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Speakers flood Redmond council with pleas to pass Renters Bill of Rights by July
Summary
Dozens of tenants and advocates urged the Redmond City Council to adopt a Renters Bill of Rights by the end of July, citing opaque "junk" fees, habitability problems, and instability for nearly two-thirds of city households that rent.
Public commenters filled the council dais on May 19 to press Redmond leaders to adopt a Renters Bill of Rights before the city's August recess.
"Please pass the Renters Bill of Rights by the end of July or before," said Guiermo Rivera, a community organizer, arguing that hidden application, internet and utility fees and sudden lease endings are forcing families out of their homes. Rivera noted the council's tenant-protection subcommittee and asked the mayor and staff to move quickly.
Multiple speakers described how so-called junk fees inflate the true cost of housing. "They charge everyone $25 a month to rent the key to our apartment," said Susan Cousins, who handed the council an itemized bill she said showed more than $165 in monthly fees on top of rent. Tech worker Kate Sprag said she paid nearly $1,000 this year in mandatory service fees.
Housing advocates and attorneys framed the proposals as legally viable and tested in other Washington cities. A lead attorney from the King County Bar Association Housing Justice Project told the council the four proposals in the packet do not prevent landlords from using state-authorized just-cause reasons for eviction and therefore are consistent with state law.
Transitional workers and organizers, including Craig Peek of the Transit Writers Union and Lam Ho, an attorney with housing-law experience, urged urgency. "Redmond renters can't wait," Lam Ho said, citing clients who delayed medical care out of fear of displacement.
The public comments ranged from individual habitability complaints—weeks without hot water and payment-app failures that generated late fees—to coalition presentations calling for a publicly searchable renter-rights website, a ban on junk fees, retaliation protections and lease-stability measures.
The council did not take final action on the proposals during the May 19 meeting. Several councilmembers and staff acknowledged the urgency and said the city's tenant-protections committee is working on a policy matrix to guide staff alongside planned community engagement.
Next steps: the council's tenant-protection subcommittee plans follow-up meetings and will present staff matrices and options for ordinance drafting. Advocates said they will continue to press for adoption by the end of July.
