Seattle City Council delays vote to ban algorithmic rent fixing software
Seattle city council delays vote on 'RealPage' rent setting software
Seattle City Council delayed a vote to ban software that allegedly helps landlords artificially raise rents, drawing debate among council members. FOX 13's Nia Wong reports on the proposed legislation and why its vote was postponed.
SEATTLE - The Seattle City Council has decided to delay their vote on algorithmic rent-fixing software.
The backstory:
Ordinance CB 121000 would ban software that allegedly lets landlords and property management companies share public and private data among each other to artificially raise rents and add civil penalties to those who violate this legislation.
The legislation proposed by Councilmember Cathy Moore passed out of the Housing and Human Services Committee last week, and a full council vote on the bill was on the agenda for Tuesday's meeting.
Commercial real estate and housing organizations spoke during public comment, saying they were concerned about how fast CB 121000 passed out of the committee meeting and that there was a lack of outreach to landlords and property management companies.
Seattle rent 30% above national average, among the priciest in US, report says
A new report shows rent in Seattle is up over the past year, pushing affordability out of reach for many renters without a six-figure income.
Moore says the bill was "vetted by the law" and is largely based on a statewide bill that failed to pass in this last legislative session.
The council ultimately voted to delay the vote on CB 121000 to their next meeting on June 24.
The Source: Information in this story came from the Seattle City Council and FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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