Washington Landlords Are Breaking The New Rent Stabilzation Law

Washington State landlords are trying to skirt the newly enacted rent stabilization law. In the first round of enforcement, Attorney General Nick Brown caught landlords with properties in 13 Washington cities hiking rents more than the legal cap of 10%. According to a press release, the AG’s office made these landlords withdraw their rent increases and issue refunds, a tangible win for more than 250 households affected by these illegal bumps.

On May 7, Governor Bob Ferguson signed House Bill 1217, the long-awaited rent stabilization bill, into law. The bill limits rental hikes to 7% plus inflation a year, not to exceed a hard boundary of 10%, for buildings older than 12 years. 

Now, three months later, Brown has finished his first round of enforcement. According to his office’s press release, Brown went after rent increase notices issued by landlords before the law was signed but that were slated to take effect for tenants after May 7, which also run counter to the law.

If your landlord sticks you with an illegal rent increase, the AG’s Office suggests you file a complaint on their website. You can also sue them yourselves --- which, if you care about a 10% rent increase, is likely not a viable path for you. 

It is perhaps too soon to tell with how much vigor Brown will enforce the law, but Brown at least said he’s committed to protecting renters. 

 “Our office will do all it can to address the housing challenges impacting Washingtonians across the state,” Brown said in a press release earlier this week. “Protecting tenants under this new law is one piece of the work we’re doing to ensure more people have safe, affordable places to live.”