Local Rental Housing Regulation Watch!

While you may still be recovering from the chaotic pace of Legislative Session, it is important to keep up to date on changes at the local level as well. Check below to see if your local jurisdiction has experienced any changes in the last several weeks. As always, you can reach out to our government affairs team if you have any questions or other information that would be helpful.

BELLINGHAM

The city of Bellingham discussed a slew of rental housing provisions specifically targeted at several charges assessed to tenants that were labeled as “Junk Fees” in the fall of last year. Following heavy opposition from both RHAWA and other small housing providers in the area, the city council decided to engage in an independent series of focus groups where various rental housing provisions were discussed. These focus groups consisted of both renters, large and small housing providers who provided a variety of perspectives and opinions on rental housing legislation.
Following these focus groups, a report was presented to the city council on March 24. At the time of writing this update, it is yet to be seen how the city council will decide to move forward with rental housing policy updates, but it is likely we will see a revised set of proposals in 2025.

• If you are a member who operates housing in Bellingham, make sure to check your email regularly for more information on incoming proposals.

BURIEN

The Burien City Council discussed a variety of rollbacks to its rental housing regulations in the fall of 2024. During that meeting, city staff was directed to develop a proposal to bring Burien’s rental housing policy in sync with state law which will likely result in significant changes in the near future. Right now, it seems the city staff are still developing this proposal, however, housing providers in Burien likely have some positive changes to look forward to in 2025.

• Stay on the lookout for an RHAWA Call to Action whenever these changes are brought to the Burien City Council.

KENMORE

The City of Kenmore was sued by the Washington Business Properties Association in 2023 regarding their Just Cause Provisions which did not allow a housing provider to end a term lease with no cause. In the fall of last year Kenmore City Council was required to remove these Just Cause Provisions resulting in a big win for housing providers in the city.
Housing providers in Kenmore can now serve an End of Term Notice (Non-Renewal) with no Just Cause requirements when a lease term is 60 days from its conclusion.

• As always, make sure you are serving notices with sufficient time and proper service procedures.
• You can find directions for notice service on our Forms page: titled Notice Service Instructions + Declaration of Service.

WOODINVILLE

Despite opposition from RHAWA, our membership and other housing associations, Woodinville passed a series of regulations in the fall of 2024 which are now in effect. These provisions are quite similar to A Regional Coalition for Housing (ARCH) proposals we have seen spreading across King County for the last several years. Denise Meyers gives a full breakdown of these updates in her article.