Twilight Zoning in Bellingham: WWU Students to Host Forum on Rental Licensing

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

WWU Students to Host Forum on Rental Licensing

The Viking Community Builders (VCB), a student group at Western Washington University, will host a forum to discuss the issue of rental licensing in Bellingham. The event, entitled "This House Is Not a Home", will be held on May 17th at 7pm on Western's campus in Academic West (Academic Instructional Center), Room 204. (Building number 53 at the map here)

According to information from the VCB, the event is for representatives of Western Washington, the City of Bellingham, student and community members to discuss Bellingham's options for rental licensing. The forum will provide an opportunity "to chat about the benefits and consequences for tenants, landlords and the community as a whole" and to "let your voice be heard". Free parking is available in the on-campus "C" lot (see parking map here). For questions on the event you can email the group at vikingcommunitybuilders@gmail.com.

The Viking Community Builders was formed to foster communication, connection and respect between the WWU community and long term Bellingham residents. For more on the VCB, click here to visit their web page on Facebook.

In recent months, I have encouraged students from Western to become involved in the topic as their numbers (8,000 off-campus residents) represent a formidable force in ensuring that the places they rent are safe and free from health hazards. You can read my open letter to students published in the Western Front on 23 April by clicking here or in my blog on 2 February by clicking here. You can review the study on rental licensing prepared for the Bellingham City Council by clicking here.

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The Rationale for Rental Licensing

There is the definitive experience of cities that have already adopted rental licensing and inspections in the face of exactly the same opposition as we saw in Bellingham over the last decade. Ultimately, each of these cities was proven correct in its resolve to move ahead to protect the safety and health of the renters. We already know that the city of Pasco, WA found that 15% of the units inspected under their program had serious life/safety issues. 10% had mold problems. A full 85% had problems of varying degrees. The city of Gresham, OR performed over 1600 inspections in 2009 and issued, as a result, over 4,000 citations. Lexington, KY performed inspections of units near the University of Kentucky and found that 50% had life/safety issues. Sacramento, CA began an inspection program during which one third of the units inspected had serious safety and health issues. The question why does anyone believe that the condition of rental housing here in Bellingham does not mirror that which is found in cities that have the statistics to show that time and time again the condition of rentals in our cities is problematic? All we have had to date from those who oppose licensing are broad statements by the landlords and their paladins that are completely and utterly unsubstantiated. The Zonemaven has searched in vain for the horror stories that these opponents of licensing and inspections have predicted. On the other hand, The Zonemaven did find over 100 cities that have licensing AND inspections without the catastrophic effect for the rental markets that the landlords would have you believe. (See this blog's sidebar at bottom left for list)

One Reason Illegal Rooming Houses Do Not Work

The limit for unrelated persons at a single family home rental is three residents. Leases are signed by three people who then invite additional renters to join them to lower per capita rental rates. The perverse effect is that rental rates tend to rise under these circumstances making it difficult for single families to rent single family homes. Some local rental agencies facilitate this practice.

"To say that a family is so equivalent to a ragtag collection of college roommates as to require identical treatment in zoning decisions defies the reality of the place of the family in American society, despite any changes that institution has undergone in recent years. Only the most cynical among us would say that the American family has devolved to the point of no greater importance or consideration in governmental decision making than a group of college roommates." (Stegeman v. City of Ann Arbor)

That being said, accommodation ought to be made for protected classes, especially non-traditional unions and group houses for the disabled. These classes are laid out in federal and Washington State law.