Wilmington City Council Bolsters Tenant Rights, Launches Homeownership Program for Educators
WILMINGTON, DE – Wilmington City council unanimously approved two ordinances Thursday aimed at strengthening protections for renters and incentivizing educators to live within city limits. The measures, passed 11-0 with two absences, represent a critically important step toward addressing housing affordability and attracting talent to the city’s school system.
The council’s actions respond to growing concerns about housing quality and accessibility for Wilmington residents. One new ordinance mandates landlords include a full copy of tenants’ rights within lease agreements, expanding upon an existing requirement for a summary. The second establishes a pathway for tenants to place rent funds in escrow with the city if landlords fail to address necessary maintenance issues. Simultaneously, a municipal loan program was greenlit to encourage homeownership among educators working within the city.
“We are already getting people to be homeowners within the city, but to also be trying to get people here who are educators for our children, to grow our village,” said Councilmember Maria McCoy, spearheading the initiatives. The Department of Real Estate and Housing will now oversee the implementation of the educator homeownership program.
Councilmember Shané Darby raised concerns about enforcement of the new tenant protections, questioning the lack of direct consequences for landlords who fail to comply. “We don’t have accountability on the city end to say, ‘if you don’t have a business license, if you don’t have these things, then you can’t renew your license, or you can’t pull a permit until these things happen,'” Darby stated.
McCoy acknowledged the need for further action to ensure accountability, explaining the current ordinances prioritize providing renters with readily available data about their rights, notably regarding the new escrow option. “This was more so about making certain that any of the residents who wanted to take advantage of the ordinance, the escrow ordinance, they already had this information in hand when they came to or would they be able to access it,” McCoy said.
