Vancouver considers new registration fees, inspection program to ‘preserve’ housing

PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) — Vancouver leaders are considering landlord rental fees and an inspection program, in hopes of boosting and maintaining housing in the city.

At a Vancouver City Council workshop on Monday, Housing Programs Manager Samantha Whitley said officials have engaged in these discussions since at least 2016 — when the Affordable Housing Task Force determined the city should preserve existing housing by inspecting rentals every year.

Since then, Washington lawmakers have approved several measures that addressed the tenant-landlord relationship. For example, a law that went into effect in 2023 gave tenants an additional five days to find rental assistance after being at risk of eviction.

Vancouver has contemplated enacting its own policies aimed at increasing habitability in the area. From April to September of this year, an advisory group including landlords, tenants, property management companies and homeless service providers developed a proposal for the cause.

“We’re looking for better data on our housing stock and then we’re looking to preserve the existing housing where it’s affordable or market rate,” Whitley said at the City Council workshop. “We want as much rental housing to be preserved going forward and we want tenants to live in safe and healthy units.”

The proposal would require landlords to register for a Special Rental Housing License, in addition to the city business license that is already required.

The register would contain information on the year a property was built, the owner’s contact information and more. This would not be required for certain properties like short-term rentals, emergency shelters or owner-occupied single-family housing.

The advisory group determined the registration fee would cost $30 per unit each year, with the potential for the fee to be waived if landlords register within 90 days after the program’s launch.

According to Whitley, the proposed amount is lower than fees for similar programs in other cities. She said Seattle’s fee is $110 per property, plus $20 per unit in the property.

Vancouver’s program would also require inspections, adhering to the Housing and Urban Development’s Housing Quality Standards.

Newly-constructed units would need private inspections five years after occupancy, while units less than 50 years old would be looked at every four years if they passed a previous inspection. Units more than 50 years old, or those that previously failed an inspection, would be reviewed every three years.

The proposal also entails relocation assistance funds that would benefit tenants who are forced to leave units deemed as uninhabitable.

Vancouver City Council is expected to spend the final quarter of the year reviewing the program. If approved, registration could open in 2026.

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