Apartment move-in costs too high? The state bill would offer an installment plan

Renters would be able to pay deposits, last month’s rent and nonrefundable fees in installments under a bill that the Washington House of Representatives approved Monday.

If a lease is for three months or longer, renters can choose to make those payments in equal amounts over three months. Otherwise, installment payments would have to be made over two months. A charge for cleaning is an example of a nonrefundable fee. Last month’s rent refers to the amount that a landlord can collect for the final month of a tenancy.

The sponsor of HB 1694, state Rep. Melanie Morgan, D-Parkland, said a new law is needed because rents are increasing faster than incomes. She said move-in costs for an apartment can reach $5,000.

“People who rent are more likely to be overburdened by housing cost and are at greater risk for displacement; many of whom are on fixed incomes and are disabled,” said Morgan, a Parkland Democrat.

The House voted 54-44 to approve the bill, largely along party lines as several Republicans spoke against it.

They included state Rep. Jenny Graham of Spokane. She said the Legislature is infringing on the use of private property and should not add any more laws affecting the arrangements between landlords and tenants.

“We’re getting to the point where a little bit of sand is not a big deal. But a dump truck load will kill you — and that is what’s happening to our landlords,” she said.

However, state Rep. Christine Kilduff, D-University Place, said the bill will help those who have experienced homelessness get an apartment while preserving the ability of landlords to enforce their rights under state law.

“We need to make sure that people can get into housing, that they can get off the streets,” she said.

The House also approved a bill Monday to make it easier for cities and counties to get approval for “infill development.” Infill development is done on vacant or under-used parcels within urban areas that are largely already developed.

State Rep. Andrew Barkis, the Olympia Republican who sponsored HB 2673, said he has worked on the bill with home builders and groups including FutureWise, a Seattle-based group which supports sustainable land use and opposes urban sprawl. Barkis said his goal is to streamline the development process by eliminating redundancies.

The bill enables cities and counties to get an exemption for “infill development” from the State Environmental Policy Act, a decades-old law that affordable housing advocates have criticized for enabling people to delay or block construction.

“When there’s an environmental statement already done, this bill will help because we won’t have to go through that process again,” Barkis said.

State Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon, D-West Seattle, said the bill is “a powerful tool for ensuring we get housing delivered to address the severe housing shortage in our communities.”

The House voted 98-0 to approve the measure.

Both HB 1694 and HB 2673 move to Senate committees.

The 60-day legislative session ends March 12.

This story was originally published February 18, 2020 at 7:19 AM.