OLYMPIA – Rep. Brady Walkinshaw (D-Seattle) introduced the Fair Tenant Screening Act as one of his first bills of the 2015 legislative session. The bill aims to ease the financial burden on renters by making the tenant screening process more efficient and affordable.
The Fair Tenant Screening Act establishes a system that allows renters to purchase a single comprehensive tenant screening report that can be used for multiple housing applications within a 30-day period.
Currently landlords are allowed to charge for each tenant screening report, which often contain the same information. Walkinshaw’s bill would ensure renters are only charged once for a screening report (within a 30-day period), which would be available to all potential landlords. By ensuring that tenants have access to portable reports, the legislation builds on many examples in other sectors where portability creates positive long-term results for consumers.
“Housing is a basic human need,” said Walkinshaw. “As lawmakers, it’s our jobs to ensure fairness and equality when it comes to basic human needs. There are also many examples from other sectors, from consumer electronics to human services, where ensuring portability is good for consumers.”
“These kinds of repeated housing fees are another example of the growing economic inequality,” said Walkinshaw. “Tenant report fees can cost families hundreds of dollars each year. The Fair Tenant Screening Act is a reasonable response that will reduce a financial burden on many low-income and middle-class families.“
The legislation would go into effect in November of 2016, giving tenants, landlords, and reporting vendor enough time to adjust to the new rules.
The legislation also does not interfere with the ability of landlords to seek additional reporting information, but these costs above and beyond the portable report could not be passed on to consumers.
The bill will likely be referred to the House Judiciary committee.