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Seattle committee codifies SDCI voluntary compliance and creates 30‑day cure for tenants
Summary
Amendments adopted Aug. 3 clarify SDCI's voluntary compliance process, require reimbursement plus interest as a minimum and add a tenant‑facing 30‑day cure and reimbursement path that can preclude further private remedies if satisfied.
Two of the four amendments adopted by the committee focus on enforcement and tenant remedies. HB Harper described amendment 3 as codifying existing SDCI discretion to pursue voluntary compliance and specified that voluntary compliance should include full reimbursement to tenants plus interest.
Amendment 4 creates a tenant‑facing cure pathway: for prohibited fees and unlawfully withheld security deposits a landlord may, within 30 days of written notice, reimburse the tenant plus interest and pay damages (transcript language describes reimbursement and an enhanced multiple of the fee); if the landlord pays at the specified level within the 30‑day window, the tenant generally may not pursue additional remedies under the private‑right‑of‑action sections covered by the amendment. Sponsors and staff framed the amendment as a faster, lower‑cost alternative to litigation and said the executive will provide fiscal materials for enforcement staffing during the budget process.
