Tenants' rights advocates call for WA to follow Oregon's lead and pass rent control bill
Tenants’ rights groups in Washington state are cheering the fact that the Oregon legislature just passed rent control.
Now they are asking Washington state lawmakers to make the same move. The idea is to control the rent so people across the state don't see their rents skyrocket. But opponents say it will just make the housing market worse.
"Rent control is the fastest and most effective policy for stopping the displacement of renters," said tenants’ rights advocate Dinah Braccio. "The rising rents are leading directly to homelessness."
The Oregon legislature passed a bill limiting the raise to 7 percent a year -- it is just waiting for the governor's signature.
"So excited that that happened," said rent control supporter Tanya Webking at a rally on the Capitol steps in Olympia Wednesday. "Timing is everything. I think there should be a home for every heart. I think all renters in Washington state deserve the same rates."
There was a rent control bill last year in the Washington legislature, but not this year. Opponents say that's because it doesn't work. It just drives landlords out. "We're going to drive landlords out of business," said Senator Hans Zeiger, R-Puyallup. "They're going to leave the field of providing rental housing and that's the exactly wrong thing we need. We need more housing rather than less."
"No, it's not a good idea," said Representative Andrew Barkis, R-Lacey. "If rent control is the answer to our affordable housing we would have already had it."
Rent control was made illegal in 1981, but supporters say there could be another attempt at it next legislative session. "I think we will definitely be looking at it," said Senator Rebecca Saldana, D-Seattle.
She tried and failed to get rent control through last session after seeing rents soar.
"We have residents in the International District who have seen rents go up 30 percent in the last three years and they're seniors on fixed incomes," Senator Saldana said. "And this is where they're planning to stay. This is their community."
So no rent control bill this year. They have decided to focus on improving tenants rights like what we saw with the evictions at the Tiki apartments in Tacoma. Those bills are very much alive and about to be voted on.
