Washington has a new rent control law that went into effect immediately. The law caps rent increases at the lesser of 7% plus inflation or 10%. Rent increases must be in a form with mandated language and must give the tenant at least 90 days’ notice. The notice must be served in accordance with RCW 59.12.040, which is the same statute defining how pay or vacate and similar notices are served. This statute has also been changed recently. If a landlord serves a notice that increases the rent beyond the rent cap, the tenant must provide the landlord with an […]
rent control
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Residential rent increases are not allowed under the Washington eviction moratorium. A bill in Olympia if passed into law would ban rent increases for six months after the end of the eviction moratorium.[1] Rent increases for an additional six-month period would be limited to three percentage points above the consumer price index. This is one of several sweeping proposals to change landlord-tenant laws in the wake of the pandemic. _____ [1] http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2021-22/Pdf/Bills/Senate%20Bills/5139.pdf?q=20210115084249
This year bills have been introduced in both the Washington State House and Senate that would allow local governments in Washington to impose rent control on residential tenancies. Under current law local governments in Washington are prohibited from imposing rent control. The deadline for bills to pass out of committee and be presented to the house of origin was February 2. As this was not done with either the House or Senate versions of the rent control proposal, rent control appears dead for this legislative session. Doubtless battle lines have been drawn and rent control will be an issue in […]