South Belfast MLA Alex Maskey has welcomed cross-party support for his Assembly motion proposing mandatory landlord registration.
However, the politician said he was "extremely disappointed" at the response from Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie.
Students there have frequently been accused of causing trouble and Mr Maskey believes there are too many people living in shared accommodation which is not monitored.
Meanwhile, Strangford MLA Simon Hamillton said that while he supported mandatory registration in principal, he was concerned about cost and effectiveness.
Similar schemes in Scotland and the Republic of Ireland had met with such problems, he said.
