Bill aims to stop rent gouging in Washington state, provide housing stability to renters and manufactured homeowners statewide

Olympia, WA – Today at a news briefing, legislative sponsors of a measure to limit excessive rent increases across Washington state joined affordable housing advocates, impacted renters and landlords to talk about the policy.

Under the bill, landlords could not raise rent on current residential tenants more than 7% each year, but can set rent at whatever level they want for new tenants. The bill provides other important protections for renters as well.

A new poll by Cascade PBS/Elway shows 68% of Washingtonians support rent stabilization.

Representative Emily Alvarado (D-34th), the prime sponsor of HB 1217, commented on why the measure is needed: “Washington has a housing shortage and rents continue to rise faster than people can afford. We need more housing and we need guardrails to prevent the unnecessary and excessive rent increases that are harming working families and seniors in every corner of our state. At a time when Washingtonians are struggling with the cost of living, this policy provides renter households with some stability and predictability in the greatest expense in a household budget. This common sense policy protects renters from unjustifiable and excessive rent increases, while still allowing landlords to cover their costs and make a profit.”

Senator Yasmin Trudeau (D-27th), prime sponsor of the senate companion bill SB 5222 added: “The housing crisis is only getting worse. New housing supply alone, even if we could build enough to meet the need, won’t solve the problem of displacement that excessive rent increases are driving. Unnecessary and large rent increases are disproportionately hurting seniors, low and middle income workers, families with children, Black, Indigenous and other households of color. This policy eliminates a preventable driver of homelessness and will help make housing more affordable for folks across Washington.”

Michele Thomas, policy and advocacy director at the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance, voiced the support of thousands of advocates for affordable housing and housing stability: “Excessive rent increases are impacting all renters but especially seniors and families with children forcing them to make impossible choices - whether to go without heat, skip meals or medication in order to pay their rent. Large unexpected rent increases are predatory and lead many to face eviction, a significant cause of homelessness in our state. Rent stabilization is common sense policy that will provide renter households with stability and predictability over their housing costs. Without rent stabilization we simply cannot solve our state’s housing crisis.”

Representative Nicole Macri (D-43rd), added: “Excessive rent increases are outpacing incomes and social security checks, disproportionately displacing seniors, BIPOC households, and families with children. We must continue investing in more affordable housing, but the private market must also do its part to help solve the housing crisis. This measure will protect renters against unfair, excessive, and predatory rent gouging.”

Key elements of 2025 rent stabilization legislation:

Protects both manufactured homeowners and residential renters.
Allows yearly rent increases of up to 7%.
Fees count as rent for the purposes of the increase.
Six months notice for all rent increases of 3% or more to provide tenants with more opportunity to plan for the increase.
Caps all move-in fees to equivalent of one month’s rent in order to make moving more affordable. Caps late fees to 1.5 percent of the tenant's total monthly rent.
Prevents landlords from treating month-to-month leases differently than fixed-term leases in terms of rent levels and fees. This is because landlords are currently charging “month to month fees” or a much higher rent increase to compel a tenant to sign a fixed-term lease. Tenants who are month to month are covered under Washington’s just cause eviction protections, unlike tenants who are on a fixed-term lease.
Creates a landlord resource center and a model lease for landlords.
Creates enforcement with a private right of action and also by the State’s Attorney General’s Office.
In cases where the landlord attempts to raise the rent above what is allowed under the bill (unless that landlord is exempt) allows a tenant to quit their lease and move without penalty.
Exempts certain properties, including new construction for the first 10 years.

Tina Hammond of Spokane is a manufactured home owner in Spokane. Says Hammond, “As a disabled, low-income senior, I have been forced to make the harsh choices to offset last year’s 12% increase in my rent for the land my home is on. I halted my medications for three months. Now, I turn my heat off at night. There were mornings last winter when I woke up to a house temp of 42 degrees. Due to its age, my mobile home can’t be moved. Rent stabilization would provide financial and emotional security to mobile home residents—often elderly, or disabled on fixed incomes—who worry about being priced out of their homes by excessive lot rents.”

Kraig Peck, who owns and manages two rental properties in Bothell, shared why he supports rent stabilization: “Our biggest expense as a landlord is our mortgage, which is fixed. 7% annual increases are more than what is necessary to operate and maintain our properties while making a generous profit. I support rent stabilization because rent increases higher than 7% are not justifiable. Rent gouging impacts our schools and local businesses when teachers and other essential workers can’t afford to stay in their homes. This policy delivers stability and predictability for renters and landlords alike.”

Carolyn Hardy of Aberdeen shared: “We own our home but not the land it sits on. We worked hard for 55 years. We earned our forever homes. In the last two years we have had rent and utilities increased by 75% from $485.00 to $866.00, but they cut our amenities, no clubhouse garbage pickup, water or lawn maintenance. We are seniors. The cost of living goes up, but our income doesn’t. We are worried the next increase will force us to move, maybe into our car. I have many medical issues, we could not survive being homeless on the streets.”

Zeenia Junkeer of Bellingham, shared: “My rent was increased $300. I was also told that at the end of this lease, they were moving to month-to-month only, at the cost of an additional $100 per month. This kind of increase would force a move for so many! So while I am thankful I can afford the increase, I shouldn’t have to–how can people be expected to save for a home when they have to choose between defaulting on other bills or accumulating debt to make sure they don’t get evicted? Even with my salary, this increase is a significant burden for me financially.”

Nearly 40% of households in Washington are renter households. Excessive rent increases are driving loss of housing, and are a significant cause of homelessness. Studies show that every $100 rent increase leads to at least a 9% increase in homelessness. For the second year in a row, Washington was ranked the fifth most expensive for highest hourly “housing wage” in the country by the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s annual Out of Reach report . New United States Census Data provides concerning evidence about the impacts of excessive rent increases:

47% of renter households in Washington received a rent increase of over $100 in the last 12 months ($1200 per year). This is 877,000 renter households statewide.
15% of renter households statewide received a rent increase of over $250 ($3000 per year).
Black renter households received higher rent increases than other racial groups. A quarter (24.36%) of Black renter households received rent increases of over $250.
57% of renter households with children under the age of 18 received a rent increase of over $100. Almost a quarter (22%) received rent increases of over $250.
2024 is expected to have the highest eviction filing count on record in the state’s recorded history. Through November, nine counties had already broken records: Clark, Grant, Jefferson, King, Klickitat, Okanogan, Spokane, Thurston, & Whitman. Asotin, Columbia, Douglas, Kittitas, Pend Oreille, Skagit, & Walla Walla counties were expected to break records by the end of December.

A balanced policy:

This policy caps annual rent increases, but lets landlords reset the rent when a tenant exits, unlike classic rent control. Rent stabilization prevents excessive, often predatory, rent increases to help ensure that renters can stay in their homes. It provides predictability and stability to renters while allowing landlords to keep up with costs.

Rent stabilization for manufactured homeowners allows homeowners to have stability in their homes, ensuring affordable homeownership and safe, stable place to retire.

Rent stabilization:

Makes housing costs predictable for Washington’s renters including for seniors, veterans, and single parents living on fixed incomes,
Prevents homelessness by reducing economic evictions,
Protects people on fixed incomes, like seniors and veterans, from rent gouging and displacement,
Keeps families in their communities and students in their schools, instead of moving with each rent increase,
Provides businesses with more stable workforces,
Builds more stable communities as neighbors stay in place longer.

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