Posted on 08/11/2016 10:16:56 AM PDT by PROCON
Seattle is apparently breaking new ground by requiring landlords in the city to rent their housing units to qualified applicants on a first-come, first-served basis.
Officials say they’re unaware of any other U.S. city with a policy like the one the Seattle City Council approved Monday, along with other rental-housing changes.
The goal is to ensure prospective renters are treated equally, according to Councilmember Lisa Herbold, who championed the policy. When landlords pick one renter among multiple qualified applicants, their own biases — conscious or unconscious — may come into play, she says.
Some landlords don’t mind the policy, saying they already operate on a first-come, first-served basis. But others are upset, saying they should be able to use their own judgment to choose the renters they believe will be most reliable.
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.com ...
Seattle, the only town where I have witnessed a passenger asking a bus driver to wait while he urinated in the gutter in plain view of the rest of the passengers.
With all other qualifications the same, I’d consciously rent to the 54 year old single woman as opposed to the 24 year old single man. What, sorry, nope, I don’t seem to have the guy’s application.
Or in the UK PC terminology “Social Housing”
Private property rights continue to die a rapid death. Liberals dont believe in private propert. All property is for the good of the collective.
Everyone Does have biases, they ALSO have Jung’s SHADOW!
Turn it all around on these wack-jobs.
Someone should start a company to which those seeking to rent from landlords can post their desires (for a small fee) and sign a disclaimer that protects potential landlords and provide relevant personal background information (listing) so Landlords who sign up and subscribe to such a service can browse such listings anonymously and even anonymously request more details up to the point they have more or less decided upon a high probability prospect. Sort of a Craigslist type approach for landlords and those seeking to rent. Seems logical.
That’s a daily activity in downtown Seattle, especially near Pioneer Square. Heck, if you tell a bum to get a way a little too loud some lawyer will come running around the corner to serve you with a law suit.
I got out of Seattle thirty years ago. I had a decent house in an older neighborhood which I had purchased for 25K ten years earlier. I got over three times that when I sold it six years later. Last time I was in that part of town I drove past and saw that it was for sale - for 400K.
I could see the writing on the wall when I left and I’m glad I did. Seattle was progressive right from its beginning and was bound to end up like this. I seldom ever go there anymore unless it’s to go to a ball game or when passing through to get to somewhere else. My next move (I hope) will be to Idaho where people still have some semblance of freedom left.
Seattle City Council has hit the trifecta of Unintended Consequences.
Their progressive new policy will simultaneously reduce the value of rental properties, increase rents, and reduce the number of rentals available.
Everybody’s a loser except for bureaucrats and lawyers.
And rats, probably. The furry ones.
Was this law thought up by local idiots or was it as a byproduct of California undocumented immigrants?
I think the response will be to stop lanyards from advertising for to lease. Instead, they will have to find tenants through word of mouth among people they trust. A new business might even arise, a tenant screening business. Landlord doesn’t choose them, landlord just gets the one they send over.
When was the last time you saw Bellevue?
We have so many 30-40 story condos and office buildings now that newcomers driving north on I-405 think Bellevue is Seattle!
As to the new rental law in Seattle, you need to see that in the context of almost unbelievable increases in rents and home prices in the metro area.
In downtown Bellevue, a studio in a new building goes for $2,500 a month, which includes nothing but a room key and a shampooed carpet.
An Extended Stay America studio in their newest building costs $4,500.
And what happens if a family of four wants to rent your one bedroom apartment...can you say no?
Good memories.
I agree 100%.
Yes if that occupancy load violates the housing code or the Life_safety code. Also if the house is on a septic tank which was sized based on a lower expected occupancy.
Since the fees for those connected to the sewer are supposed to be for sewer repairs/maintenance/treatment and replacement, I would only assume that septic taxes are to cover the same, I should send the bill to the nearest county office for reimbursement. (yes, I know)
Sean Martin, spokesman for the Rental Housing Association of Washington, says the group already advises landlords to operate on a first-come, first-served basis -- to avoid discrimination claims. But he’s worried about unintended consequences.
He wonders whether the race-to-apply policy will give an advantage to people with cars, smartphones and free time over people who ride the bus and work three jobs.
Liz Etta, executive director of the Tenants Union of Washington State, said she understands that concern. But she said, "We can see a larger swath of people being discriminated against without it (the policy)."
Many landlords are biased in favor of section 8 renters.
The tax-subsidized rent money shoots straight into the landlord’s bank account, and since the tenant’s portion is negligible, it can be considered a gratuity or written off.
People who pay their own rent sometimes lose their jobs. Then the landlord has to knock on the door and ask for the rent, and eventually evict a nice family that’s going thru a hard time.
Landlords hate when that happens. Section 8 is guaranteed payment for years or even decades.
There were still a half dozen private homes in the downtown “business district,” plus a 1950s vintage Dairy Queen building that was still selling ice cream cones and Blizzards.
The transformation of downtown in the last 12 years is incomprehensible.
In 2007, just before the Great Recession, we had 14 tower cranes putting up new buildings inside a one square mile area.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.