JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The issue of absentee or neglectful landlords continues to be an ongoing problem for many renters across Jacksonville, with residents telling News4JAX they often struggle to get responses when maintenance issues arise.
Now, a Jacksonville city councilman is pushing for a new tool he says could help tenants get answers.
Councilman Jimmy Peluso is working to create what he calls a “Rental Registry,” a system designed to help residents identify who owns a rental property and review a landlord’s history of code violations and other information before signing a lease.
In recent months, the News4JAX I-Team has spoken with dozens of residents who said they weren’t sure who to contact or where to go when they experienced problems in their apartments and felt their landlords were not responding.
Peluso said the goal is to give renters more power and more clarity.
“I want to give people the tools to make sure they’re not trapped anymore,” Peluso said.
