Renters say "junk fees" create real harm
Imagine you are renting a property and your grass dies and gets brown (this is the Pacific Northwest, where, aside from some unseasonable August rain, it’s pretty dry all summer).
Then you get a note from your management company that letting that grass die violates the property’s rules and fines you $125. Then, on top of that, the company charges you an additional $125 for the trouble it took to put that note on your door.
These fines, so called “junk fees,” are allowed in Washington State.
A few cities like Seattle and Olympia have banned them. But those living outside areas with regulations can be subjected to a myriad of fines.
Renters claim it is a way to penalize them to the point of moving.
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Guests:
- Kelsey Turner, reporter at InvestigateWest
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Libby Denkmann
Host, Soundside
Libby Denkmann joined KUOW in December 2021 as the host of the midday show Soundside. She’s a native Pacific Northwesterner who grew up in Redmond, graduated from the University of Washington, and covered local news as a producer and reporter with KIRO Radio.
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Hans Anderson
Producer, Soundside
Hans Anderson is a producer on KUOW’s Soundside, where he covers a diverse range of topics from conflicts over how to use busy streets to how the open spaces of the Palouse inspire modern musical compositions. He primarily produces segments about politics, arts and transportation.
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