Thursday, October 1, 2026
In a continued effort to expand protection for renters, the Olympia City Council will take up tenant screening outreach and policy reforms at its meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 16.
Housing Program Specialist Christa Lenssen is going to present a proposed policy on what landlords may consider when evaluating rental applications. The proposed policy is known as "guardrails."
Since 2018, Olympia has been developing tenant protections to improve rental housing stability. In 2022, the city adopted its Rental Housing Code.
Council members have considered further reforms addressing issues, such as income-to-rent ratios, criminal and credit history, eviction records and Social Security number requirements.
Tenant screening has been identified as a significant barrier for low-income renters, people of color, immigrants, individuals with disabilities and people with criminal convictions.
Staff analysis shows that Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) households, single mothers, people with disabilities and immigrants are disproportionately affected by current screening practices.
For example, more than 60% of BIPOC households in Olympia rent their homes, compared with 50% of white households. Eviction and credit history also present unequal barriers, while income-to-rent ratios frequently exclude the lowest-income renters.
To address these concerns about housing discrimination, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has provided clearer guidelines on how certain screening practices may violate fair housing regulations.
HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity first issued guidance in April 2016 regarding the use of criminal records in housing decisions, followed by updated guidance in April 2024 specifically addressing rental applicant screening practices.
“Both documents underscore how systemic disparities in the criminal justice system, credit scoring, and eviction processes disproportionately affect protected classes, especially people of color-and caution that overly restrictive screening criteria may result in unlawful disparate impacts under the Fair Housing Act,” a City of Olympia staff report states.
However, enforcement remains a significant challenge. Fair housing agencies have long been underfunded and understaffed, leading to a backlog of unresolved complaints.
In addition, the current presidential administration has proposed cuts to HUD’s fair housing enforcement programs, including contracts with state and local agencies, proving disparate impact claims can also be complex, making it difficult for impacted individuals to obtain relief.
Staff conducted a comprehensive review of HUD guidance documents and examined sample policies from other jurisdictions to develop policy components addressing key tenant screening areas: income-to-rent ratio requirements, Social Security number verification protocols, criminal background considerations, credit history evaluation standards and rental history assessment criteria.
The city council is going to be asked to provide feedback on the draft policy elements and whether to move forward with regulations or education campaigns, or a combination of both.
The council study session is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Tuesday at Olympia City Hall.
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Bobwubbena
Now you need to add the cost impact of ALL of the various City codes, rules, and oversites, plus Impact fees, permits and all of the other City rules that are layered on the landlord. Plus, you need to include the charges that come from the County and the State----and Washington DC. Now you have the more realistic cost impact to the landlord.
I am glad we are no longer a "landlord" trying to invest in the City and our future. You need to put all of the cost on the table when you make decisions---both cost to renter and the landlord and the City's share.. Soon you will be pricing the renters out of reasonable housing costs---the responsible landlord--to make a wise investment--will be increasing the rents annually to keep ahead of the City's impacts on local rent. If the costs are demanded, the rents will increase in advance of when the city requires payment. This is basic cost and impact. There is no Santa Claus.
Ask the City Council members that are landlords----not those that keep asking others to pay their rent.
Friday, September 12, 2025 Report this
DHanig
The Council has been steadily increasing regulation of landlords in an attempt to address the lack of affordable housing. Unfortunately, these new proposals will likely reduce the availability of rental properties in Olympia, thus worsening the housing crisis.
Before renting out a home, a landlord needs to confirm that a prospective tenant has sufficient income and a reliable payment history to assure they can pay the rent. If the Council prevents landlords from considering credit worthiness, criminal history and rent reliability, it will be impossible for small landlords, such as myself, to risk renting out our properties. Under such risk exposure, we would likely feel compelled to sell the property - hardly the outcome the Council intended.
Friday, September 12, 2025 Report this
Southsoundguy
Want affordable real estate? Stop treating it like a savings account/investment. Own bitcoin.
Saturday, September 13, 2025 Report this
OlyPlease
My LL seems to be doing well. They just got some new cars and don't seem to bad off. I'm lucky, , I lke my LL. They're good people.
Saturday, September 13, 2025 Report this
MrCommonSense
Keeping rents affordable is a state and national issue. What Olympia is attempting is not going to solve anything. Added regulations by the City will increase the likelihood that folks interested in owning rental property WILL NOT INVEST IN OLYMPIA because it will cost more to build and/or manage properties and with increased risk to the landlord.
Simply, rents are driven by supply and demand, increased regulation, taxes and inflation. Regulations most always increase landlords' costs. If the profit margin shrinks and/or the risks become to high for the landlord, a landlord will probably sell the property; especially the small landlord that has maybe a couple of rental properties. These are the same properties that are most important to maintaining affordable housing!!!!!
If the small landlord is required to rent to someone "on the margin", and that person ends up unable to pay the rent, the small landlord still has a mortgage, taxes, insurance, maintenance and all the other costs. Contrary to the City's belief, these landlords aren't necessarily folks with deep pockets. And if the tenant won't move, or damages the property, this only magnifies the landlord's problem. Most small landlords cannot afford a vacant property for very long. Some of these rentals are single family homes owned by military people who have been transferred from the area. They are usually managed by a property management company, but many would be unable to survive several months w/o receiving rent.
All the City is going to have left are corporate landlords because they can spread losses due to higher risk over more apartment units.
What is the budget for this whole City rental program? A coordinator, office space, tech services, enforcement, rental inspections, etc.? The City should be spending this money on tenant education and counseling, financial education, and attracting businesses to the City that can support paying workers a higher wage.
Landlords aren't the problem! Why is this so hard for those who run Olympia to understand?
Monday, September 15, 2025 Report this