Kyle Crowder Examines Renter/Landlord Perspective on Seattle Rental Ordinances
Posted: 8/5/2018 (CSDE Research)
In a recent interview with KOMO Radio, CSDE Affiliate and Professor of Sociology Kyle Crowder explains the results of a recent study of Seattle’s rental housing market. In that research, Crowder finds that neither renters nor landlords strongly support the city’s rental ordinances, noting: “Renters were often skeptical that the ordinances would have much effectiveness because the general perception is that landlords have the ability to work around them.”
Crowder also noted that large landlords – those who own a higher number of units – faced more vacancies. “If the large landlords are the ones more frequently dealing with vacancies, they are the ones that are more likely to have to grapple with those ordinances.” Finally, he reported a significant amount of misinformation about ordinances, such as the criminal records ordinance, which prohibits landlords from using criminal records to screen prospective tenants.