Seattle taking new steps to stop slum lords

Mold, roaches, broken plumbing, and exposed wires; they’re
all problems tenants rights advocates say are all too
common with many rentals in Seattle. And with more people
forced to rent, the city is taking new steps to crack down
on substandard rental units and the slum lords that own
them.

The Seattle City Council Wednesday renewed discussions of
a new proposal allowing random inspections of properties
and requiring the city to conduct random inspections.

“We’re talking about dangerous mold growing. We’re
talking about wiring that could lead to a fire, we’re
talking about plumbing that can back up. We’re talking
about serious problems,” said Seattle City Councilman Nick
Licata, who chairs the council’s Housing, Human Services,
Health and Culture committee.

Under current law, renters can file a complaint about
substandard conditions and the city will inspect, but they
commonly face retaliation from landlords, including
eviction.

“We have heard many stories from mothers in Seattle who
live in unsafe conditions, but are too afraid to risk
their
housing to make a complaint,” Emily Alvarado, commissioner
with the Seattle Women’s Commission, told the meeting.

“I got evicted for contacting DPD (Department of Planning
and Development) and requesting inspection of my
apartment,” said Florence Ybara, who told the meeting she
complained to the city after her landlord ignored repeated
complaints with mold and roaches.

“DPD came and found violations. After that, my landlord
refused to take my money and filed for eviction,” said
Ybara.

“In my apartment complex, we are so afraid to turn out the
lights because at the moment we turn the lights off,
roaches are going to be crawling on our children’s faces.”

A HUD (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development)
study finds 95 percent of substandard rentals go
unreported and supporters of random inspections say
they’re necessary to help uncover all of the unhealthy and
dangerous conditions that exist among the over 40,000
rental properties believed to exist in the city.

But some want to take it even farther, proposing mandatory
inspections for all rental properties.

“We don’t know what we don’t know. In order to catch the
bad apples, the city needs to gradually inspect all
properties over time,” said Emily Murphy, a tenants’
rights
advocate with the Tenants Union.

The proposal has widespread backing from a number of
groups, including University of Washington students and
senior advocates, who argue unsafe rentals are an
increasing problem for aging renters.

A number of other large cities, including Los Angeles and
Minneapolis, conduct random rental inspections, and
councilman Licata says the proposal is a fair and balance
approach to protecting the interests of renters and
landlords alike.

“I think we’re taking a very cautious, but still a
responsible approach so that we will result in having the
maximum number of safe and healthy apartment units without
creating an economic burden on the landlords,” Licata
said.