Affordable housing is a problem, but more regulations and fees are not the answer.
It is much riskier today for a landlord to rent a property than it used to be. Maybe the City of Olympia could also maintain a database of tenant's violations, i.e. failure to pay rent, lie about service dogs, get pets without the landlord's knowledge or consent, damage property, failing to maintain the property, sell drugs from the property, police complaints and police response, etc.
I am curious about the accuracy to any survey that only includes "respondents"? If only one person is surveyed and that person responds they had a problem, that's 100%. And we know that folks who have problems are the most likely to respond. It would be great if the JOLT would publish the 2022 and 2023 Regional Assessment of Fair Housing survey referenced by Housing Program Specialist Christa Lenssen AND include the methodology used in the study.
There are many things that have contributed to the rapid increase in rents. Consider the increases in property taxes, impact fees, permit fees, storm water fees, water, sewer, natural gas, repair costs, appliance replacement/repair, and dramatic increases in maintenance costs. The costs of nearly all of these far outstripping the rate of inflation. But the landlord is the responsible party for high rents?
Many of the small landlords WILL be selling their rental houses in Olympia and elsewhere because managing them has become too much; more and more regulation, higher maintenance costs, and the problem getting stable, credit worthy tenants, legal expenses when required to evict a tenant, etc. And with property values so high, it's easy and less stressful to invest the equity elsewhere, receiving a good return w/o the headaches associated with being a landlord.
Thanks for listening to another point of view.
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