BILL REQ. #:  S-1995.2 

READ FIRST TIME 02/25/09.   

     AN ACT Relating to crime-free rental housing; adding a new section to chapter 35.21 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds that local governments, landlords, and tenants working together to provide crime-free rental housing is beneficial to the public health, safety, and welfare. The intent of this act is to provide certain requirements that a local government must follow in adopting a crime-free rental housing program.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 35.21 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) A city, town, or county may adopt and implement a local government crime-free rental housing program designed to reduce crime, drugs, and gangs on rental properties in accordance with this section.
     (2) A crime-free rental housing program must be voluntary and may include:
     (a) Landlord training to educate property owners and managers in the basics of crime prevention on rental premises;
     (b) Crime prevention through environmental design assessment to identify crime hazards and ways to improve the safety of the premises; or
     (c) Commitments to implement and maintain crime-free activities, such as proper screening of tenants, use of a crime-free addendum in rental agreements, neighborhood education, and maintaining open communication with law enforcement.
     (3) A crime-free rental housing program may not:
     (a) Prohibit a landlord from hiring or renting to individuals with criminal backgrounds;
     (b) Condition a business license or any other prerequirement to owning or operating rental housing in the city, town, or county on participation in the program; or
     (c) Except as provided in subsection (4) of this section, charge additional or separate fees to a landlord who does not participate in the program, including fees for providing law enforcement services to a landlord's rental property.
     (4) A city, town, or county may waive all or part of the cost of a landlord's business license or rental registration fee in exchange for participation in the program so long as the fee does not exceed the amount of a standard business license in the jurisdiction.
     (5) This section does not prevent a city, town, or county from charging a fee for participation in a crime-free rental housing program.
     (6) This section does not affect a city, town, or county's authority to enforce existing law in regard to rental housing, except in regard to a crime-free rental housing program.
     (7) As used in this section, "rental housing" means any tenancy subject to chapter 59.12, 59.18, or 59.20 RCW.