Seattle City Council bans rental discrimination based on source of income

Seattle City Council member Lisa Herbold: "Tenants benefiting from preferred employer rental discounts aren't the tenants that need assistance in the affordability crisis Seattle faces."

Seattle City Council member Lisa Herbold: "Tenants benefiting from preferred employer rental discounts aren't the tenants that need assistance in the affordability crisis Seattle faces." Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Seattle City Council bans rental discrimination based on source of income 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

The Seattle City Council unanimously voted Monday to enact legislation that bans discrimination in rental housing based on a prospective renter's source of income or place of employment.

The Council voted to expand legal protection, already given to people with Section 8 vouchers, to include renters who receive so-called alternate sources of income. These include a pension, or unemployment benefits, Social Security, child support payments, or any governmental or non-profit subsidy.

"The legislation we introduced this spring expanded fair housing protections for renters using subsidies or other sources of income," Seattle Mayor Ed Murray said in a statement after the unanimous Council vote.

"Thank you to City Council for approving this proposal -- our seniors, veterans, working parents will now be able to use their protected benefits toward renting a home." (Murray sent a proposal to Council in April calling for expanded civil rights protection to renters.)

The legislation also creates a first-in-line screening process. It forbids housing providers from giving applicants with alternative sources of income a lower priority.

It requires landlords to review applications one at a time, under the principle that the first qualified applicant gets the rental unit.

And employers will be encouraged to refrain from any discrimination in offering move-in incentives to renters, such as providing preference to those who work for certain employers (e.g. Amazon.com).

"Tenants benefiting from preferred employer rental discounts aren't the tenants that need assistance in the affordability crisis Seattle faces," said Council member Lisa Herbold, sponsor of the legislation. "It's the renters who are on Social Security or who receive child support assistance that need a helping hand, and that's who this law was intended to aid."

As well, when a tenant faces eviction, landlords will be required to accept pledges from community-based organizations to remedy nonpayment of rent if money is received within five days of a notice of eviction.

Herbold, a longtime City Council staff aide before her election in 2015, showed an astuteness lacking in collegues prone to posturing and credit-claiming.

She went on Facebook to thank fellow Council members for "digging into this bill and offering amendments to make it better."