CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
title
AN ORDINANCE relating to fair housing; establishing a one-year prohibition on use of rental housing bidding platforms; amending Section 7.24.020 of the Seattle Municipal Code; and adding a new Section 7.24.090 to the Seattle Municipal Code.
body
WHEREAS, online or application-based platforms that provide landlords the ability to list rental housing units, oblige potential tenants to bid on certain lease provisions, and allow landlords their choice of tenant based on the tenant's bid and screening criteria have recently appeared in many housing markets, including Seattle's; and
WHEREAS, over the past several years, the City Council ("Council") has passed a variety of amendments to the Seattle Municipal Code regulating rentals, revising the housing code, and updating fair housing protections, resulting in a new and different regulatory landscape; and
WHEREAS, emerging technologies have caused consumers to rapidly escalate the use of application-based and online services, and it is unclear whether the structure and operation of these new services comply with the Seattle Municipal Code; and
WHEREAS, the Council wishes to understand new technologies and innovations that may have impacts on communities throughout Seattle, prior to these new technologies and innovations becoming entrenched; and
WHEREAS, the Council wishes to know more about how these services function and the impact they may have on Seattle's rental housing market before allowing landlords and tenants to use them within Seattle; and
WHEREAS, the Council passed Ordinance 125551 in March 2018, prohibiting landlords and potential tenants from using rental housing bidding platforms for real property located in Seattle city limits; and
WHEREAS, Ordinance 125551 also included a request for the Office of Housing to "conduct a study of the current or potential impacts rental housing bidding platforms have and could have on equit...
Click here for full text