Housing Matters
The official Podcast for the Rental Housing Association of Washington hosted by RHAWA’s External Affairs Manager, Corey Hjalseth. This podcast will bring you conversations with local and state legislators and other industry professionals to bring you the most up to date information about the rental housing industry. Look for new episodes every two weeks.
Episodes

Oct 30, 2025
Oct 30, 2025
59 min
In the latest episode of Housing Matters hear from Burien Mayor and state representative candidate Kevin Schilling. We discuss a wide range of topics including European history, the importance of associations for communities, housing policy, helping people think about politics locally, and his time on the Burien City Council.

Sep 10, 2025
Sep 10, 2025
52 min
Join RHAWA for a discussion with Vancouver City Councilmember Sarah Fox as we cover all things housing in Vancouver including future housing plans, the Growth Management Act, and Vancouver's recently passed Rental Registration Ordinance.

Aug 18, 2025
Aug 18, 2025
40 min
Housing Matters sat down with District 26 Representative Michelle Caldier to talk about her district, which is 1 of only 3 districts in Washington with bipartisan representation, her ongoing campaign for the District 26 senate seat which will be decided in November, housing policy, and much more.

Jul 15, 2025
Jul 15, 2025
31 min
Housing Matters sits down with Washington State Congressman Adam Smith to discuss housing and defense items at the federal level, his thoughts on the detrimental impacts of rent control, AI regulations and some of their current uses for the military, and his divisive opponent for the upcoming November election. All that and more on the latest episode of Housing Matters.
NOTE: At the time of this recording the "Big Beautiful Bill" and the ban on algorithmic rent setting in Seattle had not passed. Both have now passed.

Jun 27, 2025
Jun 27, 2025
33 min
On this episode of Housing Matters, I spoke with Kristi Tripple the Vice President for Community Development for Rowley Properties. Rowley has been a staple of the Issaquah community for generations. In our conversation we discuss the changes in building timelines through the years, what are important considerations for building to encourage community gathering and development, and how the recent legislative session will affect the industry going forward.

Apr 7, 2025
Apr 7, 2025
32 min
Hear from Representative April Connors as we discuss the path of the rent control bill as it moved through the House of Representatives, other concerning tax and housing bills working through the legislature this year, and a brief discussion on the state budget proposal. All that and more in the latest episode of Housing Matters from RHAWA.

Feb 13, 2025
Feb 13, 2025
22 min
The CEO of Goodman Real Estate, George Petrie, and I discuss how rental housing policy in Seattle has impacted their affordable housing building The Addison. Also tune in for the most recent developments out of Olympia during the 2025 Legislative Session.

Jan 7, 2025
Jan 7, 2025
47 min
It's that time. Legislative Session 2025 is only a week away and I had the opportunity to sit down with Representative Andrew Barkis to unpack the election results, discuss some goals of the House Transportation Committee, and most definitely RHAWA's Legislative Agenda. We discuss various pieces of legislation that RHA and Rep. Barkis have been working on together since the end of last session.

Jul 17, 2024
Jul 17, 2024
30 min
In the latest episode of Housing Matters I spoke with George McCleary. A property developer mostly centered in Portland Oregon. George became a social media sensation after making a satire video showing just how easy it can be to squat long term in a vacant rental unit. We discuss his video, but also housing development and rent control in Oregon as well as eviction backlogs and a variety of other topics.

Jun 3, 2024
Jun 3, 2024
38 min
For this episode of Housing Matters I talk with Morgan Shook a Partner and Senior Policy Advisor with ECOnorthwest. We talk about housing policy and the economic impact certain policies can have or have had in various regions around the country. We also speak about the pitfalls of rent control as policy, and perhaps some better ways to help tenants with affordability.




