Rent Control in Seattle?

Could Rent Control ever find its way to Seattle's rental market? Cities like San Francisco are notorious for their attempts at regulating the market with rent control measures. What would such a thing look like in Seattle?

For starters, there would need to be a bill to repeal the current statewide ban on Rent Control. Bills have been raised previously, but those have all been rejected fairly quick. A new effort may have a better chance of getting through. Nicole Macri, State-Rep is working to introduce a bill to repeal Washington's state’s ban on rent control, which dates to 1981. And, she has support from the Seattle City Council.

Why does this effort have a better chance of succeeding? Well, for starters rents have risen 65% since 2010. The housing crisis is getting deeper. Homelessness is running rampant and overall affordability is becoming harder and harder to achieve. If the bill to repeal the statewide ban succeeds, then it will be up to each city to propose and pass their own implementation of rent control. Seattle would likely be the first to make a go at implementing rent control.

Rent-control typically limits rent hikes to a small amount each year for existing residents. Results have been mixed. San Francisco’s rent control did help keep longtime residents in the city but landlords have simply been able to get around rent control through evictions. Economists have said that rent control does more harm than good.

The answer to our housing crisis doesn't have to be rent control. Options around more affordable housing initiatives, first-time buyer programs, incentives for landlords, and making it easier to rent are all good places to start!