Landlord and Tenant protections are essential and currently tenants are being subjected to abuse due to corporate landlords. Private landlords arent where we are seeing the majority of issues tenants face. Corporate landlords are the ones charging excessive fees to hundreds of tenants at a time. I work with tenants across the state who have fallen victim to corporate greed. Ill share some examples of what complexes in Olympia are doing....
1. Application fee 75 per adult
2. Administration fee 250
3. Security Deposit 1450
4. First and last to move in 2900.00
5. Pet Deposit ( non refund.) 500.00 ( then its not a deposit)
6. Pet rent 30.00 per month
7. If you want to be month to month 300.00 ( non refundable fee)
8. Entry into your unit if locked out 75.00
10. Late fee 25.00 for the first day and 5.00 each additional day
11. Rent increases every 6 months 180.00 ( 1st one) 150.00 ( 2nd) .. over 300 in one year
180 units
$54,000 per year in rent increases ( average)
$21,600 per year collected for pet rent (low average 1/3 units have a pet )
Pets dont work and there isnt even garbage service in the complex
This is one example of the hundreds that call our statewide tenant hotline per month and my personal experience.
I have never met a person that received their deposit back from a corporate landlord.
If tenants are required to make 3 times the amount of rent to move in, it should be illegal to increase rent so high that you disqualify your tenant. Reasonable increases should be 1 to 5 percent per year. What some complexes are doing ( as in my case) they raise certain peoples rents. If your going to raise the rent for one unit you should should raise them all and not a 30% increase either. I didnt get a 900 per month
AND THEY NEVER RETURN SECURITY DEPOSITS.
Westlakes Apartments....... Predators
Private landlords have higher risks with their tenants and they should not be subjected to the exact same regulations as corporations. However they should also be held to uphold their duties. My personal experience with private landlords is drastically different. I aways got my deposit back minus minimal charges. Private landlords are not driving rent prices up, corporations and developers are. Alot of landlords are taking advantage of the market and increasing their rents at the same pace and at the same cost to tenants. Thats called running a business. And prices are inflated. In order for communities to thrive people need affordable housing . PERIOD
If you are doing business as a landlord you should have to register as a business and pay taxes on that business and be held to certain standards to protect the consumer ( renter) and your business ( rental unit).
One last thing.... Landlords report money owed to the credit bureau when you move out damaging their score ... They should report monthly rent payments to the credit bureaus. If someone has ontime payments for 5 years and falls on hard times and is evicted their 60 months of ontime payments means nothing..... Just a thought. At the end of the day we need tenant protections and our lawmakers need to make decisions in the best interest of the people.. not private businesses or corporate developers.
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