Lakewood’s big Rental Housing Safety Program (RHSP) started October 1, 2017. This socialism experiment is already interesting to watch.
It appears Lakewood does not have a 100% accurate accounting of which Lakewood properties are rentals and which are not.
Evidence of this is borne out by the fact that Lakewood has already mistakenly wasted time and money sending letters to citizens directing them to register their rental properties. The problem is some of these letter recipients do not own rental property and therefore are under no legal obligation to be involved with the big safety program.
The Lakewood RHSP letter was simply a blind cast by the City based on their analysis of public records. The letter is a fishing expedition.
There is a flip side to this letter campaign. Yesterday evidence was brought to me that Lakewood has failed to send RHSP letters to people who own rentals in our city. In spite of 86 plus published articles in The Suburban Times and The News Tribune on this subject, the rental owner I spoke with knew nothing of the RHSP, nor had the rental owner received Lakewood’s letter.
I will not disclose this property owner’s name because I refuse to be a part of Lakewood’s assault on local citizen’s Constitutional Rights. I am classifying this rental property owner as a “Confidential Source”.
If Lakewood can get everyone to step forward and register their property, they will then have a more accurate record of which properties are subject to the new RHSP for the current and future adjusted fee structure.
Lakewood’s mandate is analogous to countries run by dictators who have used a similar approach. Mandate that everyone registers their guns. Once that information is of record, double back and work the registrants over by confiscating their guns.
In Lakewood we are not talking about guns. We are talking about rentals. Lakewood will double back on the registered rental property owners and confiscate their time, money, and in some cases rental property.
Charging only $12 per unit is a genius move on Lakewood’s part. Most people will be lulled into registering their properties with the idea that “It is only $12, so why not register?”. Lakewood makes no guarantee how long the skinny registration fee will last.
Should you voluntarily register or not? Should you comply “under protest” including making fee payments “under protest’? What should you do if you own rental property and Lakewood fails to send you a letter? Lakewood has included some penalties in Ordinance 644, so you should take care in making wise choices.
Before you decide what your best course of action is, consider consulting with a real estate attorney.
Like it or not, I do think it wise to consider complying with the law. If a citizen believes the law is unfair, they should comply when they must and then try to change the law rather than suffering the risks involved with being in violation.
The City of Lakewood is coming so you might as well leave your front door unlocked.
For the record, and it is a matter of public record given what follows was spoken at the Tillicum Woodbrook Neighborhood Association meeting last evening, October 6, 2017.
When asked her position on the Rental Inspection Program, candidate for Lakewood City Council Ria J. Covington (Position 5, incumbent John Simpson), said:
“No more policy about us without us. I want to be your voice. I will actively advocate on your behalf. We need to bring it (Rental Inspection Program) back to the table. It has the potential of putting people at risk of losing their home. Conditions may not be the best but you’ve still a roof over your head and you’re not out on the street. Fifty-dollars (a figure Covington suggested as possible repercussions in terms of rent increases and required repairs due to the RIP) can put you out on the street. I would love to bring it back to the table to have this conversation.”
And then she concluded with this:
“Those who made this decision have never lived where those most impacted do.”
So, there is a way of changing the law: your vote.
Correction: the TWNA meeting was held October 5.
Wow. Ms. Covington says “Conditions may not be best but you’ve still got a roof over your head…” Not the best? Indeed, not, Ms. Covington. Have you ever visited and experienced any of the properties which are most “not the best”? Met the tenants? Heard their justified complaints? Their pleas for help? “Not the best.” That’s just what slumlords tell their captives, er, I mean, ‘tenants’ who dare to ask for basic human needs to be met (operating water, heat, electricity, plumbing, intact roof, windows secure against the elements, working smoke detectors, grounds lighting for safety, stairways that aren’t rotting off the sides of the building. The list goes on.) Of COURSE a slumlord isn’t going to invest any money into their properties as long as someone is able to pay their rent. Hey, why sink money into a decaying property that is a cash cow with no real regulations to compel them to provide safe, adequate housing? I can imagine every slumlord’s current thought process: “If I let it go far enough, it’ll just collapse one day. The people left homeless or hurt sure don’t have the money to sue for compensation. God knows, the local municipal government doesn’t have any authority or motivation to act on their behalf – otherwise I’d have been stopped long ago. I’ll just bulldoze the lot and sell it to a developer. Until then though, it’s a free-for-all, baby!” Slumlords have operated in the dark far too long. Time to turn the lights on (if they still work). Time to give a voice to those ‘less fortunates’ who are forced to live in unsafe and ever-deteriorating conditions. Just my opinion. It’s “not the best” opinion, but it’s something.
