In two cities, tenant protections prompted unintended issues for reasonably priced housing operators.
Tacoma modified route. To date, Seattle has not — opting as an alternative to attempt to get out of hassle by spending extra tax cash.
On this problem, the Emerald Metropolis should take a clue from its southern neighbor.
In November 2023, Tacoma voters handed the Landlord Equity Code Initiative.
Amongst different provisions, landlords had been prohibited from finishing up evictions between November and April. The foundations additionally restricted landlords from evicting households with kids throughout the college yr.
Upon reviewing the initiative’s real-life impacts, Tacoma decided that low-income housing suppliers and different landlords suffered from unpaid rents and a rise in injury to models.
“After two years of working below the Landlord Equity Code, we proceed to expertise unfavourable, unintended penalties that impede our skill to do our work and serve our neighborhood,” in accordance with an Oct. 31 news release signed by the Tacoma Housing Authority and different suppliers.
It continued: “At the moment, as a result of mounting delinquent lease, our skill to safe investments that would pay to construct extra reasonably priced models in Tacoma and enhance our present inventory of reasonably priced housing is in jeopardy.”
On Dec. 9, the Tacoma Metropolis Council passed an ordinance amending the codes. Amongst different circumstances, the brand new legislation stipulated that the Tacoma Housing Authority and another nonprofit housing suppliers with income-restricted models can be exempt from the chilly climate and faculty yr eviction bans.
Seattle presently bans evictions between December and March, and, if the family has school-age kids, between September and June, amongst different protections.
These measures contributed to a housing atmosphere in Seattle the place of us don’t pay lease and eviction processes are lengthy and expensive — all traits that started throughout the pandemic.
Reasonably priced housing suppliers have been pleading for reduction. As an alternative, they get short-term money.
Final yr, the Seattle Workplace of Housing launched $14 million in emergency funds for housing operators bleeding cash from upkeep and different prices whereas rents went unpaid.
In November, the Workplace of Housing introduced that it was making one other $28 million available to reasonably priced housing suppliers “to deal with the present difficulties attributable to rising operational prices and income shortfalls.”
Extra money clearly isn’t the one reply.
Seattle Metropolis Corridor must step up and at last deal with the onerous challenges of an reasonably priced housing market that isn’t functioning correctly. Reforming tenant protections will certainly convey out loud protesters to council chambers, however issues with unpaid lease and disrespect for guidelines won’t resolve themselves.
