News from former Councilmember Randy Corman, your Renton City Hall insider. (All views expressed in journal entries are Randy Corman's personal views, and not the official position of the City of Renton or other city employees. Views expressed in reader comments are those of the commenter)

Daily archives for March 14th, 2023

Renton landlord describes how slow eviction process led to murder and fire at his rental home

Mar14
2023 Written by Randy Corman

 

Photo by KOMO News

 

Yesterday I covered a recent vote by Renton City Council regarding the best way to provide reasonable financial protections for renters to help keep them in their homes when possible.  Today’s story serves as a reminder that not all evictions are about rent payments.

A Renton landlord with a home on Wells Ave in North Renton explained to KOMO news that he was trying to evict a tenant for a year and half who was generating complaints in his neighborhood.  After months of King County Superior Court and Sheriff’s delays, gunfire at the home killed one man and wounded another.  The murder led the Sheriff’s office to finally complete the eviction, but then fire destroyed the home.

Just like tenants sometimes need protection from predatory landlords,  landlords also need to be able to reasonably evict challenging tenants before a dysfunctional rental situation spirals into bloodshed.  It’s important to keep this in mind as local Council Members for jurisdictions like Renton and King County blunder into the complex minefield of writing their own landlord-tenant laws.

Here is the story on KOMO news.

 

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About the author

Hi, I’m Randy Corman. Welcome to my blog!  I served on Renton City Council for 28 years, 1994-2021, with six years as Renton Council President.  I’m also a mechanical engineer and manager, and worked for the Boeing Company for 33 years, from 1984- 2017.  My wife and I have five kids and five grandkids, and we all live in Renton.  I’ve kept this blog for 17 years, and get thousands of readers each month. Please share your feedback, ideas, and opinions in the comments.

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