A new law regarding Fredonia’s village code on rental housing was a lot of time and work, but brought little change.

As noted in the article by M.J. Stafford earlier this week, the registry for property owners remains in the version passed Sept. 9, but now requires the name and contact information of the property’s managing agent only if the owner lives outside Erie, Chautauqua or Cattaraugus counties. The property owner only has to supply his or her name and address.

It was a watered down version of what was originally sought in the code. Past proposals, which faced opposition, included having contact information of the owners in the building and a requirement for tenants to be in a registry.

Both seemed a little too much of big brother.

With enrollment at the State University of New York at Fredonia down from 10 years ago, landlords are facing numerous issues getting properties rented. They do not need to face additional red tape from the village.