AN ORDINANCE relating to fair housing; establishing a one-year prohibition on use of rental housing bidding platforms; amending Section 7.24.020 of the Seattle Municipal Code; and adding a new Section 7.24.090 to the Seattle Municipal Code.
Item 3.8 The Housing, Health, Energy and Workers Rights Committee Agenda Item three Council of 119507 Relating to Fair Housing. Establishing a one year prohibition on use of rental housing bidding platforms. Amending Section 7.20 4.0 24 code and adding a new Section 7.20 4.0 98 said on this figure, the committee recommends the bill passed. Because remember Skater. Seven. Thank you, Mr. President. So on to rental protections. Because I'm neither naive nor ready to wait. We're going to change policy and we're going to make sure that it's informed by our community partners at the table. We have worked on a one year prohibition on rent bidding technologies. So for folks who aren't aware, this is like eBay for rental units. Nobody wants to see their rental unit go on eBay and the costs of their housing skyrocket. But what we heard immediately after getting elected was that there was a number of people, especially in the University of Washington area, students specifically who had seen these eBay like platforms escalate the cost of housing in their neighborhoods. And our intent was to create a one year prohibition on these rent bidding technologies in order to provide time to determine whether or not these platforms are in violation of our fair housing laws, and to analyze how they may impact housing cost or cause greater inequities in our access to affordable housing and housing throughout the city, creating potentially disproportionate impacts on our communities, especially communities of color and lower income communities. And what we've seen over the last year through the Office of Housing, in coordination with the Office of Civil Rights and the Department of Construction and Inspection, is that they've been working diligently on time , I will add. Thank you very much to the mayors, three departments who've been producing a report for us in July. They will provide a study to help us better and analyze and understand this new technology, its impacts on equitable access to housing, and what long term regulations may be necessary given the pace at which new technologies. And right here we see a number of them crop up right in our own backyard, can come online, can be ingrained in our communities and ingrained in our systems. We really just wanted to hit the pause button. Let us have a little bit of time to see how these rent bidding technologies or eBay like systems for rental units actually affect the our commitment to fair housing, whether or not they have an impact on the rental housing market and whether there's implications for our commitment to protecting our populations, access to fair housing laws. So the report will be presented, as I said, on time in July of this year. What we'd like to do with the Council's support today is to add an additional 12 months. So once we receive that report back from the three departments, we will then have the opportunity to work with tenants and the community at large to develop potential policy solutions and conduct a robust engagement process to actually talk about what to do about the technology we have seen from other cities, that they have not put this pause in place and the consequence has been limited access to units throughout their cities, an increase in the cost of affordable units, and with an effort to try to be proactive and get ahead of it. We're very excited to be able to put forward in front of you a unanimous vote from the housing committee that looked at requesting that a 12 month extension so that we can create the appropriate and informed decision on this longer term regulation for rent bidding platforms. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you. Any other questions or comments on the legislation before we vote? Councilmember Bagshaw Councilmember Mosquito, thank you for bringing this forward and for your leadership on it. And I certainly will be voting for this today at the committee. The other day I asked the question because I've been hearing from both renters as well as property owners, how is our study going along the lines of the first in time registration? Because what I'm I'm concerned about is that people who are at their computers during the day, that they get a first shot at a rental unit that comes open. Somebody who is working outside and away from a computer may find themselves delayed and behind frankly, behind the eight ball in terms of getting on those lists. And is this something that we can continue to look at or will it be part of this 12 month study or could we make it such. Thank you for the question, Councilmember. I'm looking down the way here at folks who are working on the first time legislation previously. I think that that's part of the question that they will be answering for us in July. How has this tool impacted that ability? If you're the first one to put your application in, you have the qualifications, you have the funding, you should have access to those that that rental unit, unfortunately, with the way in which the platforms were working before, are one hour stay on these technologies. The cost was escalating. So those for folks who were first in time were getting outbid. So I think your questions exactly the type of question we hope that. The July report will answer. Thank you. Thank you. Any other questions or comments before we vote? I think we're good. Okay. Please call the role on the passage of the Bill O'Brien. Hi, Chico. Hi. So I'm. A. Big John Gonzalez Herbold. Whereas Macheda I President Harrell. Hi. Nine in favor and unopposed. The bill passed and Cheryl signed it. Please read items four through six and you could read a shorter title of any of those if you'd like. Agenda Items 436. Resolution 31887. Adopting a Peruvian application for surplus property at Fort Lawton, including Redevelopment Plans Committee recommends the resolution be adopted as amended. Council Bill 119 535 relating to the Fort Lunt Redevelopment Plan application, the committee recommends the bill pass cancel 1195 ten relating to land use and zoning.