Seattle City Council extends COVID rent payment plan requirement beyond civil emergency

Seattle renters will be entitled to “reasonable” compensation ideas for unpaid hire created up all through the pandemic for 6 months just after the city’s civil emergency get expires.

The Seattle City Council voted 7-1 on Tuesday to prolong protections for tenants who owe unpaid lease, amending former protections to need that landlords offer you tenants a “reasonable” sum of time to repay previous-thanks hire.  

In Could 2020 the council accredited an ordinance that needed landlords to offer 3- to six-month repayment programs to tenants who accumulate unpaid hire during the pandemic. The new action calls for landlords to offer “reasonable” repayment plans, with month-to-month installments that do not exceed one particular-3rd of a tenant’s month to month hire, for rental debts incurred through or up to 6 months following the finish of the city’s civil emergency purchase. 

Councilmember Dan Strauss, who sponsored the bill, reported Tuesday the transform is needed because of to the sudden duration of the pandemic. 

“At that time we believed that the pandemic would initial only previous two weeks, and then two months, and we definitely did not foresee it lasting two years or far more,” Strauss explained. “We did know then, when everything was shut and a lot of people’s line of operate froze, that individuals necessary time to deal with the personal debt incurred all through that near-down.”

Strauss described the monthly bill as a “technical correction” that would convey the city’s rule closer to the point out Legislature’s 2021 payment system necessity.

A number of property owners and advocates referred to as the council to item to the amendment, saying the adjust would confuse and financially load community landlords. 

“This is unwanted, perplexing and will go away Seattle housing companies guessing which point out or city laws apply to them, generating it a lot more tricky to guarantee they are entirely in compliance with city and state legislation,” Daniel Bannon, a agent of the Rental Housing Affiliation of Washington said, asking the council to amend the ordinance to finish at the identical time as the state’s civil emergency get. 

“We must stop further isolation of Seattle’s rental housing coverage that is forcing tiny housing suppliers out of the town at unparalleled rates,” he included.

Strauss mentioned the new plan was the finest choice for both equally assets entrepreneurs and tenants guiding on lease. 

“The bill just before us now aids us guarantee that landlords are built complete and tenants have a acceptable time to repay their financial debt,” Strauss claimed. “The tenant does stay responsible for repaying any and all credit card debt they’ve incurred.”

Councilmember Sara Nelson, the sole vote against the bill, mentioned she fears that enabling renters extra time to fork out again money owed could damage little and impartial landlords.

“The base line is that I am anxious about getting rid of rental housing stock, specifically that of little landlords who experienced significantly less resources to weather conditions the eviction moratorium, and unpaid hire that is ongoing,” Nelson mentioned.

Nelson pointed out that the council monthly bill is tied to the city’s March 2020 civil unexpected emergency, which is nevertheless in place, relatively than the state’s laws and which, not like the point out safety, also extends to money owed incurred up to six months soon after the finish of the point out of unexpected emergency. 

The modification handed 7-1 with Nelson opposing Councilmember Kshama Sawant absent and Councilmembers Strauss, Lisa Herbold, Andrew Lewis, Tammy Morales, Teresa Mosqueda and Alex Pedersen and Council President Debora Juarez voting in favor.