Tacoma City Council passes ordinance amending Landlord Fairness Code
After a year of community support and debate, the Tacoma City Council Community, Vitality and Safety Committee voted to adopt an ordinance amending the Rental Housing Act and the Landlord Fairness Act Initiative.
According to the city council, the purpose of the ordinance change was “to protect access to housing and expand tenant rights in Tacoma.”
“The review of the Homeowner Fairness Act Initiative is focused on the goals stated in the initiative itself: protecting families and reducing homelessness, and balancing the needs of homeowners, tenants, and Tacoma residents while creating a partnership to provide safe, healthy, and successful rental housing in Tacoma. Despite the intentions of the Homeowner Fairness Act Initiative, it has produced dire consequences for our city, especially our low-income housing providers who provide housing to those with the greatest income needs,” said District 2 Council Member Sarah Rumbaugh.
The law, passed by voters in 2023, currently protects tenants from eviction during the winter months.
It also prevents steep rent increases and allows tenants to sue landlords who violate the rules.
Opponents of the Landlord Fairness Act say it costs landlords tens of thousands of dollars because tenants cannot be evicted.
The City Council’s amendment to the Landlord Fair Rules Initiative improves tenant protections by expanding relocation assistance options for tenants.
Going forward, landlords who increase rents by more than 5% in a 12-month period will be required to pay moving assistance if the tenant requests it.
Additional changes clarify that if tenants request moving assistance and later decide not to move, they will have 10 days to repay their landlords.
Changes to the Landlord Fairness Rules Initiative also aim to address the massive impact eviction restrictions have on people who own and rent several apartments in the city.
The amended regulation will come into force on January 1.
The latest on landlord-tenant policy in Tacoma Available soon on the municipality’s website.
