The debate over help for renters and landlords during the pandemic is likely to spill into the 2021 legislative session in Olympia, even with the extension of the eviction moratorium and more federal help.
Gov. Jay Inslee on Thursday officially extended the state's rental eviction moratorium through the end of March, with new supports for landlords and property owners. The moratorium prevents landlords from evicting tenants for failure to pay rent during the pandemic. It also requires tenants to pay back any past rent once it lapses. It mirrors a federal eviction moratorium that was extended through Jan. 31 as part of the federal COVID-19 relief package.
Several Yakima Valley lawmakers expressed concern over the long-term impact of the policy during a virtual Greater Yakima Chamber of Commerce meeting on Wednesday.
State Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, said for those who have not paid rent in several months, there will be thousands of dollars of back payments owed when the moratorium lifts that renters will be unable to afford.
Sen. Jim Honeyford, R-Sunnyside, agreed, saying he worries renters will move out, leaving landlords without payment.
State Reps. Gina Mosbrucker and Jeremie Dufault — who is a landlord himself — said the moratorium left landlords paying or defaulting on mortgages without the same government moratorium to help them. They both suggested that a better policy would be to provide rental vouchers to individuals who proved that they lacked a job or income, providing payment to landlords and ensuring renters weren't left with overwhelming repayments.
"I think obviously when we get back into session we're going to have to look into what funding is available to do this. But I think we also need to rein in this moratorium," state Rep. Chris Corry echoed.
He said had lawmakers been involved, safeguards to require proof of inability to pay rent would have been put into place. He also said supports would have been created for landlords, to prevent them from defaulting on mortgages.
"We know a lot of people are falling behind," he said, adding that this could shrink the pool of affordable housing and hurt renters in the long run. "If you want to cause an economic crisis, you create this big default on mortgage payments."
More than 171,000 Washington renters are behind in rent.
The governor's proposed operating budget includes $17 million to support an anticipated increase in homeowners seeking foreclosure relief when moratoriums lapse.
Inslee's press secretary, Mike Faulk, also pointed to $100 million in rent assistance for low-income individuals at risk of homelessness distributed in late June directly to landlords statewide. Another $20 million was distributed in November and the governor's budget proposal asks lawmakers to approve another $100 million in rent assistance in the upcoming session.
He said he was not familiar with rent voucher proposals, so could not comment on the proposal. But he defended the governor's approach to maintaining stable housing.
"We have openly, repeatedly said that if you can pay your rent, you should pay it and that the debt has not been eliminated," he said.
Faulk also said when the White House and Republican-led U.S. Senate failed to sign a bill that would provide continued Pandemic Unemployment Assistance to Americans, Inslee's office stepped in to provide local support — a decision it maintained even after the federal government approved new assistance funds after the old plan lapsed.
"The fact that it's 2020 matters and the fact that it's a pandemic matters in these debates," he said. "These are unprecedented times that require support from the state. It requires support from the federal government, and the federal government has been extremely lacking in leadership, including getting funds to people to be able to actually pay their bills.
"People are on hard times through no fault of their own, and we think and have been encouraging the federal government for a long time now to get benefits into people's pockets who need it."
Reach Janelle Retka at jretka@yakimaherald.com or on Twitter: @janelleretka
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