Lawmaker seeks repeal of statewide ban on rent control

SEATTLE — As rents across Seattle continue to climb, one Seattle lawmaker is looking to repeal the longtime state ban on rent control.

A repeal would halt when and how much landlords can increase rents.

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The state ban on rent control has been in place for the last 36 years, but Representative Nicole Macri announced Tuesday that it's time to repeal it, and now, she may have the support to do so.

For the first time since 2012, Democrats will have control of the legislature during the 60-day session that begins in January.

Currently, landlords can raise rent as much as they want after a lease ends as long as they give tenants a month's notice.

With Seattle City council members Kshwama Sawant and Terese Mosqueda by her side at a rally outside a landlord trade show Tuesday, Macri said her plans would not enact rent control, but give cities the chance to vote on introducing their own measures.

According to a recent Zillow report, on average, Seattle renters spend a little more than 30 percent of their income on rent. The challenge for Macri and other lawmakers will be to prove that high rent costs are a statewide issue.

The next move will come in Olympia. January 8 is the first day of the 2018 state legislature session.

Cox Media Group