Small landlords fear Seattle rental protections are pushing them out of the market

Seattle City Council will vote on four measures to protect tenants on Monday.

SEATTLE – A group of Seattle landlords oppose an extension of the eviction moratorium and other guidelines to protect tenants.

The group, made up of small landlords, is concerned that they will be incorporated into a policy aimed at corporate landlords.

“Every bill they make is based on the assumption that landlords are greedy and rich and that we have deep pockets and can pay for anything. Well, that’s not all of us,” said Charlotte Thistle, who owns a rental apartment.

The state eviction moratorium is due to expire on June 30th. The policy has protected tenants who have faced financial hardship as a result of the pandemic. Housing advocates urged Governor Jay Inslee to extend the eviction moratorium, but this group of landlords say it is time to phase it out or change the policy to prevent people from abusing the system.

“Our hands are tied to property that is ours,” said landlord Ben Ohmart.

Ohmart rents a single-family home in Seattle but said its tenants haven’t paid rent in the past five months. He said owning just a few properties is like running a small business where margins can be tight.

“Our tenants intentionally stopped paying rent. We said your lease had expired and we were trying to coordinate a move out plan and that was the first time they stopped renting, ”Ohmart said. “This rental payment is primarily used to pay our bills, pay our mortgage, pay our property manager, and maintain lawns.”

Seattle City Council will vote on Monday on four items aimed at protecting tenants. One measure is a resolution calling on Inslee to extend the moratorium until the end of 2021.

Thistle argues that these guidelines don’t protect small landlords who own few properties.

“When you have something like the eviction moratorium and you have a tenant who doesn’t pay rent; well, if you have a property, that’s one hundred percent of your income,” Thistle said. “You still have to pay property taxes, mortgages and utilities. Nobody gives us a free pass for these expenses.”

Small landlords say the guidelines will drive them out of the market and make it difficult to find single-family homes to rent.

“We ask the city council to take an honest look at the guidelines they are making and proposing and making sure they are viable for the entire community,” Ohmart said.