Thanks to our REALTOR® members, our recent Call for Action proved to be highly successful.
After receiving dozens of calls, letters and emails, the Spokane City Council has agreed to postpone the vote on two Landlord/Tenant measures until March 1st.
Here are the two proposed ordinances in their entirety
What this legislation will do:
- Force all rental units to have a inspection before a unit can be rented (To be performed by a 3rd party company)
- Give 90 notice of any rent increase
- If tenants can’t afford the new rent the landlord has to pay them $2000 for moving and within 5 days return all rents and deposits to the tenant (With up to $50 dollars per unit per day penalty for any infraction)
- All rentals must have a business license and pay $10 per unit for tenant assistance
- Adds new rental housing quality standards
- Limits on deposits as a percentage of monthly rent
Why we are against this legislation:
- Immediate impacts will be higher rents between $100-$300
- Many landlords will sell because of excess burden, reducing the existing rental supply
- Hundreds of families will be forced out – facing a 2% vacancy rate
- New investments in rental housing will cease
- Many of these provisions already exist in Washington State law (click here to read this year’s changes)
- We have already seen several changes to the posted ordinances proving this legislation is not well thought out