For one thing, it’s likely to be more dangerous. Some landlords maintain their buildings. Others don’t. Some do a good job. Others, not so much. Landlords have a large population of student renters — transients on a two- to three-year cycle — so there is little incentive to provide quality housing, although some do. Inspection by the city would provide an incentive.
Without licensing, building repair depends entirely on landlord good will. Instead of mandatory inspection, our “complaint-driven” system assumes renters report unfixed problems to the city. But many renters don’t even bother to complain to the landlord. They just move, hoping for a better place.
Are rentals generally safe? Without inspection, rentals deteriorate, becoming increasingly dangerous, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Spot inspections in various cities verify this: many rentals are cited for code violations, some dangerous. A survey of renter experiences in Bellingham is at: neighborsforsaferentals.blogspot.com.
Rental licensing is not about crowding. That’s a (density) zoning issue. Nor is it about nuisance behavior. That’s an issue for the police. Rental licensing is about holding landlords accountable for the safety of their buildings.
A license protects the public from the inept or ethically challenged. Buildings passing inspection should be a condition of a landlord keeping a rental license, as is done in Seattle. Bellingham has no ordinance largely because rental owners stubbornly oppose inspection and licensing. Their lobbyist denies  there is a problem.
A transient population, a housing shortage and lack of regulation: these three things conspire to promote predatory business practices. Renters face a devil’s bargain: deteriorated buildings that are obviously unsafe, yet are affordable and available. As rentals fill up, somebody is going to rent these places because there will be no other choice.
Fire traps and slumlords are the rental industry’s dirty little secret. In the York District, there have been three rental fires in less than a year. None were fatal, but it’s only a matter of time. Students are captive customers of the rental industry and deserve housing that is “certified safe.” Support rental licensing by contacting the Bellingham City Council. One email reaches every council member: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it