Want to know if a property is being used as a residential rental in Shreveport? The answer may not be as simple as it sounds.
In December 2022, Shreveport’s City Council passed an ordinance establishing the Residential Rental Registration Program. According to Alan Clarke, Executive Director of the Shreveport MPC, the purpose of the registry is “to increase transparency and improve accountability in the rental housing market in the city of Shreveport.”
The legislation, which took effect in January 2023, requires all existing residential rental property owners to register their rental property by December 31, 2023. With less than six months to go, a little over two hundred properties have complied with the new regulation (with approximately 33,000 active rental properties identified on the city’s registration website).
As part of the registration process, tenants can also submit a complaint to Property Standards about substandard living conditions.
“We have received a significant number of complaints from tenants that they were having issues with the rental property,” said Clarke. Some complaints included mold issues, backed-up sewer lines, and a broken HVAC system.
Clarke is frustrated that more landlords haven’t registered their property. He believes the program has the potential to create a better environment for the entire community.
“It’s a quality-of-life increase. It will actually overall be a benefit not only for the city and the landlord, but also the tenant,” said Clarke. “Rental Registration is the first step to ensuring that all of our residents have access to housing that is healthy and safe.”
Owners of rental properties in Shreveport have until December 31, 2023, to register their properties.
Failure to register a property could result in penalties or fines. Rental property owners may register by visiting the MPC’s website, http://www.shreveportcaddompc.com/about-us/services/applications/rental-registration-form, and filling out the form.
