landlords List" and stack penalties on repeat offenders.
Most Boston households rent, so the rules for problem landlords reach a lot of homes. WBUR reported in September that Breadon has worked on a "scofflaw" ordinance since 2023. Her office ran a "Worst Landlords in Boston" survey for renters, and she has pointed to Chicago and Toronto as models. WBUR also reported that she earlier pushed to raise the city's maximum fine for code violations from $300 to $2,000.
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Boston already has a chronic offender registry, created by the city's 2012 rental inspection ordinance, Boston.com reported in 2021. Breadon's proposal would add a public list and new consequences.
What the ordinance would do
Breadon described docket 1958 on the floor (watch at 1:06:24):
- Landlords would collect points for serious violations. Once they pass a threshold, they would go on a list the city publishes twice a year.
- Landlords on the list could not get city grants, zoning relief or consideration for large-project (Article 80) review.
- They would face more inspections and the highest fines allowed.
- A landlord could get off the list by fixing the problems and paying what they owe.
Breadon said Boston is a city of renters, about 65% overall and as high as 87% in Allston. She said most landlords follow the rules, but that current enforcement takes so much work across city departments that chronic violators keep profiting while tenants live in unsafe conditions (1:06:56). She added that some of those owners still get permits, financial help and contracts from the city:
All tenants deserve a right to a safe, sanitary and healthy place to live.
City Councilor Brian Worrell (District 4), added as an original co-sponsor, said he files a hearing order on problem properties every year and wants the city to use the enforcement tools it already has (1:09:28). He said a constituent told him the tax bill has a line for unpaid fines and violations that is left blank every quarter.
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Who has signed on
The council's record lists 12 of 13 councilors as sponsors or co-sponsors. The one name missing is City Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata (District 1), who was presiding over the meeting when the ordinance was read. The ordinance went to the Government Operations Committee.
What's next
Breadon said she wants a working session to refine the ordinance (1:08:57). To take effect, an ordinance needs a committee report, a council vote and the mayor's approval. Watch the Government Operations Committee page for a date. The full text is in the ordinance filing.