OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington state could limit how much landlords can raise the rent.
Bills submitted in the House and Senate would cap rent hikes to 5% a year starting in 2025.
Under the proposals, landlords would need to give renters six-months notice of any increases higher than 3%. Those tenants would be allowed to get out of their leases, if the law passes as written.
When a property is vacated, landlords would be allowed to charge what they want for new tenants.
”Unfortunately, so many people are hurting and suffering from significant rent increases that we must be compelled to act,” said Democrat Rep. Emily Alvarado.
According to the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance, average rents in Washington state have nearly doubled over the last decade, from $989 a year in 2012 to $1,866 a year in 2022.
Robin Zorich from Woodland expects to testify in favor of the House proposal Thursday morning. She and her husband Phil own their own manufactured home, but pay rent for their lot. Zorich said her rent has doubled in the past five years.
She said without a cap from the state, she doesn’t know how long they’ll be able to afford their rent.
“Now it's getting scary. It's trying to figure out all this stuff we have to cut out so we can just pay the rent,” said Zorich.
Sponsors of the bill call it a rent stabilization proposal, not rent control because it doesn’t limit how much landlords can charge renters.
Republican Senate Leader Sen. John Braun nconsiders it rent control, something he said would scare developers from investing in the state, only causing rents to rise.
House Republican Leader Rep. Drew Stokesbary called the move a “band-aid,” saying the state needs more housing.
”We shouldn’t think small potatoes and worry about capping the rate at which rent can increase, we should think big and figure out ways to incentivize building more housing to actually bring down rents,” said Stokesbary.
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