Seattle landlords give discounts to tech workers
SEATTLE – Seattle's Office of Civil Rights says it will research "Preferred Employee Specials" offered by some of the city's apartment buildings to potential tenants who work at big tech companies to determine if these specials discriminate.
Apartment placement experts told KING 5 TV-Seattle the specials normally include discounting deposits and fees and vary widely depending on the community.
Luna Sol apartments in Kirkland, Wash., has a Craigslist ad that spells it out. It says Google and Microsoft workers, as well as those who work for some other local employers, can get deposits and fees cut in half.
Other buildings are a bit more cryptic. Aperture on Fifth in downtown Seattle has a listing that only tells applicants to ask about preferred employer specials.
Dorothy Ennes of Coldwell Banker Bain said her company does not use the specials, and one reason is because it could be considered a gray-area when it comes to fair housing practices.
"That's how you make sure you're not discriminating, is that you're doing exactly the same thing for every single tenant, so I prefer not to go down that road," she said.
Ennes explained the practice is fairly common at larger apartment buildings who are looking to draw in a particular applicant. Tech workers are sought because of their high, steady income and the perception that they're often working.
Representatives for Luna Sol and Aperture on Fifth both say these employee specials constitute a standard marketing practice and deny there is any discrimination going on. They also say the specials extend beyond tech companies to other large, local employers.