Local Rental Housing Regulation Watch - 07

This spring has brought a bit of a slow down compared to the winter months in local jurisdictions proposing new rental regulations due primarily to their review of updates to the state-mandated requirements to their comprehensive plans. However, this does not mean new housing regulation discussions are not occurring.

While adoption of new policy language in a comprehensive plan does not automatically impose a new rental regulation, it can begin the process of the drafting, consideration, and potential adoption of any new policy proposal.

Updates to comprehensive plans must be adopted by the end of 2024, so expect a flurry of new proposed language being floated in the next few months. —— BURIEN On May 22, 2024, the Burien City Council adopted legislation to reduce the fee for non-compliance of not obtaining a business license to participate in the city’s Rental Housing Inspection Program from $400 per day to $250 per day. Burien requires rental housing to be inspected once every three years. —— BREMERTON At the May 22, 2024, of the Bremer ton City Council, the city Auditor pro vided a report that suggested there are

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BURIEN
On May 22, 2024, the Burien City Council adopted legislation to reduce the fee for non-compliance of not obtaining a business license to participate in the city’s Rental Housing Inspection Program from $400 per day to $250 per day. Burien requires rental housing to be inspected once every three years.  

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BREMERTON
At the May 22, 2024, of the Bremerton City Council, the city Auditor provided a report that suggested there are approximately 1,800 residential prop erties in the city with characteristics of a rental property and owners who do not appear to be registered in the City’s Landlord License database. Efforts are underway for the city to continue to fine-tune their tracking of suspected unlicensed rental housing owners.

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RENTON
Look for Renton to begin to consider enacting a 180-day rent increase notice. As part of Renton’s review of updates to their Comprehensive Plan, Berk Consulting was retained by the city to develop a series of Middle Housing Policy Recommendations. One suggested requiring additional time for rent increase notices. The re port states, “Such a policy could help to prevent displacement by giving ten ants a longer period to find new housing or to financially plan for and adapt to the increase in housing costs. This policy could also reduce eviction rates that have historically, and disproportionality affected BIPOC residents.” 

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SEATTLE
Transportation Levy to Move is a nine year $1.45 billion property tax ballot measure proposed by Mayor Bruce Harrell to fund sidewalk upgrades, bridge maintenance, pavement projects, and other city transportation improvements. Transportation Levy to Move would replace the expiring $930 million transportation levy which was approved by Seattle voters in 2015 with 56.5% of the vote. Levy to Move would cost the owner of a $804,000 median-price home roughly $500 a year, a $200 increase from the expiring levy. The city council is currently reviewing the mayor’s proposal and amendments to increase funding have already been proposed. Expect the measure to be on the November 6, 2024, ballot.

Another tax measure that could be headed for the November ballot in Seattle would impose a new 5% marginal payroll tax on corporations with employees who make $1 million per year or more. Initiative 137, sponsored by a group called House Our Neighbors, is estimated to generate $52 million a year. Lauded as Social Housing, the group hopes the funding would acquire or construct roughly 2,000 units over the next ten years. To gain access to the November ballot, the group needs to secure 35,000 initiative signatures by July 1, 2024. As of the end of May, the group claimed they were only 8,700 short of their goal. Seattle City Council member Tanya Woo, who was appointed by the council this winter to fill the seat vacated by former city Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda who was elected to the King County Council, will also be on the ballot this fall in the hope of completing the term which expires in 2027. Councilmember Woo is facing three challengers.

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SPOKANE
City Council Passes Cooling Ordinance
On June 10th, the Spokane City Council unanimously passed an amended ordinance prohibiting rental housing providers from banning tenants from installing air conditioners. Introduced by Councilwoman Kitty Klitzke, the ordinance takes effect in mid-July and allows year-round use of air conditioners. Rental housing providers can manage installation, removal, and inspection to prevent unreasonable damage. This ordinance reflects a trend of passing narrowly scoped landlord-tenant laws, a strategy RHAWA will monitor closely. 

Homelessness Decreases in Spokane 
The latest Point-in-Time Count Survey shows a 15% reduction in Spokane County’s homeless population, reversing a yearslong upward trend. The 2024 survey counted 2,021 individuals, down from 2,390 in 2023. Contributing factors include the closure of Camp Hope and increased emergency shelter capacity. While promising, data accuracy remains a concern, and ongoing efforts will focus on comprehensive support and improved data collection.

State of Emergency Declared Due to Opioid Crisis
Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown has declared a citywide emergency in response to the opioid crisis, particularly around Second Avenue and Division Street. This declaration aims to increase police patrols and provide more resources for drug treatment and recovery. This highlights ongoing public health challenges and the need for a coordinated response.

Supreme Court to Review Homeless Camping Ban The state Supreme Court will review  a law approved by Spokane voters last November that restricts homeless camping within most of the city. Despite passing with 75% voter support, enforcement is on hold due to potential legal risks. RHAWA will keep an eye on these developments, as land lord-tenant law ordinances are often influenced by states of emergency and homelessness issues.

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TUKWILA
The proposed rental ordinance dis cussed in the Committee of the Whole in Late April was discussed in the Planning and Community Development Committee on June 10th along with testimony about the harmful impacts to housing providers. Just as a reminder, this ordinance proposes:
• Would cap late fees at 1.5%
• No longer make a social security number a required aspect of screening.
• Would Require rental housing providers to provide written summaries of rights and obligations
• Cap upfront costs over the first month’s rent at one month’s rent, with a right to pay in installments over six months.
• Prohibit the collection of a security deposit unless a rental agreement is in writing and a written checklist or statement describing the unit's condition is provided to the tenant.

The ordinance was recommended to be moved to a council work session.  

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KING COUNTY
King County Superior Court adopted an emergency rule in late May allowing housing providers to seek a trial more quickly for eviction proceedings when they show evidence that a tenant’s behavior is “substantially” affecting other tenants’ health and safety or increasing fire or accident hazards. The emergency rule is intended to partially address the enormous backlog of eviction cases currently pending in the King County court system.
King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn introduced a motion requesting the county executive to develop a pol icy prohibiting county-funded eviction and rental assistance programs from households above 200 percent of the federal poverty level. The legislation also requests the executive to develop an accounting of funding received by the Housing Justice Project including a detailed summary of the outcome of each eviction prevention rental assistance case provided by the organization and the average time for resolution. 

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