Tacoma committee reviews narrow edits to Landlord Fairness Code after providers report rising delinquencies; no vote

Councilmember Rumbaugh on Oct. 23 brought draft edits to the Landlord Fairness Code Initiative before the Community Vitality and Safety Committee, saying the session was a discussion and no final action would be taken. Public commenters and several housing providers told the committee the code has coincided with higher rent delinquencies that threaten the finances of mission-driven affordable housing providers.

The committee heard 10 public speakers during the public comment period. April Black, executive director of the Tacoma Housing Authority, said the authority operates about 1,800 affordable units and manages close to 5,500 vouchers and reported a rise in unpaid rent since the LFCI took effect: "Currently, 40% of our tenants are now 30 days or more behind on rent compared to 15% in 2019." Black also told the committee the housing authority had loaned $430,000 to its properties this year to cover debts owed to lenders and investors.

Other nonprofit providers described similar strains. Amanda DeChaseau, executive director of the Affordable Housing Consortium, said surveys of local providers showed "20 to 40% of tenants are behind on rent" at some organizations and that prolonged eviction timelines, property damage and unpaid balances are placing operating funds and supportive services at risk. Pepper Washington, resident services manager at Mercy Housing, described cases of repeated lease violations, safety concerns and a senior building where extended legal timelines left the whole community at risk.

Several speakers urged exemptions for deed-restricted or public nonprofit providers. Linda Foster, senior council policy analyst, summarized Councilmember Rumbaugh's draft changes, which would: align certain eviction exemptions with models used in Seattle (narrowing some winter‑eviction protections to a school‑year exemption), add exemptions for dwelling units owned or managed by the Tacoma Housing Authority and deed‑restricted affordable housing (a deed restriction of at least 30 years and income targets no higher than 80% of area median income), and defer some technical rules (late fees and notice of rent increase) to the city’s rental housing code to remove conflicts between two local codes.

Foster said the draft also proposes changes or clarifications on: owner‑occupancy evictions, relocations where a landlord is at fault (unsafe/unpermitted units), allowing an owner to evict to sell a unit with a 90‑day requirement to sell, narrower cold‑weather dates (proposed Dec. 1–March 1) with an AMI‑based defense at or below 80% AMI and an exemption for landlords owning fewer than four units, and a possible narrowly drafted "damage to unit" exemption that staff and legal counsel would refine. Foster described the "damage to unit" concept as not yet finalized and said legal review with the city attorney was ongoing.

Committee members asked for more data and time. Multiple councilmembers said they supported addressing lower‑effort changes now and postponing the more complex questions—such as defining "undue and significant economic hardship"—until more research and the study group report arrive. Councilmember Walker and others flagged the Tacoma Housing Authority data as urgent and said limited, targeted fixes might be possible quickly; Councilmember Scott said he wanted to avoid moving too fast and emphasized protecting tenants at highest risk of housing loss.

Committee staff and members set next steps: the study group report from the listening sessions will be circulated to committee members on Oct. 31, and the committee tentatively scheduled a special meeting for Nov. 6 to continue the discussion; Nov. 13 was held as a backup if more time is needed. Councilmember Rumbaugh said she will not ask the committee to meet Oct. 30 as previously planned and that additional legal review and data requests (including follow‑up with the Pierce County Sheriff's Office and other stakeholders) are underway.

No formal changes to the Landlord Fairness Code Initiative were adopted at the meeting. The only formal committee motion recorded at the end of the session was a procedural vote to adjourn, which passed.

Why it matters: committee members and housing providers framed the debate as a balance between preventing short‑term homelessness and preserving the fiscal viability of nonprofit and deed‑restricted affordable housing providers. Providers warned that extended arrears and unit damage can remove units from the market and reduce the providers' ability to maintain buildings or attract financing for preservation and development. Supporters of the LFCI and tenant advocates told the committee that the code prevents short‑term homelessness and that any narrowing of protections should be approached carefully, with tenants and tenant advocates at the table.

The committee did not adopt any ordinance amendments on Oct. 23; members instructed staff to collect additional data, complete legal review of proposed exemptions, and return to the committee for further consideration on Nov. 6. Two staff memos from the Tacoma Housing Authority were included in the meeting packet; staff said more data from other providers would be provided to the committee.

Public comments and staff testimony at the meeting included specific figures and examples that committee members asked staff to verify before any final proposal is sent to full council. The committee discussion repeatedly distinguished between (a) matters for technical/code alignment that could be bundled into the rental housing code, and (b) substantive policy decisions—such as exemptions and the definition of economic hardship—that members said require additional research and stakeholder engagement.

Adjournment: a motion to adjourn carried at the close of the meeting.