Landlords and property owners will play a bigger role in stopping crime under legislation approved Monday by the County Council.

The ordinance, sponsored by Councilman Reagan Dunn, whose district includes the Maple Valley, Covington and Black Diamond areas, calls for the Sheriff Department to identify “problem” rental houses in unincorporated areas of the county and notify their landlords when a serious crime is committed there, such as drug and sex offenses and furnishing alcohol to minors, officials said.

After three separate notifications of crime on rented property in a six-month period, the owners would be required to take action to prevent the recurrence of such crime or face fines themselves. Such action could include asking the Sheriff Department for assistance or advice on how to prevent crime, participation in a landlord training course, or evicting the offending tenants.