SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane City Council voted in favor of an ordinance limiting the ability of landlords not registered with the city and who do not have a business license from raising rent or evicting their tenants.
Last year, City Council voted on an ordinance requiring landlords to obtain a business license and register with the city if they are renting out of Spokane. At Monday night's meeting, City Council voted on restricting any rent increases or evictions for landlords who still are not registered.
The vote passed 5-2 in favor of the ordinance. Michael Cathcart and Jonathan Bingle, who were present at Monday night's meeting virtually, voted against the ordinance.
Sean Flynn with the Rental Housing Association of Washington attended Monday night's meeting, expressing his opposition to the ordinance.
"The city can expect a lawsuit from our organization," Flynn said.
Flynn said the lawsuit would be filed against the City Council sooner rather than later.
Flynn said the organization sent a letter to Mayor Lisa Brown, the city attorney and city council with no response, detailing why the ordinance should not be approved.
"We have an RCW in the state that tells us how local municipalities should institute registration programs, and that law controls anything that the state, city or county attempts to do unless it was grandfathered in," Flynn said. "Spokane was not grandfathered in."
Councilwoman Kitty Klitzke voted in favor of the ordinance, saying not registering with the City at this point is unacceptable.
"This isn't a huge barrier," Klitzke said. "This isn't an insurmountable barrier. And if you want to run a good business, you should participate in the rules."
Flynn said the added ordinance voted on Monday will hurt small housing providers, such as those who rent out duplexes.
"As you make the regulatory environment more and more difficult, your average Mom and Pop housing provider can't stand and so what they end up doing is they end up selling it," Flynn said.
Flynn said the RHA represents roughly 6,000 members statewide, 800 of which live in Spokane.