Title
Emergency Approval of an Ordinance Adding a New Chapter 5.82 to Title 5 of the Olympia Municipal Code regarding Tenant Protections Related to COVID-19 - First and Final Reading
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
On September 17, 2020, the Land Use & Environment Committee recommended City Council take emergency action to adopt the ordinance on first and final reading as soon as possible.
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to approve the ordinance adding a new Chapter 5.82 to Title 5 of the Olympia Municipal Code regarding tenant protections related to COVID-19 on first and final reading.
Report
Issue:
Whether to approve an ordinance to protect tenants who have fallen behind in rent due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Staff Contact:
Keith Stahley, Assistant City Manager, Executive, 360.753.8227
Presenter(s):
Keith Stahley, Assistant City Manager
Background and Analysis:
The ordinance under consideration would create a Rental Housing Code in the Olympia Municipal Code (OMC) Chapter 5.82. It would establish temporary protections for tenants who have fallen behind in rent due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
King County adopted a similar ordinance in June 2020. The King County ordinance extends COVID-19 protections to renters in King County until March 1, 2021. The ordinance for Olympia recommended by the Land Use and Environment Committee would extend protections until July 1, 2021.
The ordinance authorizes a defense that a tenant may assert in court during a show cause hearing as to why the landlord should not be granted a writ of restitution restoring the landlord to the rental premises and evicting the tenant. It also provides a defense if a landlord refuses a tenant's request to enter into an installment repayment plan for unpaid rent due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tenant has until October 1, 2021 or the sunset date of the ordinance, whichever occurs first, to pay the landlord in full for back rent.
In the initial draft ordinance, late fees, i...
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