Seattle Establishes New Protections For Renters

SEATTLE, WA — Seattle City Council unanimously passed a package of bills on Monday designed to boost tenants' rights across the board. Among the five pieces of legislation are new protections for domestic violence survivors, preventing them from being held liable for damage caused by an abuser. That law also includes the creation of a new "mitigation fund" for landlords, which would help them recoup some of the costs in those cases.

Another bill requires landlords provide Seattle's Department of Construction with receipts for rental payments and prevents them from only accepting rent payments electronically. Leglislation nicknamed the "roommate bill," hinders landlords from enforcing strict occupancy limits, beyond those already established by state and local laws. Councilmembers said the law protects renters ability to share housing costs, citing current estimates that show your annual salary would need to top $75 thousand to afford a two-bedroom apartment solo.

Landlords will now also be required to provide tenants with information on their rights when delivering rental increase notices, eviction notices and other official correspondence. These new laws join a number of recently passed state laws extending the days required for pay-or-vacate notices and requiring two months notice for all rent increases.

In a release, Mayor Jenny Durkan praised the passage of the bills, citing statistics that 46 percent of Seattle residents live in apartments and underlining how much costs have ballooned over the past decade.

"As rent and housing costs increase, we must seize every opportunity to take commonsense steps like clarifying rules for landlords and tenants and reducing burdens on renters so residents can remain in their homes," said Durkan.