Comments on City's Tenant Assistance Plan Misses the Target

I bet the paper work for this program is a nightmare.

Man does Seattle need some heftier renters' protections. The city shouldn't have to be shelling out for this. If property owners want tenants out in order to convert their units, it should be buying them off. THAT is the market taking care of itself, not letting developers clean house and leaving the city to scramble to assist the displaced.

Jonah - if the city's long-standing law requiring *owners* to pay $500 to low income people displaced by conversion was working properly then Solid Ground would be able to simply get the names of all income-elibible tenants from DPD.

http://web1.seattle.gov/DPD/CAMs/CamDetail.aspx?cn=602

You've perhaps revealed that it is not only the *City's* new money that isn't getting to income-eligible renters, but perhaps DPD isn't enforcing this long-standing owner obligation to pay either. Perhaps this is happening on a much greater scale than you and I thought might be happening before.

I have a really hard time accepting that there weren't any income-eligible renters in any of these buildings. (one person earning $3500/month) In any event, DPD should be able to demonstrate whether or not the property-owners in these 11 buildings informed their renters of their rights to $500 from the landlord as required by law.