BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Renters in Bellingham will have more security pertaining to their mail starting next year.

The Bellingham City Council voted on Monday, Aug. 12, to approve an ordinance that requires landlords to install locked mailboxes for all residents at their rental properties.

Planning and Community Development Director Blake Lyon says Bellingham has seen a spike in mail theft since 2022. He argues that increases in mail theft equate to similar upticks in identity theft and financial crimes.

Council member Lisa Anderson spoke in support of the ordinance, noting the disproportionate effect mail theft has on its victims.

“The people who could be least able to afford identity theft are the ones that tend to get most impacted because they don’t have the secured mailboxes because they’re renting,” Anderson said.

Anderson also pushed back against landlords who have contacted the council saying they would have to raise rent to compensate for the expense of installing a locked mailbox.

“If that’s how you’re looking at being a responsible property owner who is renting in this community, I just want to say ‘shame on you’ for that,” Anderson said.

The decision comes after the city approved a measure in 2015 that required all new rental units to have locked mailboxes installed. Now, all other rental properties in the city will need to comply with the requirement by Jan. 1, 2025.

The city says it will grant a one-time extension to March 1, 2025, for individual properties with unique circumstances on a case-by-case basis.

According to the city’s housing statistics, more than half of the housing units in Bellingham are rentals.