I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: We are seeing the slow erosion of private rental property in Seattle and the United States. But the takeover of housing by government is speeding up. Last week the Seattle Renters’ Commission wrote a long letter to the Seattle City Council urging the end of credit checks for rental housing.

“We, the Seattle Renters’ Commission, is advocating for the City of Seattle to enact an ordinance in which they remove the practice of credit checks for rental applications.”

The chances that the Seattle City Council will implement this are high. Below is the letter I sent complete with an incorrect apostrophe. The Commission represents (or claims to represent) more than one renter. Sorry Grammar Police. If you want to echo the letter or send your own message, there is a space below. Please do as soon as you can.

Credit checks from Roger Valdez

Credit Checks

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Greetings Councilmembers,

You've heard from the Seattle Renters' Commission urging the end of credit checks for rental housing. As a housing provider I am asking you to consider all points of view on this issue. Sweeping credit scores under the rug doesn’t help poor people. Why aren’t we doing things to solve the reasons for bad credit and investing in credit repair? Good credit is valuable. Let’s help people get it. In the communication you received, there is no effort to address poverty and risk. People who are struggling in this economy or at any time want to be economically successful, and our policies in housing should aim at making that possible. And housing providers need quantitative measures of risk. The problem is risk. What’s the solution? • Please invite us to seriously discuss this issue with you with people who own, operate, and manage housing. They can explain how and why they use credit scores. • Credit scores are a way of managing risk. If someone asked to borrow your car, you’d want some way to assess the risk that they would not return it or bring it back damaged. • If you want to work with housing providers to arrive at better ways to assess risk, that is something housing providers would be happy to discuss. • The City could establish a fund that could help people who have bad credit and need housing offset that risk; when they have success in their tenancy, that success can help improve their credit. • Any rental business is risky, and banning quantitative measures of risk will result in higher prices for housing and some providers being unable to continue to offer their property for rental. There are sensible and collaborative ways to discuss risk, how to reduce it, and most importantly, help people with poor credit and economic challenges overcome those to be successful and prosperous. Let’s have that conversation.

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