The complaint
What problem was reported? A reported concern is not a confirmed violation.
The record behind the request
Follow the complaint.
Understand the outcome.
The SLI asks for information the public needs to understand a case. STLCA’s research examines the complaint, the response fields, and what remains unanswered.
Read each part of the record
Different fields.
Different questions.
The inspection date
Does the public field contain a date? A blank field does not prove no inspection occurred.
The enforcement record
What notice, order, or other action is documented? Separate counts alone do not establish which complaint led to which action.
The outcome
Why did the case end, and what shows whether correction was verified?
Source scope
Keep the full record
and narrower groups distinct.
STLCA’s landlord-tenant record set contains 56,258 records for 2003–2025. The October 27 summary examines narrower groups of physical-condition complaints. Those groups are not the full complaint universe.
Map totals and summary groups use different source snapshots. Read their source notes and definitions before comparing totals.
Read the October 27 summary groups and figures
Source snapshot: October 27, 2026. This dated summary examines specific groups of physical-condition complaints. Its figures are not a complete count of all complaints.
Read the complaint first
A housing problem is different
from a question about the lease.
These groups distinguish physical housing conditions from other tenancy matters and information requests. They describe the wording in the record, not whether the City confirmed a violation.
Physical housing conditions
18,948A clear description of a problem with the home or building. Called “strict habitability” in the analysis.
Rent, notices, and tenancy matters only
10,540Rent, deposits, leases, entry, retaliation, and related concerns without a clear physical-condition match.
Information requests only
2,028Questions about rights or information, kept separate from physical-condition complaints.
Staff notes only
2,241Records containing staff or process notes rather than a substantive tenant complaint description.
No clear issue wording matched
1,734The wording does not clearly identify an issue under the counting rules. Uncertain matches are reviewed separately.
These are selected groups from the complaint-text review, not a complete breakdown of every landlord-tenant record. Read the definitions.
Take another look.“Closed” tells us the status.
“Closed” tells us the status.
It does not tell us the whole story.
Of 17,989 clearly identified housing-condition records marked Closed or Completed, 9,074 have no public inspection date: 50.4%.
The case history is needed to establish what happened, whether an inspection occurred, and whether correction was verified.
No inspection dateDate field populated
An empty field does not establish that no inspection happened. A populated field does not, by itself, prove a physical inspection happened.
A closer view of serious reported conditions
Heat. Hot water. Sewage.
Problems that affect daily life.
This narrower group includes descriptions involving heat, hot water, sewage, electrical systems, fire safety, structural conditions, elevators, or hazardous air. These are reported conditions, not confirmed violations.
12,258Critical-condition complaints
At least one of these physical-condition categories appears in the complaint text.
11,674Closed or completed
The current status listed in the source record.
5,642No public inspection date
48.3% of the closed or completed records in this narrower group.
730 records call for a closer case review.
Within those 5,642 records, 730 also have an SDCI note mentioning a disposition such as no contact, withdrawal, administrative closure, or no violation.
Those records identify cases to examine individually. The combination does not establish that a case was improperly closed.
Connect the record to the proposed change
What should the system
make visible?
The reporting request and the initiative both call for understandable case histories. The initiative also proposes separate leadership and review for the functions transferred out of SDCI.