OLYMPIA, Wash. — A bill that would restrict how much landlords could raise rent prices every 12 months passed out of the Washington state House this week. It now heads to the Senate.
House Bill 2114 would limit rent increases to 7% per 12 months. The bill would also cap late fees to 1.5% of monthly rent. It would also exempt new construction from the requirements for 10 years of occupancy.
The bill has until March 7, the end of the legislative session, to pass the Senate.
The House bill could face an uphill battle after a similar proposal, Senate Bill 5961 died in the Senate last month.
The Senate version of the bill would have capped rent increases to 5% beginning in 2025 and would’ve required six months’ notice of increases higher than 3%.
Republican Senate Leader Sen. John Braun considered the Senate bill rent control, something he said would scare developers from investing in the state, only causing rents to rise.
Supporters of the bill called it rent stabilization, not rent control, because it doesn’t limit how much landlords can charge renters.
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.
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