housing

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Caitlyn McKenney Discusses Her Seattle Times Op-Ed with Brandi Kruse

Discovery Institute Research Fellow Caitlyn McKenney appeared on [un]Divided with Brandi Kruse this week to discuss McKenney's op-ed in The Seattle Times, "Sensible WA Tenancy Laws Will Help Housing Stability." McKenney argues that nonsensical laws protecting tenants from eviction cause harm to housing stability. Watch McKenney and Kruse discuss. Read More ›
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Is Housing a Human Right?

The U.S. Constitution establishes life, liberty and property as unalienable rights but makes no room for a human right to the provision of housing. Read More ›
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The YIMBY Movement Faces Challenges on Both Sides of the Aisle

“Yes In My Backyard” — if the phrase has yet to enter your lexicon, the YIMBY movement is a growing cultural and political response to its predecessor, NIMBY (“Not In My Backyard”). As the nation faces a shortage of nearly 4 million homes, a pro-housing response is understandably on the rise. And while the YIMBY movement has garnered impressive traction on both sides of the political aisle — Harris and Trump have both vocalized pro-housing development sentiment — it is also not immune to criticism from both sides. Read More ›
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As Region Faces Shortage, Seattle Needs to Preserve its Existing Housing 

According to a 2024 report on housing production from Up For Growth, the metro area encompassing Seattle, Tacoma, and Bellevue is facing a shortage of 71,060 homes. That amounts to 4.2% of the region’s total housing stock. While the production of new homes is vital to closing the gap between supply and demand, so is the preservation of existing housing, especially affordable housing. A recent op-ed in the Seattle Times called on Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell to suspend the city’s winter eviction moratorium, a law that halts evictions for the nonpayment of rent from December through March every year. The article is authored by Sharon Lee, executive Director of the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI), and Emily Thompson, a partner at GMD Development. LIHI Read More ›

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A Majority of Americans Say They Favor Rent Caps, but the Results Say They Shouldn’t

According to a recent survey commissioned by Redfin Real Estate, the majority of U.S. residents are in favor of caps on rent increases. When presented with the statement, “there should be caps on the amount landlords are allowed to increase rent,” 82% of respondents agreed. This significant majority holds regardless of political party or homeownership, though Democrats and renters were about 7% more likely to favor rent caps than Republicans or homeowners. What are “rent caps”? A more familiar term for the government regulation of rent increases is “rent control.” According to the National Apartment Association (NAA), only seven states, in addition to the District of Columbia, have enacted rent control policies locally or statewide. Interestingly, an online poll from the NAA revealed that respondents living Read More ›

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Washington Law Unfairly Keeps Prior Evictions Off Tenant Screenings

When it comes to tenant’s rights laws, good intentions don’t always lead to good or fair outcomes. One example is a Washington State law that allows tenants to keep their eviction from being disclosed to future housing providers. The state allows an order of limited dissemination (OLD) to be filed for eviction cases to prevent housing providers from denying tenants due to a previous eviction. Read More ›