Washington Legislature Passes Rent Increase Cap

A Washington state bill that would cap rent increases is headed to the governor’s desk. “The House and Senate on Sunday, the last day of the legislative session, passed the rent increase limit at 7% plus inflation or 10%, whichever is lower,” explains Jake Goldstein-Street in the Washington State Standard.

The bill, HB 1217, would also cap rent increases for manufactured homes at 5 percent. Landlords are also not allowed to raise rent in the first year of tenancy. 

However, the bill does not cover many single-family homes, and the cap was raised from the originally proposed 7 percent to gain enough political support. “Buildings owned by nonprofits or public housing authorities would be exempt from the limits. The same goes for duplexes, triplexes or fourplexes if the owner lives in one of the units, as well as new construction for its first dozen years.”