My colleague Steve Brandt reports today how the city of Minneapolis housing inspectors are taking a page from other government efforts to use public records as a public bludgeon. The city's "Holding Property Owners Accountable" features downloadable lists of property owners who have lost their privilege to rent because of persistent housing code violations and other problems. There's a list of the 83 rental license revocations since 2005, as well as the 15 landlords or groups forbidden from renting in the city for five years. There are links to the investigative reports that led to the revocations, but you'll need to click through several links to get there.
For more details of housing woe, the city has posted a list of condemned properties and a much longer litany of vacant and boarded properties. Among the recent inductees, 3738 Dupont Avenue North, where the city's failure to shut off the water for more than a year resulted in a pipe rupture and flood, much to the neighborhood's chagrin.
