Renter Melody Frazier stood in front of the Pierce County District Courthouse this week, taking a step few tenants reach: suing her landlord.
The suit, which alleges substandard conditions, illegal rent hikes and retaliation at her Tacoma apartment building, will wind its way through the usual court process, but Frazier and local tenant advocates say it also represents a bigger need in Tacoma.
“I have learned that this isn’t just about one tenant or one apartment,” Frazier said. “It is about a system that allows landlords to neglect their responsibilities and leaves tenants with too few protections.”…