Mr. Midlander, While your assumptions have merit, you are off target with Ms. Covington. Yes, she has lived it. She knows the problems you speak of inside out. She has faced homelessness. She has travelled where the slum dwellers live.
I have not heard one person disagree that we have a small number of the 14,000 rentals that are in slum condition. No debate there.
The debate relates to the inappropriate socialistic punish-the-innocent solution chosen by Lakewood City Council. What is needed is an intelligent and fair solution that targets the problem, not innocent quality landlords and managers.
If the City wants to bring back public hangings for the slumlords, I will not complain. I will continue to complain when the City bully’s innocent citizens by lumping them in with the trouble-making slumlords.
Joseph Boyle
Thank you Mr. Boyle. I wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that.
I am a landlord, not slumlord, in Lakewood. I have a very nice duplex near Steilacoom Lake. It has been completely remodeled, constant care and the addition of patio covers. Brand new windows. New electrical panel. Thousands of dollars invested to my advantage as well as the tenants. Still the todo list is overwhelming. I hit it as I can, as time and money are available. It’s my job. I know what needs to be done, I know what is coming up and what will need to be addressed in the future. It’s in much better condition, overall, then my own home.
I’m afraid to death of this program throwing off my budget, my timeline and potentially costing me thousands of dollars in repairs or improvements that I haven’t gotten to yet, not because I’m a slumlord, but because there simply are not enough hours in the day or dollars in the budget to manage them just yet.
Years ago, in one unit, where the apartment was dressed out quite nicely, but I hadn’t gotten to the bathroom quite yet, and because of that the tenant enjoyed a lower rent, she complained about the bathroom, wanted it dolled up. I did it. I spent $4,000 dressing out the bathroom with a new tub, new tile surround, new sink, new fan, new tile flooring, new door and frame… very nice. I raised her rent a little bit… the raise might have paid for the new bathroom in about 7 years… she whimpered about it and moved out.
If you rent an apartment in less then optimal condition and expect that the city is going to demand improvements and that you will continue to rent that place for the same amount of money, Mr. Midland and Mr. Wilson, you’ve got another thing coming.
For one… I will never ever try to remodel anything again while the unit is occupied. If the city demands anything outside of a minor repair YOU’RE MOVING. If the upgrade results in a quality unit that commands more rent… well, then you can start whimpering about affordable housing, just, please do it somewhere else.
When I put my units up for rent these days I SHOW THEM TWICE MAYBE. I rent them for whatever I want. I BEG for 3-4 days of vacancy between tenants to make improvements, repairs and clean, clean, clean… it’s no skin of my nose.
Mr. Wilson… see what’s coming???? BRING IT ON!!!!
“Those who made this decision have never lived where those most impacted do.” What a common sense statement despite, or maybe because of her youth. During my time as a city council member and Deputy Mayor I observed that Ria J. Covington was a standout on the Student City Council; she is now ready to serve on the Lakewood City Council. It is she, and the many Lakewood young people like her, who will be the ones who have to live with decisions made by current insular council members who will be long gone when she reaches their age.
It was asked and answered at a meeting a long time ago regarding this inspection program, well before they voted on it, when they were still trying to sell the idea to the public, that they determined the rental housing units and their projected numbers simply by pulling those properties listed at the county tax assessor’s office which had a different mailing address from their physical/property address. I wonder about that since most property taxes bills are actually mailed to escrow services. Plenty of people have private mail boxes or PO boxes vs having their mail delivered at home. But it appeared that that was their only deciding factor. Although it seems to me that their numbers weren’t far off from the US Census, regarding the count of residents vs owner occupied residents.. so maybe they used those numbers for their estimates from that.
Thank you again, Mr. Boyle and Mr. Anderson for taking on this battle.
Battle Lost! It’s active now! Yesssss!
Thank you City Councel!!!!!