TACOMA, Wash. — A Tacoma woman says her former landlord slapped her with a $10,000 charge, claiming she damaged the rental unit, but Jennifer Litsiba says the charge is simply retaliation after she claimed the landlord violated Tacoma’s Landlord Fairness Code, more commonly called the Tenants’ Bill of Rights law.
Voters passed it 3 years ago, but there’s a measure on the ballot that supporters say would improve it, and Litsiba, who’s now suing her former landlord, says it’s needed.
“Landlords should be accountable too,” Litsiba said at a news conference Thursday. Litsiba claims there’s a lot her former landlord needs to be held accountable for.
Litsiba says, while renting a unit in Tacoma, her landlord broke several tenant protection rules, including failing to follow the proper steps when she took Litsiba’s security deposit and again when she notified Litsiba about a rent increase. Litsiba moved.
“Moving didn’t end the dispute. My former landlord is now demanding nearly $10,000 in damages that I dispute,” Litsiba said.
She believes it’s retaliation for contacting the city and consulting a lawyer who believes Litsiba has a good case:
“This is a strong lawsuit; there are a lot of clear damages. There’s lots of clear laws that have been violated here,” said Ann Dorn with Nexus Legal Counsel.
KIRO7 went to the landlord’s house to talk about the lawsuit against her. A woman who answered said she had no comment.
Litsiba is seeking damages. But not everyone can afford a lawyer.
Supporters say Measure One - on the Tacoma November Ballot – would strengthen the tenants’ rights law. They say requiring both sides to try and reach a compromise before a landlord is fined hasn’t worked:
“And what (has resulted) is literally one fine over the last 3 and a half years against one single landlord. That is not a deterrent,” said Tyron Moore, who supports the Safe Homes for All measure.
But the Tacoma Pierce County Chamber says the measure goes too far and would ultimately reduce the pool of available housing. That would have ripple effects throughout the city’s economy.
“This initiative goes well beyond strengthening existing protections and will have unintended consequences for housing affordability, economic growth, and Tacoma’s business climate,” the chamber said in a statement on its website.
The Tacoma City Manager has also told the city council the measure could cost millions of dollars to implement.