
Amazon and Microsoft workers: No more special rental deals for you in Seattle - ljk
http://www.geekwire.com/2016/sorry-amazon-microsoft-workers-no-special-rental-deals-seattle/
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belovedeagle
_If_ you buy the argument that "tech worker" is a proxy for "white male"[0]
then this amounts to the city _requiring_ housing discrimination by landlords:
Combined, Seattle ordinances require that landlords offer benefits to certain
minorities and now require that equivalent benefits _not_ be offered to
certain non[-visible]-minorities. This does absolutely nothing to actually
solve the housing crisis, which is the _only_ way non-tech-workers won't be
priced out to the detriment of us all.

[0] I'm not sure I do, since of the top 10 of my coworkers according to the
frequency of our interaction, only one is a non-Hispanic white male, and you
have to go to my lead's lead's lead's lead to find the first of only two white
males in my management chain.

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x1798DE
Why would a landlord even want to offer this deal? Are they getting a kickback
from the companies involved or something?

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hirsin
Better tenants. And there is competition for high-income tenants, particularly
areas like Capitol Hill which are gentrified. Most people don't want to pay
$2,100 a month for a 1bd, but the ones who do are worth getting in the door
and generally work for tech companies.

Example - I didn't have to pay a security deposit for my last place due to
working at Microsoft. It didn't really impact my decision to live there, but
it might have if there was competition in their price range.

