State and Local Advocacy
The collective voice - protecting your business and the industry at large
WMFHA’s Government Affairs team and Government Affairs Committee's roles are to be aware of any legal or political trends, policies, bills or ordinances which might affect the multifamily industry, and advocate in support of or opposition to any policies that impact our members.
We protect multifamily housing by:
- Supporting local, state and federal public officials who understand the value and importance of the multifamily industry
- Building relationships with all public officials and like-minded groups
- Educating public officials about the rental housing industry
- Teaching members through educational seminars of changes to residential-landlord tenant laws
Through our collective work we've:
- With like-minded groups, we defeated a capital gains tax in Olympia
- Created incentives to protect property rights and financial interests in compromise with source of income protections
- Preserved the ability to charge additional rent for keeping a pet in Seattle
- Maintained the holding fee in Seattle
- Built partnerships across a broad spectrum of groups to build strength in our voice and ensure we are heard loud and clear
- Monitored all state legislative bills and local policy proposals to protect our members from legislation harmful to the multifamily industry
- Identified on-going opportunities to highlight our members' efforts in giving back to local communities
- Participate on stakeholder groups and task forces to ensure our voice is heard.