New Seattle Law Aims to Help Renters Afford Move-in Costs

SEATTLE, WA — Put aside for a minute that rents in Seattle have been skyrocketing for years — they increased 11 percent in April 2016 alone, for example — and take a look at how much it costs just to move into an apartment.

On Craigslist today, there's a nice 850 square-foot apartment on First Hill for rent for $2,700 per month. That's pricey, but the move-in cost for the apartment is $6,400, and that's not including application fees, cleaning fees, parking and whatever else.

The Seattle City Council on Monday unanimously passed a new law that would rein in some of those costs. The law came to council from Councilmembers Kshama Sawant and Lisa Herbold and has been in talks for months. Renters' advocates hail it as a significant step toward equitable housing, but landlord groups say it'll just cause rents to increase.

Sawant, in a Monday blog post, pointed out that most people in the U.S. just don't have thousands of dollars on them to move into an apartment.

"Nationwide, per recent studies, over 50 percent of Americans have said they have less than $1,000 in their checking and saving accounts, so imagine having to come up with $4,000, $5,000, or $6,000 for moving into an apartment," she wrote.

Here's what the new law does:

Fees cap: Landlords can't charge more than the equivalent of one month's rent for fees and the security deposit.

Payment plan: Landlords will have to offer up to a six-month payment plan to renters for move-in costs. However, landlords can avoid that payment plan if move-in costs are less than a quarter of a month's rent.

Exceptions: Councilman Rob Johnson added an exemption for landlords who rent rooms in the homes they live in.

Image by Flickr user Joe Wolf