Study group presents preliminary survey results on Tacomas Landlord Fairness Code; committee to wait for full reports

A volunteer study group presentation to the Community Vitality and Safety Committee on Oct. 9, 2025, summarized preliminary survey and listening-session work assessing Measure 1, the Landlord Fairness Code enacted by Tacoma voters in December 2023. The groups co-convener, Michael Mirra, and Professor Michael Crowe of Evergreen State College told the committee they will deliver two survey reports by the end of October and a separate report summarizing listening sessions afterward, and they asked the committee not to take policy action until those reports are reviewed.

The committees review matters because the study groups early findings touch on rents, evictions and landlord practices in Tacomas rental market. Mirra told the committee: "We ask the council not to take any action until it has a chance to consider what those reports say." Professor Crowe warned that some outcomes take longer to detect: "Some of the outcomes are harder to measure than others and some take longer to have an impact on the housing market than others do."

Key preliminary findings from the two survey waves, as reported to the committee: - Tenant survey: The project ran two waves of an online tenant survey over the summer; initial wave returned 77 responses and the combined total after a second wave reached about 160 responses. A majority of respondents reported some rent increases since December 2023, but Crowe said those increases are "not out of line" with regional rent changes reported for the Western United States. Tenants reported more late rental payments in 2024 compared with prior periods, but the study group said eviction experience was underrepresented in the tenant responses.

- Landlord survey: The landlord…