Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson has signed a rent-control bill, House Bill 1217, which takes effect immediately, according to a release.
Called rent stabilization, the bill limits rent increases for existing tenants in Washington state to 7% plus inflation or 10%, whichever is lower. Landlords can still adjust rent by higher amounts for new tenants. It also limits rent increases for manufactured homes to 5%.
Ferguson also signed other bills covering everything from property-tax relief for disabled veterans to encouraging construction of so-called “middle housing” options like condominiums.
“Washington needs more affordable housing — a lot more,” Ferguson said in a release. “We must make it easier, faster and less expensive to build housing of all kinds. These bills will address this pressing need.”
New construction is not subject to the cap for its first 12 years. Public-housing authorities, low-income developments, and duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes in which the owner lives in one of the units are also exempt, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting reported from a story in the Washington State Standard.
Rent-hike notices are now required 90 days before they go into effect, up from 60 days under previous law.
Democrats believe the limit will give renters greater predictability in one of the most expensive states for housing, while Republicans think it will chill development and force landlords to sell their properties because they can’t keep up with maintenance costs and property taxes.
Last month, Rep. Sam Low, R-Lake Stevens, argued the policy is “going to be devastating for our housing providers, and we need housing providers to be a part of the solution in the housing crisis that we have.”
Other housing related bills signed by Ferguson
In addition to HB 1217, Ferguson signed nine bills related to affordable housing. These bills covered permitting reform, tax incentives, parking restrictions and more. Those bills are:
- House Bill 1106 — Allows more disabled veterans to qualify for property tax relief
- House Bill 1403 — Clears up language in state law related to condominium construction
- House Bill 1516 — Creates additional insurance options for condominiums
- House Bill 1757 — Requires cities to adopt rules for converting existing buildings into housing in commercial and mixed-use zones
- Senate Bill 5184 — Limits the number of parking spaces cities and counties require for housing projects
- Senate Bill 5298 — Strengthens notification requirements when manufactured- and mobile-home park land is listed for sale
- Senate Bill 5313 — Expands the list of provisions that are prohibited in residential rental agreements
- Senate Bill 5529 — Expands tax incentives to support affordable housing
- Senate Bill 5611 — Reduces housing-permit timelines
More information on Governor Ferguson’s bill actions can be found here.
