Seattle committee votes 3-2 against rent control
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A Seattle City Council committee has voted against a proposal that seeks to enact citywide rent control. Yet the measure is still expected to come before the nine-member City Council next month.
State of play: On Friday, members of the City Council's Sustainability and Renters' Rights Committee voted 3-2 not to recommend the rent control proposal, which seeks to limit annual rent increases to the rate of inflation.
- Even if the measure is approved by the full council, it would not be able to take effect unless state lawmakers voted to lift a ban on local rent control ordinances.
Why it matters: Housing costs in the Seattle metro area have climbed faster than inflation in recent years.
- According to a city analysis of census data, rent in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area rose about 92% between 2010 and 2020.
- Meanwhile, inflation was about 21% over that period, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Details: In addition to limiting how much landlords can raise rent on existing tenants, the proposal from Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant would restrict landlords from increasing rent beyond the inflation rate when one tenant moves out and a new person moves in.
- At Friday's committee meeting, Councilmembers Debora Juarez, Andrew Lewis and Sara Nelson voted no on the proposal, while Sawant and Councilmember Tammy Morales voted yes.
- It's the first time council members have voted on a policy that could eventually enact residential rent control in Seattle, per city council staff.
What they're saying: Juarez, the City Council president, said she voted no because she doesn't want to create an expectation among Seattleites that the city is enacting rent control, when in fact it has no power to do so.
- "This is not a rent control law, it's a trigger law," Juarez said, adding that she doesn't foresee the Legislature lifting its rent control ban anytime soon.
- Sawant argued that Seattle can't continue to wait for Democrats in the Legislature to act, calling that "a fool's errand."
What's we're watching: Sawant urged rent control supporters to come in person to the upcoming City Council meeting to put pressure on council members to vote yes.
- The rent control measure is expected to come before the full City Council on Aug. 1 or Aug. 8.