Tacoma area renters need coronavirus pandemic aid. Landlords do, too

For many South Sound residents, anxiety about possible coronavirus infection is heightened by another pressing fear: eviction from their home because their ability to pay rent has dried up virtually overnight.

It’s a legitimate concern, not just for renters but for the surrounding community. Government efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 by telling people to self-isolate, quarantine or, in a worse-case scenario, to shelter in place will be seriously compromised if tenants are at risk of losing the roof over their head.

Recognizing that, Gov. Jay Inslee did the right thing Wednesday by placing a 30-day moratorium on residential rent-related evictions. Up north, officials in the Seattle area set the trend in recent days. Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan issued an emergency order to freeze evictions, while the King County Sheriff’s Department said it’s halted carrying out court-ordered evictions.

Tacoma leaders took a more cautious approach, saying the city is hamstrung by Washington law and had to wait for state or federal officials to act. At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Tacoma officials said some renters may get help from the city’s new affordable housing trust fund.

One way or another, Mayor Victoria Woodards said at a press conference Tuesday: “We want to make sure the one thing you’re not worrying about is how you’re going to pay your rent or if you’re going to be foreclosed on.”

Providing extra help for tenants is a sensible step for Tacoma, where renters comprise more than half the population. It should come naturally to city officials who’ve worked aggressively the last few years to bolster tenant rights, fighting systemic forces that were here before coronavirus took us captive and will be here after it’s gone.

But let’s not forget the impact on landlords, too. They aren’t scoundrels eager to throw people out in the streets, ala Mr. Potter in “It’s a Wonderful Life.” They are small business owners with mortgages, insurance, property maintenance and upkeep costs, and other bills to pay. And they can’t be left holding an empty bag.

With Inslee’s new order in place, state and federal coronavirus assistance will be needed for landlords, not unlike other small business owners now targeted for microloans, tax breaks and other relief.

In Washington, where confirmed COVID-19 cases soared to nearly 1,200 and deaths crept above 60 as of Wednesday, the impact on the working class escalated dramatically Monday when the governor ordered the closure of all restaurants, bars and entertainment/recreation venues, other than food delivery and takeout.

An ensuing wave of service-industry layoffs would hit tenants hardest, leaving them under water on their rent. Not far downstream are landlords who won’t have cash flow to pay lenders.

The order to halt evictions is properly focused on helping renters who can demonstrate a financial hardship as a result of the pandemic; evictions can still proceed against tenants for violating other parts of a lease.

Inslee’s new directive should be welcome in Tacoma, a city with a record of looking out for the interests of renters. Last year, for example, an ordinance went into effect allowing tenants to pay move-in fees in installments, rather than in a lump sum up front. That model will soon go statewide, after the 2020 Legislature approved a bill requiring landlords to honor installment payments.

Such measures are reasonable in light of our region’s ongoing affordable housing and homelessness crisis, fueled by household incomes not keeping pace with housing costs. There’s no question that stable rental-home occupancy is beneficial for tenants and landlords alike.

But private property owners shouldn’t be confused for banks; they’re not magically endowed with endless credit to give and an easy capacity to absorb IOUs.

Landlords will never get the sympathy of a local restaurateur, a mom-and-pop retail shop or a displaced service-economy worker. But their survival is crucial to the long-term housing outlook in Pierce County — and they must be made whole, too.

This story was originally published March 18, 2020 at 4:20 PM.