Updated July 1 at 12 p.m.

The owners of two Hoquiam motels are facing criminal charges for allegedly violating a city ordinance that prohibits “transient accommodation” for more than 29 consecutive days in the same hotel complex. The charges follow a month-long investigation by the Hoquiam Police Department, in cooperation with the city’s building department and code enforcement, Police Chief Jeff Myers wrote in a release.

The misdemeanor charges were filed by the city attorney against the owners of the Sandstone Motel and Kerns Motel.

The ordinance has been in place since 2014, and states that “no transient accommodation shall offer a lodging unit or units to a guest for more than 29 consecutive days.”

“Over the past several years, the city has repeatedly warned local motels, in person and by letter, of the Hoquiam city ordinance,” wrote Myers. “The rental of motel units over 30 days effectively changes the transient accommodations of a motel into more of a situation expected of an actual tenant within an apartment building.”

The police press release states that because motels are not required to have the same space, cooking facilities and amenities as an apartment, “many people living long-term in motels have suffered from inadequate housing without protections afforded under the state’s landlord-tenant law.”

Karen Baker, 55, has been living at the Kerns off and on for about six years with her husband, and said she’s unaware of other towns ever enforcing such a rule.

“I’ve been to every motel in this county, and believe me it’s never been practiced,” said Baker, who receives Social Security funding and pays around $500 a month for her hotel room at a discount rate.

The owners of both motels said they think the city’s rule is unfair, and said these hotel rooms are usually the only thing separating the people who live there from becoming homeless. Sandstone Motel owner Howard Kim added that he and his wife haven’t had issues with the hotel guests, and that they’re “quiet and don’t cause problems.”

“If every motel kicked them out for no longterm stay, they’d go on the street, because they can’t pay a deposit and have no credit,” said Kim. “It’s a big problem.”

Kim said it’s his understanding that all small motels in the area have similar policies allowing guests to stay for long periods. The cost on a room for the month ranges from $650 to around $800, Kim said, or at a nightly rate between $50 and $70.

The hotel relies heavily on long-term occupants and it would be a struggle to survive if they had to rely on guests who were passing through town, he added.

“They can’t run their business without relying for some of it on long-term guests,” said Jade Kim, a daughter of the Sandstone owners. “They don’t get enough traffic in this town.”

Grace Libby one of the managers of the Kerns Motel, said their monthly rate is typically $700 to $800, or less if the tenant receives Social Security income.

“They’re picking on poor people when they don’t have a choice of where to live,” said Libby. “It’s all they can afford.”

Myers wrote that some motels have attempted to “take advantage of their ‘guests’ by extracting monthly rental rates or kicking out over 30-day tenants without due process of law.”

He also said the city’s code enforcement department discovered a tenant living in a tiny motel room and being charged $1,200 monthly for rent.

Hoquiam Mayor Jasmine Dickhoff commended the work by the police department and city attorney.

“This work … sends a strong message that Hoquiam will not tolerate establishments making a profit off those most vulnerable who are in need of housing,” wrote Dickhoff in the police news release. “We are committed to improving the landscape of safe and affordable housing in Hoquiam. Our nuisance abatement codes and city staff will work to ensure that businesses will reflect these values as well.”

Under Hoquiam’s current budget, Dickhoff and the Hoquiam City Council increased the city’s sole code enforcement officer Dorian Wylie from part-time to full-time. The additional time has created more capacity for the city to address nuisance properties and code violations “which degrade the value and safety of our community,” Myers wrote.

(Louis Krauss | Grays Harbor News Group) The outside of the Sandstone Motel in Hoquiam.

(Louis Krauss | Grays Harbor News Group) The Kerns Motel in Hoquiam, one of two being charged for violating the city’s code on allowing “transient accommodation” for no more than 29 consecutive days.