Tenants in New York City could soon have an easier time getting dangerous issues fixed in their building, if a bill proposed Tuesday passes.

Currently, after tenants file a complaint by dialing 311, the city’s non-emergency hotline, they don’t get too many details about issue status. They are told only if their complaint is “pending” or “closed,” and it’s unclear if a city inspector has issued an order to the landlord to correct the issue, or if he or she simply did not see a problem.

Tenants aren’t told when a city inspector will arrive at their building. Since inspectors can’t access an empty apartment, tenants have to make the difficult choice between missing work for an unknown number of days or missing the inspector’s visit.

Council Member Helen Rosenthal’s bill proposes expanding 311 to make the process more transparent. The upgrade would include notifying residents by phone or email of the status of their 311 complaints as well as the arrival date and time of a city inspector. Residents could also opt in to real-time updates about their 311 complaint by email or text message. The updates would include a complete description of the action taken, whether the service request was resolved, and if not, an explanation and a contact number for further information.

Many other major cities already offer detailed descriptions of 311 complaints, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Minneapolis and Boston. Rosenthal says 311 has increased accountability of city agencies since it launched in 2003, and that her expansion is an important next step.

According to the city’s most recent agency report, the NYC 311 system handled more than 30.7 million inquiries in a year, and about 21 million of those were made by phone.

“My bill … would be of particular use to tenants facing issues like mold, heat, hot water, noise, air quality and unsafe conditions — all of which usually require a violation issued by a city inspector to get fixed,” Rosenthal said in a statement. “These changes will minimize calls to 311 for status updates and help city government serve residents more effectively.”