Title
A MOTION requesting the executive to develop a rental housing report.
Body
WHEREAS, the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University has stated that a large and growing share of United States households cannot find housing that they can afford, and
WHEREAS, King County established the regional affordable housing task force in 2017 through Motion 14873 with the charge to develop a recommended countywide affordable housing strategy, and
WHEREAS, the regional affordable housing task force's 2018 five-year action plan states that renters are twice as likely to be severely cost burdened compared to homeowners and includes a strategy to propose and support legislation and statewide policies related to tenant protection to ease implementation and provide consistency for landlords, and
WHEREAS, the April 2022 Seattle Rent Report performed by Apartment List found that rental prices in several cities within King County increased by 14.8 percent to 20.9 percent compared to April 2021, and
WHEREAS, the regional affordable housing task force's 2018 five-year action plan was accepted by the council with Motion 15372, and
WHEREAS, King County established just cause provisions and additional tenant protections in June 2021 through Ordinance 19311, and
WHEREAS, the council is committed to finding solutions to the lack of availability and affordability of rental housing options in unincorporated King County;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the Council of King County:
A. The council requests that the executive create a rental housing report to identify rental housing stock and trends in unincorporated King County. The report should focus on private market dwelling units available for rent and should include at least the following:
1. An identification on the number of dwelling units currently utilized for rental housing;
2. A calculation on the average rental cost of a dwelling unit in each subarea geography or community service area in unincorpor...
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