Olympia council hears policy options to reduce tenant screening barriers; staff to advance income/rent and SSN changes

Krista Linson, a city staff member, briefed the Olympia City Council at its Sept. 16 study session on draft tenant‑screening policy options and community feedback gathered for the city’s housing action goals.

Linson said the proposals respond to local and regional plans and recent federal guidance. “So I'm here to provide a briefing on tenant screening policy options, community input on proposed policy, and some potential approaches that council might consider taking to address this issue,” she told the council.

The proposed changes fall into five areas: limits on income‑to‑rent ratios, alternatives to requiring Social Security numbers, rules on considering criminal history, restrictions on how credit history can be used, and limits on eviction or rental‑history rejections. Linson told the council that staff developed the draft language after reviewing HUD guidance and sample policies from other jurisdictions and shared it with the Land Use and Environment Committee earlier this year.

Why it matters

Council members and community service providers told staff that screening practices can block access to housing and worsen homelessness, while many landlords said screening reduces their financial and tenant‑safety risk. The city’s survey (283 respondents) showed large differences between landlords’ and renters’ views: for example, 89% of landlord respondents reported running rental‑history checks and 84% verified income; among renters and case managers, 55% reported having been rejected for low income, 43% for credit history and 21% for criminal history.

Policy details and council reaction

Income‑to‑rent ratio: Staff proposed capping the ratio that landlords may require at 2.5 times monthly rent, instead of…