DeKALB – A licensing program for the city’s landlords was ditched by the DeKalb City Council in favor of a stronger disorderly house provision and annual registration of the landlords.

Under the proposal, the city could prohibit a landlord from renting out a certain property if that property experiences three or more unlawful activities in a certain time frame. If the landlord reaches “strike three,” they could face fines and interior inspections of their property, in addition to the prohibition.

At the City Council’s last special meeting on the recommendations from the city’s Safe and Quality Housing Task Force on Wednesday, City Manager Mark Biernacki presented a list of compromises the staff made with the DeKalb Area Rental Association – a consortium of local landlords who strongly opposed licensing.