Inspired by faith, Seattle landlords give tenants a month free of rent

In a city filled with endless stories about rising rents, it’s a bit unbelievable and refreshing to hear about residents in one Greenwood apartment building getting a month free of rent.

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There’s nothing wrong with the building itself and the landlords aren’t asking for anything in return. Husband and wife Kory Slaatthaug and Mickey Bambrick were simply inspired by their Christian faith, and saved money for a year in order to give their tenants a month off rent in November, according to The Seattle Times.

They were motivated in particular by a passage from the Bible about the year of jubilee, which stipulates that debts are to be forgiven every 50 years. It seemed like a good way to celebrate their family’s 50 year anniversary as property owners of the 11-unit building. The large one-bedrooms at the building generally run from $1,100 to $1,400 (including utilities), a price range that’s already slightly below the Seattle average.

Built by Slaatthaug’s father, the Lunde Apartments opened in 1968 and have housed many long-term residents, some which stayed up to 26 years, reports the Times. When his father died during construction, Slaatthaug became a carpenter to help his mother finish the building and avoid defaulting on their construction loan.

She passed away in 1992 and left the building to her sons. Slaatthaug and Bambrick then bought the rest of the family out.

The couple’s generosity first caught the public’s attention when one of their tenants posted the letter he received on Reddit, where it was up-voted more than 36,000 times. All they ask in the letter is that the their tenants remember to pay rent again in December.

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