Posted on 02/11/2020 10:44:15 AM PST by karpov
Seattle’s City Council on Monday voted to ban some residential evictions during winter months in a 7-0 vote after narrowing the scope of the originally proposed measure.
The final, passed version of the bill cut the months covered by the measure from five to three months and limited it to low- and moderate-income tenants, as well as an exemption for landlords with four or fewer housing units, the Seattle Times reported.
“This is huge and I think we should be proud of our movement,” said Councilmember Kshama Sawant (D), who sponsored the legislation, although she expressed disappointment with the amendments. The final version of the bill will apply to the period between Dec. 1 and March 1. Sawant’s original language included the period from Nov. 1 to April 1.
Sawant said that she thought that winter evictions were "cruel," and that they disproportionately effect people of color and women, according to the Seattle news source.
Mayor Jenny Durkan (D) has warned against enacting the law, and if she vetoes it, the council can override her veto with six votes. Her office has said she has reservations about the potential cost of likely legal challenges to the bill.
“City Council and the mayor share the same goal: helping people facing evictions and keeping them in their homes, especially during the winter months,” Durkan spokesman Ernesto Apreza said in an earlier statement, according to the newspaper. “But the mayor has been advised a legal fight is almost certain and could be costly to taxpayers.”
Durkan’s office said after the Monday vote that her office is assessing the bill but is “disappointed that Council did not want to engage in a robust discussion on programs that will legally and actually prevent evictions.”
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
Why not just make it free? Skip the winter exemption malarkey.
This gal is a communist.
You have to out of your mind to be a landlord in King County.
I was surprised they’re not compensating landlords for their financial losses incurred during the winter months.
Its government taking of private property without just compensation and its unconstitutional. Period.
A couple others with similar views got elected into office with her in November. I believe Amazon is looking at moving some of its operations to Bellevue.
Jeff Bezos hates them. So do other rich lefties.
No kidding. I have a condo in Seattle and lease it out. And I pay taxes at the same time. It is just wrong for me to be on both sides of a legal battle. My taxes are paying for the defense of "feel good" but in no uncertain terms... "against all logic"... rental laws. For years... the rental market was very weak... everybody had homes and the rent was under-priced. And now the rental market is stronger... and it is a crime for landlords to seek better market pricing on their investment? If you screw around with the rental market... you are going to get NO MARKET as I'll sell my condo and there is one less unit that can be rented.
Deadbeat Tennant: good for you
Landlord/Property Owner: Screw You!
King County is hopeless. Cesspool of Democrat corruption that keeps WA Blue.
Don't you just love it when they squeeze that in to their claims (which are totally false). Disproportionate would imply that landlords exercise bias in WHO they evict.
The reality is - it would be nigh impossible to find a case where a landlord evicts a "person of color" and ignores a white tenant under otherwise exactly the same non-payment situation.
Here's an idea - PAY YOUR DANGED RENT!
Ahhh, yes - the ol' get-out-of-jail-free throwaway line that justifies anything and everything.
Hey, I should let my millionaire brother know. He rents in Seattle, says the housing is too expensive. Now he can stop paying rent until spring.
“No kidding. I have a condo in Seattle and lease it out.”
Curious what you lease it for. I left Belleview 2008 and I had a 550sq/ft efficiency for $1,100 month. (Was 2 blocks from the Bell Square Mall) Part of that was location, but curious as to where the market is 12 years later.
Which is odd when you think about it. They support those left commies in almost every other way.
Apples to oranges. Rent is higher in Seattle for equivalent footage/location/amenities. Dollar is also weaker from 12 years ago. This thread is all about the low income renters and their supporters in the city hall thinking rent should be capped and the investors are greedy people that deserve to be imprisoned. The truth is anything but. I want an income stream to support me when I’m retired. I worked hard. I saved my income. I made prudent investments. And I want to make sure my investment is valued and protected. Otherwise, I’ll sell and the renters can live in the streets for all I care.
Seattle is determined to eliminate rental housing all together ...
Fair enough. Thank you for the reply.
Hey, my apologies if I offended you. It wasn’t my intent. Just sick and tired of the nonsense of people I didn’t vote for, making rules and laws to take away everything I worked for and give to those who made poor choices in life and expect “free stuff.” Peace.
Sawant said that she thought that winter evictions were “cruel,” and that they disproportionately effect people of color and women, according to the Seattle news source.
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.