City of Spokane

Spokane Municipal Code

***Note: Many local criminal codes can now be located under Chapter 10.60 SMC while others are now cited under the Revised Code of Washington (RCW), which was incorporated into the municipal code in 2022. (See SMC 10.58.010). Code Enforcement, including Noise Control and Animal Regulations are located in Chapters 10.62 through 10.74.

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Title 10
Chapter 10.57
Section 10.57.100
 

Title 10 Regulation of Activities

Division II. License Code

Chapter 10.57 Regulation of Residential Rental Housing

Section 10.57.100 Legal Services and Relocation Program
  1. City of Spokane is authorized to use monies from the Legal Services and Relocation Fund to contract with another entity to provide attorney services for landlord and tenant legal services and mediation costs, with a focus on habitability and violations of the Chapter 59.18 RCW - Residential Landlord Tenant Act (“RLTA”). The city investment would provide seed money for first year of salary and benefits for an attorney and reasonable litigation costs, including mediation fees.  Legal fees from successful representation would be used to sustain the attorney(s) and associated costs for the long term.
  1. The City is further authorized to disburse monies from the Legal Services and Relocation Fund to provide immediate relocation funds to tenants living in rental units that are below the standards of habitability and likely to be able to recover relocation funds from their landlord, which will reimburse the fund.  The City is also authorized to disburse monies from the Legal Services and Relocation Fund to landlords to assist with tenant removal or relocation.  The attorney described in Section A shall establish an application, review, and appeals process for the relocation fund program.
  1. Minimum program requirements:
  1. A program that focuses on pursuing legal remedies for rental housing units that clearly fall below standard of habitability defined in the Spokane Municipal Code and/or violate the RLTA in consultation with Code Enforcement.
  1. A program that provides prompt relocation funds from City directly to the tenant once it appears to the attorney described in Section A that a landlord is more likely than not to be held liable under state law and then collects from the landlord and any settlement funds as first priority a reimbursement to the relocation funds advanced and any attorney fees that could be used to fund the attorney positions in the future.
  1. A program that builds increased capacity for these services, including education and outreach.
  1. Services provided under this section may only be provided to individuals from households with incomes less than 400% of the federal poverty level.

Date Passed: Monday, March 27, 2023

Effective Date: Wednesday, April 26, 2023

ORD C36366 Section 1