TPCAR Urges Tacoma Voters to Reject Measure 1

The Tacoma-Pierce County Association of REALTORS® (TPCAR) urges Tacoma voters to vote NO on Initiative Measure 1 in the November 3 election. While promoted as a measure to improve rental housing safety, the proposal would impose costly new regulations, expand government bureaucracy, and threaten the availability of affordable rental housing in Tacoma.

Tacoma already has extensive rental housing regulations, including the controversial landlord-tenant protections narrowly approved by voters in 2023. Those policies have created significant challenges for housing providers, prompting some to sell their properties or reconsider investing in Tacoma. Rather than addressing these unintended consequences, the new Measure 1 would add another layer of regulatory complexity and financial burden.

Tacoma City Manager Hyun Kim estimates that implementing the initiative could cost $8 million to $10 million, annually, at a time when Tacoma already faces a budget shortfall of $40 million. The proposal would establish a new rental licensing program funded through per-unit fees, expand enforcement and complaint procedures, create a public landlord database, and impose additional compliance requirements and substantial financial penalties.

These costs do not simply disappear. They ultimately affect the financial viability of rental housing, potentially resulting in higher rents, deferred investment, and fewer available homes.

Even the Tacoma/Pierce County Affordable Housing Consortium has raised serious concerns about the initiative’s potential impacts on affordable housing providers and the city’s finances. These concerns underscore that Measure 1 risks undermining the housing affordability goals its supporters claim to advance.

Tacoma cannot regulate its way out of a housing shortage. Housing providers, particularly smaller, locally owned operations, already face rising property taxes, insurance premiums, maintenance expenses, and regulatory obligations. Adding more costs and uncertainty creates further incentives to sell rental properties, reduce investment, or direct future housing investment elsewhere.

TPCAR strongly supports safe, well-maintained housing and reasonable protections for renters. However, effective housing policy must recognize that rental housing requires sustained private and nonprofit investment. Policies that make providing housing increasingly expensive and difficult ultimately hurt the very residents they are intended to protect. Tacoma needs practical solutions that preserve existing rental housing, encourage new development, and improve affordability. Measure 1 does none of those things.

On November 3, TPCAR encourages Tacoma voters to vote NO on Measure 1.