State Representative Nicole Macri and State Senator Patty Kuderer are either profoundly confused or misled. They seem to think that toying with landlord tenant law — really contract law — is housing policy. It isn’t. It’s contract law. However, whenever they get drawn into the swamp of minutiae of how rental contracts are regulated, they do real damage to housing in the state. Senator Kuderer has been pushing SB 5160, a bill that slants the housing provider and resident relationship toward a tiny number of people with problem tenancies at the expense of everyone else.

I won’t speculate on their motives here, but we’ll highlight one plea from a housing provider about Macri’s proposal, HB 1236, urging representatives to vote, “No.” I won’t go into the details of the bill because I think this housing provider covers what you need to know. Find your house member and send them a message about this bill.

I am writing you today to ask you to vote NO on SHB 1236 because the legislation will force me to provide a perpetual tenancy.

I am a small housing provider and have owned & operated a rental property in the city of Shoreline for the last 18 years. It was our first house and we lived in it for 6 years & started our family there before it became a rental home. 

In 2019 we had the worst tenant in our 18 years at the Shoreline house – they cost us $26,000 in damages in addition to 7 months of lost rent while we fixed the damage they caused. We didn’t know about the damage until they moved out and we are still recovering from this loss. 

That particular tenant was very savvy and exploited every loophole and advantage that the law provides to renters. We managed to convince them to move without pursuing eviction, but it terrifies me to think what we would still be enduring if the Legislature tied our hands and made it impossible to end that problem tenancy. 

The governor’s restrictions during the pandemic have already caused small mom & pop housing providers like me to endure many months of restrictions on the use of our property without receiving income from tenants. I am already exposed to significant risks that are leading me towards considering closing my rental property in order to protect my family.

We are already pulling out of investing in Seattle and are seriously considering moving our rental property investment out of the state of Washington altogether because of hostile legislation like this. 
If SHB 1236 passes as written, there is no reason for me to use a lease because I cannot control the use of my property unless the tenant agrees to leave or I go through a long and costly eviction proceeding.

Housing providers and tenants agree to rental agreements so that both sides have a dependable understanding about the length of tenancy, community responsibilities, and rental rate.

I will be forced to increase my screening criteria in order to compensate for the fact that a tenant will have permanent use of my property.  If SHB 1236 as written passes, I will no longer be able to provide second-chance opportunities to prospective tenants.

Please vote NO on SHB 1236, and please work with people like me who provide critical housing opportunities in your district to remove mandatory perpetual lease requirements and lease ending restrictions from the bill.

Thank you for your consideration. I would be very happy to speak with you about our experience.