Seattle Set to Propose Eviction Reform

As Seattle’s median income has continued to rise in recent years, high-rent burdens have plagued lower-income renters, some of whom are falling behind on rent. A September 2018 report by the Seattle Women’s Commission and the Housing Justice Project of the King County Bar Association showed that 86.5 percent of the nearly 1,500 Seattle residents who faced eviction proceedings in 2017 had failed to pay their rent. The study, Losing Home: The Human Cost of Eviction in Seattle, found that eviction filings disproportionately affect people of color, with women more likely to face eviction for small sums of back rent amounting to $100 or less. And once renters experience eviction, they can be slapped with legal fees, disqualified from rental-assistance programs, and catapulted into homelessness.

A resolution set to be introduced Jan. 21 by the Seattle City Council could set the stage for eviction reform in Seattle, an action that housing advocates hope is the first step toward significant changes. Sponsored by Seattle City Councilmembers Lisa Herbold and Mike O’Brien, the proposed resolution draws on recommendations from Losing Home to highlight the burdens that evictions place on vulnerable populations. Losing Home’s policy recommendations, which advocate for additional financial and social services for tenants who have fallen on hard times, provided the framework for the potential ordinances outlined in the resolution.

“The point of the resolution is to get everyone on the same page as far as what the problems are, so we can use that as a foundation to work together to identify some legislative solutions,” Herbold told Seattle Weekly.

Efforts to address the report’s recommendations began during the 2019–20 budget process late last year, in which councilmembers passed a statement of legislative intent requesting the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) to lead research and suggest strategies to improve the conditions of a rental unit when eviction notices are filed due to habitability issues. The SDCI report, due by June 1, 2019, will also identify additional resources or staffing that would be needed to achieve the recommendations.

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