News » Take Action » 13 Jul 12
Seattle City Council Meeting October 1st: Come support important health and safety protections for Seattle renters!
The City Council needs to hear from YOU in the fight for healthy and safe homes. We want a strong presence of tenants represented at this meeting to show support for safe and healthy rental homes in Seattle. Mark your calendars and email Seattle City Councilmembers in favor of a strong proactive code enforcement program!
Please join TU members and supporters:
Monday, October 1st
Arrive at 1:30 pm — Meeting begins promptly at 2 pm
Seattle City Hall
600 Fourth Avenue
2nd Floor Council Chambers
For more information, or contact Stina at (206) 722-6848 × 102 or stinaj@tenantsunion.org.
The Seattle City Council is considering a Rental Housing Registration & Inspection Program (RHRIP) draft ordinance. This program would require all rental properties to register with the City and over ten years bring all properties up to code for health and safety standards. This is the closest we have ever come in over twenty years in the fight for healthy homes for all in Seattle.
The rental industry is working to remove important basic protections for Seattle renters.
Now the City Council needs to hear from YOU!
If you support the right for people to live in healthy and safe homes, please contact the City Council and the Department of Planning and Development. This is a critical time for the support and opinions of tenants to weigh in in favor of a strong program.
If you have suffered from substandard housing, or support healthy and safe homes, please send the below sample letter, and please insert your personal story. The City needs to hear from you!
Email the letter to all of the following:
RentalHousingRegistration@seattle.gov
nick.licata@seattle.gov
sally.bagshaw@seattle.gov
bruce.harrell@seattle.gov
sally.clark@seattle.gov
tim.burgess@seattle.gov
richard.conlin@seattle.gov
jean.godden@seattle.gov
mike.obrien@seattle.gov
tom.rasmussen@seattle.gov
Faith.Lumsden@seattle.gov
Sample Letter:
(Home Address)
Dear Council Members,
Thank you for taking steps to create a useful and comprehensive program to improve the health and safety of Seattle’s rental homes. I strongly support the creation of a Rental Housing Registration & Inspection program that inspects 100% of Seattle’s rental properties, and places properties on a five year inspection cycle.
Substandard housing is a huge concern in my community and the City must step up to address this ongoing problem. Tenants should not be made the target of retaliatory landlords, and we must take the burden of enforcing the city’s building codes off the backs of tenants by creating a proactive inspection program to prevent abuse and improve the health and safety of our homes.
It is estimated that there are over 27,000 Seattle renters living in substandard housing, and the sooner this new program goes into effect the better. Thank you for taking action and please pass a strong ordinance to solve this serious problem!
Sincerely,