Tacoma renters could have stronger protections if voters approve Initiative Measure 1, known as Safe Homes for All.
Organizers hope to take Tacoma’s tenant protections passed by voters in 2023 a step farther by strengthening enforcement.
If a landlord violates the law, the main avenue to address it is often in the courts, which some housing activists say isn’t a realistic option for most renters.
“Litigation is a lengthy process. Landlords have a lot of resources, and tenants just don’t have the time, the energy or the money,” said housing activist Kiss’Shonna Curtis told KNKX.
Tacoma for All gathered nearly 9,000 signatures to get the initiative on the ballot, following a wave of tenants’ unions forming throughout the city earlier this year.
The initiative would make the city responsible for going after noncompliant landlords and issuing fines. Enforcement would be funded with a new rental registry fee.
The initiative would also require landlords to bargain with renters who form tenant unions.
Opponents, such as Sean Flynn of the Rental Housing Association of Washington, argue the measure would raise rents by forcing landlords to sell to bigger corporations.
“If you truly want more housing that’s affordable to more people, this does not get you there. It leads in the opposite direction,” Flynn said.
Tacoma's previous tenant's rights initiative passed in 2023. It included mandatory relocation assistance for some rent increases, new requirements to notify tenants of rent hikes and it put limits on fees for renters. That measure passed by a narrow margin of less than 400 votes.
