This vacant 19th Ave house cited for squatting issues burned in 2021 (Image: CHS)
Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office is proposing new legislation that would crack down on owners and developers who let vacant buildings become problem properties that attract squatters and vandalism as they sit empty waiting for demolition and development.
The new legislation would strengthen the standards for securing vacant buildings by requiring solid core doors, stronger throw deadbolts, and, in some cases, polycarbonate sheets rather than plywood, according to an announcement of the proposal from the Harrell administration.
It would also be tougher on property owners when a problem comes up, requiring any building that receives a notice of violation to enter the costly vacant building monitoring program, rather than just those buildings that fail to correct a notice of violation by the compliance deadline. The police and fire departments would also have an easier time referring a building to the monitoring program under the new proposal.
CHS reported here five years ago on the city’s struggles with problem vacant buildings and possible avenues for addressing the problems including ideas for temporary housing.
The Harrell administration proposal doesn’t delve into anything like that but it does propose also cracking down on some pet peeve issues of the administration including requiring vacant buildings to be kept free of graffiti.
It would also add more financial teeth to the program by authorizing the Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections to file a property lien to collect unpaid vacant building monitoring fees and abatement costs.
Under the monitoring program, the city has increased fees and frequency of required inspections to try to push landlords to take better care of emptied buildings.
The Seattle Fire Department has responded to 29 vacant building fires so far this year, the city says.
The administration’s proposal will now move to the Seattle City Council for debate.
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The City should insist buildings like the one pictured here be torn down .. they are dangerous nuisance properties. The house pictured here has been vacant a very long time, at least since 1998. It was a nuisance long before the fire
This is a sensible proposal that will mitigate that will mitigate the problems of squatting, vandalism, grafffiti, fires, etc.
But what about the properties where buildings have been demolished, but there is no re-development for many months/years? There are several of these on Capitol Hill, such as the multi-property one on 12th Ave E. I think there should be a deadline, beginning after demolition, that mandates re-development start after a certain period of time.
what if we cracked down on the squatters who turn the vacant buildings into problem properties?
Because an in use commercial venue basically alleviates any need to crack down on anyone. Any more stumpers?
This is good, but I feel like we’re solving the wrong problem… if buildings are being abandoned or left in disrepair by their owners (probably waiting for a big offer to sell and knock it down), that’s a huge problem in a city where every square foot of property is at a premium. If a building is empty for 6 months we don’t need stronger doors on it, the landlord should be paying a vacancy tax that encourages them to rent it out at a decent price or sell it to someone who will.
Yes, so many landlords leave habitable buildings vacant so they can pay taxes, insurance, and other expenses while watching them get occupied and burned down by trespassing squatters. Seems like an obvious plan for bankruptcy.
Your theoretical understanding of CRE at the margins is all sorts of wrong as evidenced by the derelict buildings that are not being sold to cover liquidation.