OFFICIAL ACTION #2 for Tuesday, September 9th, 2025
CORRECTION: Links Added
On Wednesday, September 10, Seattle City Council’s Housing and Human Services Committee will vote on damaging updates to Seattle’s Multifamily Tax Exemption (MFTE) program that would make it much more expensive for low- and moderate-income Seattle renters. The MFTE program provides a tax break to apartment developers who set aside a portion of apartments for low- or moderate-income households, and it needs big changes before it passes so it can deliver truly affordable homes.
ACTION:
Please join us in speaking up for a better MFTE program that is more affordable for low-income renters:
1. Sign on to this open letter (as an individual) before Tuesday, September 9th at 2pm. We will send it to Mayor Bruce Harrell and Seattle City Councilmembers before the committee meeting on the 10th.
2. Consider giving public comment at the September 10th Housing and Human Services Committee Meeting at 9:30 am, especially if you have rented an MFTE apartment before. You can sign up here for remote public comment starting 1 hour before the meeting. You can use the sign on letter to help you write your talking points, and you can always email Hali for help.
BACKGROUND:
Compared to the current MFTE program (P6) the new proposal (called P7) would:
• Allow landlords to charge significantly higher rents for MFTE apartments, making them close to market rate for many unit types
• Lift the 4.5% rent cap that MFTE tenants currently have that protects them from rent hikes, up to a maximum of 10% for new MFTE tenants. That means tenants could see their monthly rent increase by hundreds of dollars from year to year.
• Unlike any previous version of MFTE, P7 has no end date, so it could continue in perpetuity
• This program costs the city about $20 million annually in lost tax revenue from apartment developers, AND shifts taxes to other taxpayers.
Please forward this email to other people you know who live, work, or play in Seattle so they have a chance to speak up, too!”
Google Docs
MFTE Open Letter.docx
An open letter to Seattle residents and elected officials regarding housing affordability and proposed MFTE update. Seattle needs greater housing affordability. We deserve much better than the MFTE P7 proposal. Reject P7, Renew P6, and Rethink MFTE. Seattle is in the process of updating our cit…
https://seattlekingcountycoalitiononhomelessness.cmail20.com/t/y-l-qihex-hlhhmiryu-j/
Public Comment – Council | seattle.gov
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