Tacoma WA, new regulations similar to Seattle for landlords

[Jack B.]

Glad I sold mine after they started requiring licensing and a percentage of your income....

https://www.cityoftacoma.org/in_the_news/in_the_news_archive/tacoma_city_council_approves_new_rental_housing_co

[Brian Hughes]

All people regardless of income need an affordable place to live -  That's fine.   However,  laws like requiring installment payments are one example of many policy proposals either implemented in some jurisdictions, or being pushed that put that responsibility and additional risk to provide the housing onto a small group of people - landlords like us.   If housing is a 'right' as you are implying then its a societal responsibility to pay for it - not just one subset of people's responsibility.

Farmers and grocers aren't required to take installment payments if someone is having trouble paying,  Neither are doctors and nurses required to provide their services under such terms.   In both cases there are programs like SNAP and Medicaid that pay actual or (generally) reasonable costs for those services.   

In our domain there is programs like section 8 - which we all know is grossly underfunded relative to the need,  and has other problems that make it a much less appealing program to cooperate with than it could be.   Some reforms and a little more budget there could do a lot more for the people at the bottom of the economic ladder I suspect.

That said,   I should also ask this question:   If somebody can't come up with say 2 months rent worth of move in costs (the first month and an equal deposit lets say) up front, but can pay it over 3 equal installments,   why could they not save those funds ahead of time?   If they could save at even half that rate for a year,  they would have double the needed funds.  That would put an emergency fund in place that could be used for a variety of purposes,  including but not limited to move in costs for replacement housing.