A two-year old plan to crack down on delinquent landlords has shown promising returns, according to Montreal city officials.

At a news conference held on Monday, officials said alterations to how property inspections are done have helped to combat slumlords who previously hadn’t done upkeep on their property.

While the number of inspections are down, NDG-Cote-Des-Neiges Mayor Russell Copeman said that’s due to inspectors taking longer at each site.

He added that the quality of inspections has gone up due to new technology, including portable infrared cameras, small water filtration measurement devices and numerous portable tests.

The city has also changed how it deal with landlords. The change in policy calls for landlords to be given work plans detailing exactly what they need to fix.

Copeman used the example of moldy apartments, saying in the past, mold was often merely painted over but now, inspections show the actual problem is often being dealt with.

However, the city has identified a few recurring problem property owners.

“Of the truly incorrigible landlords, we know roughly half a dozen,” said Copeman. “We either slap them with an evacuation order or a deterioration notice,” adding that as a last resort, legal action is possible, but that going to court doesn’t necessarily improve housing conditions.