CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
title
AN ORDINANCE relating to rental agreements; relieving a tenant experiencing domestic violence, sexual assault, unlawful harassment, or stalking from liability for damage to the landlord's property caused by a perpetrator of domestic violence, sexual assault, unlawful harassment, or stalking; creating a landlord mitigation program; and amending Sections 7.24.020, 7.24.030, and 22.206.170 of, and adding new Section 7.24.033 to, the Seattle Municipal Code.
body
WHEREAS, on February 4, 2019, Council adopted Resolution 31861, which outlined harms that evictions from housing have on tenants and marginalized communities; and
WHEREAS, Resolution 31861 prioritized exploration of solutions for seven problems identified in the Seattle Women's Commission and Housing Justice Project report "Losing Home: The Human Cost of Eviction in Seattle"; and
WHEREAS, "Losing Home" identified domestic violence as a reason tenants fall behind on rent and that domestic violence was a precursor to housing instability, especially for women; and
WHEREAS, the first problem identified for Council to address in Resolution 31861 was the "financial hardship for tenants experiencing domestic violence who are held liable for damages caused by a perpetrator of domestic violence"; and
WHEREAS, costs arising from acts of domestic violence can force a person experiencing domestic violence to go back to their abuser for financial reasons; and
WHEREAS, the formation of a landlord mitigation program allows the City to relieve the potential burden on survivors to pay for damages and support landlords who may not be able to recover damages from the perpetrator who has caused the damage and should be responsible for paying for repairs;
WHEREAS, Council intends to further strengthen provisions enforcing laws protecting survivors, including passing legislation to ensure the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections can ...
Click here for full text