The Landlords Strike Back

And they strike back with force and anger.

At last night's City Council meeting, landlords in Fitchburg showed up in big numbers to rail against a proposed increase in inspection and oversight of rental properties in the city.

Not surprisingly, landlords and their association are going to take a long look at this, and in the end decide it's a bad idea. No one is a big fan of increased regulation in their livelihood.

However, it's a narrow-minded view in this case. These proposed regulations would only increase city inspections and generate a small $30 fee. It gives the city a tool to fight one of its biggest problems -- absentee landlords.

Landlords with strong properties have nothing to fear through a city inspection. The $30 fee is tiny, but if landlords are that strapped, they can pass it along to the renter (like every other business when facing increased costs). Over the course of a year, that's $2.50 a month.

We're willing to guess the landlords in City Hall last night were the kind that takes care of their property, are mindful of who their tenants are, and have the city's best interest at heart (for the most part). The landlords who need oversight probably didn't even know there was a discussion going on.

Those who did show up let their displeasure known, with one calling Fitchburg a "dump city." And this guy was criticizing the city's "negative" attitudes. Huh.

Additionally, Police Chief Edward Cronin got involved.

Apparently, some people were caught off guard by Cronin's resistence last night. He was considered supportive until last night. Really, though, Cronin has little voice in this discussion. This mostly a building inspectors situation. Cronin's butting in is a little strange, and probably inappropriate. It's unlikely he'd want the building inspector setting up patrol schedules.

Considering the prevalent view that Fitchburg has a serious crime problem -- surely part of the "dump city" comment made last night -- Cronin should spend more time straightening his own house before dealing with others. Cronin's department certainly plays a role in this larger discussion, but not on this legislation.

While there may be some debate regarding the finer points of the measure -- and we still have those privacy questions in the back of our mind -- this is a proposal that is overwhelmingly beneficial to the city in the long run. To get some control over absentee landlords is an absolute must. Hopefully, the council can look past the orchestrated show of force last night and do the right thing.