Title 10 Regulation of Activities
Division II. License Code
Chapter 10.57 Regulation of Resident ial Rent al Housing
Section 10.57.010 Purpose and Int
ent
The purpose of this chapter is to establish regulations supporting housing security to reduce homelessness and to establish standards and enforcement mechanisms as they relate to rent al housing within the municipal boundaries of the City of Spokane. It is the intent of the Spokane City Council to continue its long-term commitment to maintain healthy, vibrant and diverse neighborhoods within the City of Spokane. The regulations contained in this chapter balance the needs of all community members to ensure safe, healthy, and thriving rent al housing within the City’s municipal boundaries. The City recognizes that the rent ing of resident ial property is a commercial vent ure that supplies the basic human need of adequate shelter. Providing housing for Spokane’s resident s directly impacts quality of life at the most basic level, and therefore requires regulations to ensure that this commercial vent ure is equitably undertaken to meet the shelter needs of City resident s. This chapter attempts to ensure housing security for current and future resident s and the owners of rent al resident ial properties within the City of Spokane by providing clear expectations and bridging gaps that current state laws and market conditions have created.
In an effort to carry out that intent , the Spokane City Council has determined that it is necessary to implement baseline standards for the rent al of resident ial real property in Spokane, and to streamline and make more affordable the process of obtaining rent al housing by establishing portable background checks, tenant relocation, and landlord mitigation programs.
Washington state law and the Spokane Municipal Code already require owners and operators of rent al resident ial properties to secure a business license and the City of Spokane intends to use the revenues from those license fees that would otherwise accrue to the general fund to support tenants and landlords in specific initiatives that will benefit landlords and tenants and increase the supply of habitable resident ial rent al housing.
Washington Law and the Spokane Municipal Code already authorizes Code Enforcement to inspect resident ial properties within the City for compliance with state and municipal safety and habitability standards with the consent of the resident or by court order. The City intends to provide additional resources to Code Enforcement for dedicated inspectors to increase inspections regardless of complaints to ident ify and remedy unsafe and uninhabitable resident ial conditions regardless of a resident ’s willingness to risk complaining. The City further intends to provide resources to create a position of rent al housing navigator to support landlords and tenants in resolving conflicts between each other and City administration in achieving the goals of this chapter.
Date Passed: Monday, February 27, 2023
Effective Date: Sunday, April 9, 2023
ORD C36330 Section 1