Here’s what Bellingham will do as renter protections are set to expire
With statewide renter protections enacted in response to economic hardships caused by the new coronavirus pandemic set to expire Thursday, June 4, Bellingham officials are looking to Gov. Jay Inslee for guidance.
Mayor Seth Fleetwood will make a decision on further safeguards for renters next week, Janice Keller, city communications director, said Friday, May 29.
“We anticipate the governor will announce prior to June 4 whether he intends to extend these protections,” Keller told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
“While we are waiting to hear the governor’s plans, Mayor Fleetwood is considering whether a local eviction moratorium is appropriate.,” she said.
Under emergency proclamations issued in March and expanded in April, commercial and residential landlords can’t evict tenants for failing to pay rent.
Inslee’s orders also prohibits rent or deposit increases.
Landlords must offer renters a reasonable repayment plan, according to the governor’s proclamation.
Bellingham remains a tight market, with high rents and low vacancy rates,
Average Bellingham rent in April 2020 was $1,204, which is up 10.3% from 2019, according to Rent Jungle.
About 55% of Bellingham’s 93,010 residents are renters, according to information from Point2Homes.com and the U.S Census Bureau.
Unemployment claims have soared in Whatcom County since Inslee’s March 24 orders that closed all but essential businesses and set social-distancing guidelines in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Even so, many Bellingham renters were making payments on time, The Herald reported May 11.
