Durkan extends eviction ban as renter protections advance at city council

SEATTLE — Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan on Tuesday extended an eviction moratorium until January, as a city council committee pushed forward two new measures to help renters.

After falling earlier in the pandemic, rents in the city are rising again.

“We brag about our higher minimum wage but it doesn’t even come close to covering the average apartment,” said Kate Rubin of the housing justice group Be:Seattle.

Right now, Seattle landlords are required to give a 60-day notice if they raise the rent by more than 10%.

On Tuesday, a council committee advanced a requirement for a six-month notice before increasing rent by any amount.

“Are you going to be able to find housing assistance and get that all figured out? Now you’ll have time to do that. Are you going to find a new place? Now you have time to figure that all out,” said housing activist Holly Blue.

Roger Valdez, who represents developers and landlords, predicts many will end up raising the rent every six months, because they will be unable to react quickly to cost increases.

“What you’re going to see is people trying to stay in front of those time periods by raising their rents as often as they can to keep up with costs. That doesn’t help renters,” Valdez said.

The real problem is the slow rollout by local governments of federal rental assistance, he added.

On Tuesday, Durkan extended the city’s eviction moratorium, this time until January.

The state ban still expires at the end of the month.

“Losing their homes is a real risk. Renters need hope. Right now, 60,000-plus renters are in trouble,” Rubin said.

The full city council will vote on the six-month notice for rent increases on Monday.

Council members also will decide whether to require landlords to pay for relocation assistance, such as first and last month’s rent, when someone moves out because the rent was increased more than 10%.

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