TUKWILA, Wash. — More than half of the people who live in Tukwila are renters, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That is one reason community members say it is important that the city adopts stronger protections for renters.
On March 18, people attended the Tukwila City Council meeting to call on city leaders to create a renter's bill of rights. Some Tukwila residents and the Transit Riders Union launched these efforts early last year, but since legislation has not been moving quickly, they are renewing their calls for action.
Other cities like Seattle and Shoreline have similar laws in place, and the people advocating for these changes say it is Tukwila’s turn to take the step.
Krysteena Mann has been living in Tukwila for about seven years.
Mann is a renter and is also a part of the Transit Riders Union which has been pushing for renter protections in the city. Mann said the rising cost of living in Tukwila is challenging and that renters need more protections.
“I've never heard of a rent increase being less than $200, and everyone that I've talked to, which by this point is hundreds of people,” said Mann.
On Monday, she and others delivered a list of ten renter protections to city council that they would like to see enacted.
The asks include:
- Require 180 days notice for rent increases of 3 percent or more
- Tenant can terminate lease and move with 20 days notice if rent increase is 3 percent or more
- Tenant is entitled to landlord-paid relocation assistance for large rent increases
- Prohibit rent hikes in defective, unsafe or unlivable housing
- Cap move-in costs additional to first month’s rent at no more than one month’s rent, and allow payment in installments
- Cap late fees at $10 a month and ban notice delivery fees
- Strengthen Just Cause protections, including closing the lease loophole
- Social Security Number cannot be required for rental applications
- Renters on fixed income can change their rent due date
- Ban unfair, deceptive and abusive practices
“l think this just levels the playing field a little bit, you know, so that a tenant has some protections over their livelihood,” said Ari Nosrati, a lead organizer with the Transit Riders Union.
Nosrati is one of the people who originally brought these requests up to council early last year. Then last fall, the council drafted an ordinance that included some of these requests, but nothing has happened with that legislation in months.
"Our issue with that, is it obviously took a long time to get that far and it also kind of didn't go far enough,” said Nosrati.
Brandon Miles, the interim deputy city administrator for the city of Tukwila said city staff are in process of collecting public feedback on a draft renters' protections ordinance.
"A follow-up briefing has not been scheduled yet due to a couple of factors including the potential for statewide standards to be adopted during the most recent state legislative session (none were passed)," Miles said. "We anticipate it to going back to the council later this spring.”