[continued from previous message]   
      
   >2015 and 2018.   
   >   
   >To describe safety concerns at the building, the lawsuit points out that   
   >the Seattle Police Department requires at least three officers to   
   >respond to calls at the building. An SPD spokesperson said Tuesday that   
   >requirement, not uncommon at apartment buildings, stems from tenant   
   >behavior and from the fact that the landlord has hired armed security   
   >guards to patrol the building. The presence of armed guards makes a call   
   >“more concerning for us, so we have to add more officers,” sometimes   
   >delaying response times, said Detective Patrick Michaud.   
   >   
   >Facing rising costs and declining rent revenue, the complaint said,   
   >Goodman has defaulted on the mortgage and the property is now “unsaleable.”   
   >   
   >“Each one of these ordinances would have been problematic on its own,   
   >but their combined effects have destroyed (Goodman’s) ability to   
   >sustainably operate the Addison, to manage the living environment, and   
   >to uphold the tenants’ rights to the peaceful and quiet enjoyment of   
   >their residences,” the complaint said.   
   >   
   >Sean Flynn, executive director of the Rental Housing Association, which   
   >represents landlords, called the situation “a great example of why we   
   >need change.”   
   >   
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   >Others defended the tenant protections.   
   >   
   >Katie Wilson, general secretary of the Transit Riders Union, which   
   >advocates for tenant protections across the region, argued Seattle is   
   >not alone in putting similar regulations on the books because they’re   
   >important for tenants.   
   >   
   >“There are really strong policy reasons for all of these laws for   
   >protecting renters from discrimination, for making it possible to live   
   >with your family, to make sure that you have a cushion if you get a very   
   >large rent increase,” Wilson said.   
   >   
   >While the financial hurdles facing affordable housing providers are   
   >serious, “we need to find a way to support people better,” Wilson said,   
   >calling for more behavioral health services. “If our best answer is   
   >eviction, we’re really failing.”   
   >   
   >The tenant protections in question include Seattle’s “Fair Chance   
   >Housing” ordinance, a rule landlords have challenged repeatedly.   
   >Co-sponsored by Mayor Bruce Harrell, then a council member, the   
   >ordinance aims to help people with past arrests or convictions find housing.   
   >   
   >After landlords sued in 2018 to try to block the law, a federal appeals   
   >court ruled last year that landlords can ask about criminal history but   
   >cannot take “adverse action,” such as refusing to rent to tenants, based   
   >on that history. The city’s Office for Civil Rights now advises   
   >landlords they can run criminal background checks and ask prospective   
   >tenants about criminal history but they can’t require applicants to   
   >answer and can’t categorically refuse to rent to people with criminal   
   >histories.   
   >   
   >Landlords may still refuse to rent to people on a sex offender registry   
   >in some cases. The law does not apply in cases when a landlord is   
   >renting a room or accessory dwelling unit in the single-family home they   
   >also live in. Appeals in that case are still ongoing.   
   >   
   >Heidi Groover: 206-464-8273 or hgroover@seattletimes.com.   
      
      
   The law should be changed to allow landlords to rent to who they   
   choose, not who they're obliged to. Let's face it, blacks and other   
   low lifes have ruined the housing market. Who in their right mind will   
   buy property at a high value when it's occupied by minority scum?   
   Their total disrespect for property is why repairs are in constant   
   repair and their constant bellyaching for heat in the winter is a   
   drain on resources.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)