SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- Washington state on the U.S. west coast is considering banning rent discrimination based on the source of income, a report said Monday.
The Seattle Times said the state's lawmakers have brought forward bills that will prohibit landlords from rejecting housing tenants based on the source of their income.
Senate Bill 5407, which passed the Senate on Friday, would forbid landlords from turning down potential or current tenants who depend on alternative sources of income and benefits such as Social Security, veteran benefits and Section 8 housing vouchers.
A study conducted by a former University of Washington researcher in 2016 found that discrimination based on source of income was rampant across the country, the report said.
The bill, if awarded final approval, would make Washington one of 12 states that ban similar discrimination based on source of income.
Washington will also establish a fund to reimburse property owners for a maximum of 1,000 U.S. dollars to make up for damages that may be caused by tenants and for up to 14 days of rental losses.
The fund, which would make Washington the first state to set up a financial-loss mitigation mechanism, would be supported by about 1.5 million dollars raised annually from a three-dollar recording charge on real estate documents.
