Title
Approval of an Ordinance Amending the Rental Housing Code, OMC Chapter 5.82
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Land Use & Environment Committee recommends adoption of the Ordinance amending the Rental Housing Code, OMC Chapter 5.82.
City Manager Recommendation:
Approve on second reading the Ordinance Amending the Rental Housing Code, OMC Chapter 5.82.
Report
Issue:
Whether to approve on second reading the Ordinance Amending the Rental Housing Code, OMC Chapter 5.82., related to move-in costs, fees, and deposits.
Staff Contact:
Christa Lenssen, Housing Program Specialist, City Manager's Office, 360.570.3762
Presenter(s):
Christa Lenssen, Housing Program Specialist, City Manager's Office
Background and Analysis:
Background and Analysis has changed from first to Second Reading.
The changes from first to second reading are as follows:
1. As voted by the City Council, the second reading has been updated language in Section 5.82.060 with the "optional" language attached to the staff report.
2. Section 5.82.040 is now broken out into subsections to address the different notice requirements depending on percentage of rental increase.
3. In Section 5, the Effective Date has been updated to reflect the staggered effective date of each subsection of 5.82.040.
In March of 2019, Tumwater City staff approached regional jurisdictions regarding potential policy actions to provide additional stability to renters. At the October 2019 Land Use & Environment Committee, Olympia staff presented policy options prioritized by Tumwater and policies recently adopted by peer cities.
In October 2019, renters and tenant advocates from Washington Community Action Network held a rally outside City Hall and presented a proposed ordinance to Olympia City Council. This ordinance proposed several policies, including:
* Limiting move-in costs, to include non-refundable fees and security deposits to one month's rent.
* Allowing payment of move-in costs and last month'...
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