A Tacoma renter is suing her landlord over allegations that they have ignored tenant protections for years.
Melody Frazier has lived at Westside Estates in Tacoma’s West End since 2017. In a lawsuit filed Tuesday, she alleged that the property owner had repeatedly broken the law with illegal rent hikes, hazardous living conditions and retaliation.
“This isn’t just about one tenant or one apartment,” Frazier said during a news conference outside the Pierce County District Court on Tuesday. “It is about a system that allows landlords to neglect their responsibilities and leaves tenants with too few protections and few options.”
Westside Estates did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent Tuesday.
The lawsuit is the latest development in an ongoing struggle over tenant protections in Tacoma.
North Pearl Street LP, the property owner targeted in the complaint, is also involved in a lawsuit against the City of Tacoma, arguing that the city’s Landlord Fairness Code is unconstitutional.
Housing advocates with Tacoma For All helped pass the Landlord Fairness Code in 2023. The initiative created new protections for renters, but there is no requirement that the city proactively enforce them, and activists say compliance has been spotty.
Tacoma For All is now pushing a new initiative called SAFE Homes For All for the November ballot that would strengthen the law and make the city responsible for going after noncompliant landlords.
Organizers with Tacoma For All spoke alongside Frazier at the press conference. They argued that the alleged issues at Westside Estates highlight why the new ballot measure is necessary.
“When a wealthy corporate landlord breaks the law, the city does virtually nothing,” Tacoma For All Director Tyron Moore said. "The city’s current hands-off approach forces low-income, disabled and working-class families to hire private attorneys and spend months in court just to get working heat or to stop and reverse an illegal rent hike. Most tenants simply don't have the resources to do that."
Frazier is being represented by Nexus Legal Counsel. The firm is working on contingency and not charging an upfront fee, said Ann Dorn, Frazier’s attorney.
It is hard to find lawyers willing to take on such cases, Moore said.
“It has not yet proven to be a money-making enterprise for attorneys to take up these kinds of tenant cases,” Moore said. “Nexus Legal Counsel, in many, many ways, is doing this out of a conviction.”
Frazier's 20-page complaint contains a number of specific allegations spanning a period of several years. It alleges that Frazier suffered from lung scarring because of untreated mold and toxic chemicals in her apartment. It also alleges that Westside Estates gave Frazier illegal rent increases; failed to provide relocation assistance required by law; and retaliated with threats of eviction when she spoke out about unsafe conditions to other tenants and the media.
“When you are already struggling to make ends meet, dealing with housing problems creates even more stress, you shouldn’t have to worry about what will happen when you speak up about conditions in your home,” Frazier said.
Frazier’s complaint said if she was successful, the full amount of damages she is seeking will be determined in court.
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