1. accountability for lawbreakers
We are replacing a system that ties the hands of City enforcement staff with one focused on standardizing enforcement, holding lawbreakers accountable, and making tenants whole.
Ending Mandated Mediation: Even for the limited protections the City does formally enforce, the current Rental Housing Code mandates that staff "shall attempt to settle by agreement any alleged violation." This focus on settlement over accountability has resulted in just one fine issued to one landlord since July 2023.
Creating a Real Deterrent: When a landlord only complies after being "asked," there is no deterrent against future violations and no restitution for the tenant. SAFE Homes for All mandates investigations and fines for confirmed violations—ranging from $500 to five times the monthly rent—which are transferred directly to the impacted tenants.
2. The right to organize
Our movement is already winning, with a growing number of tenant unions now active in Tacoma. However, tenant organizers face retaliation and landlords who refuse to even meet with them. This initiative provides the legal tools to end that stonewalling:
The Right to Organize: Formally protects the right of neighbors to form unions, meet in common areas, and distribute information without fear of retaliation.
Mandated Good-Faith Bargaining: Once a union represents 50% of occupied units, landlords are legally required to meet with tenants (4x a year) and bargain in good faith over lease agreements and living conditions.
3. education & transparency
Proactive Education: The initiative funds training for both landlords and tenants, with special support for small landlords to ensure they have the tools to stay in compliance.
Public Data System: The City will establish a searchable database of landlords with all evictions, violations, and rent increases so that policy makers and tenants can make informed decisions.
4. protecting public funds
This initiative ensures that large corporate slumlords—not Tacoma taxpayers—pay the lion's share of enforcement costs.
Cost-Recovery Fees on Repeat Offenders: Large for-profit landlords with 6 or more violations within 36 months will pay cost-recovery fees when found in violation. Small landlords will rarely cross this threshold and non-profits are exempted, ensuring that large, lawless operations pay for the enforcement program.
Tiered Licensing Fee: A per-unit rental license fee on for-profit landlords will fund most of the enforcement program. Annual fees will be tiered so that repeat offenders and large corporate landlords pay more to cover the enforcement burden they create.