Bellingham creating special panel to address landlord-tenant relations
Bellingham is seeking local residents to be part of a short-term panel on landlord-tenant relations, hoping to promote understanding between the two groups and possibly help shape future policy.
City Council members voted unanimously to create such a “work group” Monday night and discussed it in a committee meeting earlier that day. A work group differs from a permanent advisory board because it has a limited scope and length of service.
“A lot of our conversation this afternoon was about our hopes for the makeup of this work group and that we get some representative and diverse folks to apply to be on the work group,” Council President Hollie Huthman told the Planning Committee. “The more people that are interested in this work group, the more people that apply, the richer this work group will be.”
Mayor Kim Lund said that she hopes that the work group can help ease tensions and foster understanding.
“We’re trying to acknowledge where we are falling short, how we can make actionable improvements that are leading to better outcomes for renters in our community right now,” Lund said. “Let’s acknowledge that we’re having groups that have some natural friction coming together to advise the city. Let’s build trust and build on that to go bigger in the future.”
Some 56% of Bellingham residents are renters and 22,578 rental units are registered under the city’s rental inspection program, according to a resolution that creates the landlord-tenant group.
The panel will “address a range of issues including, but not limited to, rental affordability, availability, stability, regulatory complexity, and increasing costs to landlords,” according to the resolution.
It will have nine to 13 members, including at least four residents who are tenants, at least three residents who are landlords or rental property managers, at least one person in “building/construction trades and/or inspections, non-profit housing, tenant advocacy, conflict resolution, community engagement, or related experience” and at least one person with “legal experience and training in tenant rights, landlord-tenant laws, housing, human rights, civil liberties, or similar fields,” according to the resolution.
Among the renters, preference will be given to applicants who are “income-constrained, are students renting off-campus housing; represent vulnerable communities, or have other experiences that reflect the diverse demographics of Bellingham’s renters,” according to the resolution.
The term income constrained means someone who is spending 30% or more of their pay on rent. About half of Bellingham renters are in the situation, Blake Lyon, Planning and Community Development director, told the council.
Lund will appoint the members and send them to the City Council for consideration by September. The panel’s first meeting is set for Sept. 15. The work group will present a final report and recommendations to the mayor and City Council by the end of 2027, when it will disband. Meetings are tentatively set for 6-8 p.m. on the third Tuesday of the month at City Hall.
To apply, go online to the city’s web page for boards and commissions, then scroll down and select the “apply online” option.
