Survey Finds Excessive Rent Increases Are Top Concern of Renters and Homeowners Alike 

Olympia, WA – Today at a roundtable in the state capitol, renters and landlords shared their experiences with lawmakers, as a new poll showed overwhelming support for a rent stabilization policy (HB 1217 and SB 5222) to limit how much landlords can increase rents on current tenancies.

A new survey conducted by EMC Research from January 26 - February 2, 2025 of 1,100 registered voters in Washington State, found 72% support a policy that would prohibit rent increases of more than 7%, require more notice before increasing rent, and limit move-in and late fees. 

The EMC poll found there is strong initial support for a rent stabilization bill, including super-majority support among non-renters and Republicans. Support for rent stabilization cuts across traditional partisan, homeownership, and generational divides, and is strong in all regions of the state. And even after aggressive negative messaging nearly two-thirds of Washington state voters support rent stabilization.

The impacts of high costs on Washington’s renters are clear: strong majorities have been unable to rent near where they work due to rents being too high, have had a rent increase that significantly impacted their financial situation, and have had to move because the rent got too high. Support for rent stabilization cut across partisanship, geography and other demographics.

Other Key Findings:

• Seven-in-ten say they have been unable to rent near where they work due to rents being too high
• Seven-in-ten say they have had a rent increase that significantly impacted their financial situation.
• Almost two-thirds say they have had to move because the rent got too high
• 61% of all respondents said rent increases should be limited to no more than 6%.

At the roundtable, impacted renters and landlords shared their experiences with lawmakers:

Sharon Pevey, director of AMHO, the statewide association of manufactured homeowners: “I never imagined living my senior life in fear, still working at age 77 because of the unknown rent increases we are facing every year. As a resident of a manufactured home community in Vancouver, the rent for the dirt our home sits on has gone from $625 to $1350 today. Seniors are living in fear of the next rent increase that will land them on the street. Washington has no restriction on rent increases, it’s whatever corporate owners and landlords desire at the expense of people with limited income. We are going to have a mass of senior citizens on the streets.”

Justina Kolb of Issaquah: ”In five and half years here, my rent has gone up $740 dollars a month, the latest increase being almost one-third of that (28%). Because my brother and I have been caretaking for our mother, we thought going month-to-month would give us the flexibility to move more easily if we had to. But we were told that if we remain month-to-month, rather than signing a one-year contract, our base rent would go up by $440, as opposed to the $205 and we would be charged an additional “month-to-month fee” of $1200 --an increase of more than $1600 dollars a month. Everyone deserves housing and the opportunity to thrive - single parents, seniors, people of color, artists, immigrants. I’m tired of landlords catering to folks in tech and big business while the rest of us get taken advantage of.”

Alouise Urness, a “mom and pop” landlord in Tacoma shared why she supports the rent stabilization policy: “A few years ago my husband and I bought a small, older house in east Tacoma. We wanted to rent it out so that we could help our kids through college and have a little retirement income later. Our first tenants were a couple with a toddler and another baby on the way who stayed for two years. After they moved out, we were there doing a few repairs, hurrying to get the place ready so we could re-rent it as soon as possible – gaps between tenants are the hardest cost for us to plan for and absorb. While we were there, the next door neighbor called us over the fence, and mentioned that his daughter really needed a new place to live – her rent had just gone up. We are so grateful to have the monthly income to help our kids, and we’re happy our neighbor’s daughter and granddaughter can be close to family. Stability in the neighborhood is good for everyone, and it’s good for our investment, too. We will be happy to give our tenant plenty of notice if we need to increase the rent, and to keep any increases and fees within reason – we want her to stay!”

Kathy Yasi and Jim Fife, landlords in Seattle, shared: “We own three rental homes in Central Seattle. We know that mid-range rents attract high quality renters. We make repairs, keep up with expenses and comfortably fund our retirement with small rent increases. Good tenants are valuable to us. We provide clean well-kept spaces, and predictable expenses. And they stay. We have never raised the rent or fees more than 7%. Our fixed costs, including the mortgage, principle and interest are the largest portion of our expenses. This legislation allows us to raise the rent as much as needed in-between tenants and make substantial profits from our investments. Unlike “investment class” landlords, we live next door. Our tenants become our neighbors and our bottom line includes the well being of our neighborhood. We’ve met several people who were made homeless by unconscionable landlord charges.”

Michele Thomas, policy and advocacy director at the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance, commented: “No renter should be rent gouged and we know that seniors and working families with children are hit especially hard by big rent increases that are forcing many in our state to grapple with impossible choices - go without heat, skip meals or medications in order to pay rent. Large, unpredictable rent increases are unnecessary and often lead to eviction, a significant cause of homelessness in our state. Without rent stabilization we cannot solve our state’s housing and homelessness crisis.” 

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. 
• 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 shared housing where the landlord lives on site and new construction for the first 10 years.

More information about the policy here.

Recent United States Census Data provides concerning evidence about the ongoing problem of excessive rent increases:

• 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. 
• 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. 
• 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.

More facts about the impact of excessive rent increases.

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