2025 LEGISLATIVE SESSION RECAP

With the 2025 Legislative Session now over, it is time to give a full overview of the ups and downs of this year. Unfortunately, at the time of writing this article, EHB 1217 Rent Control has just passed out of the Senate and will likely move on to the Governor's desk for signature. However, I’m sure you will already be well aware of the status of this bill by the time you are reading this article.

However, Rent Control is only the tip of the iceberg when observing the hard work RHAWA engaged in throughout the 2025 Legislative Session. Long days, weekend meetings, and urgent hearings became the norm for your RHAWA Government Affairs team as we fought back against the slew of regulations the legislature proposed this year. Below is a full breakdown of all the accomplishments and hard work we engaged in this year, including all dead bills we advocated against and all the legislation we promoted, as well as our incredible media campaign and membership engagement in the 2025 Legislative Session.

WE DEFEATED SEVERAL HARMFUL BILLS

SB 5222 (EHB 1217 Companion Bill)

The version of rent control that was originally proposed in the Senate did not even make it out of the committee. It was voted out of the Senate Housing Committee but never had a hearing in the Senate Ways and Means Committee and so was a dead bill near the end of February, which significantly streamlined our advocacy efforts for the rest of the 2025 Session.

SB 5469: Prohibiting Algorithmic Rent Pricing

This bill, which would have prohibited housing providers from collecting and analyzing rental data, died in the House Appropriations Committee in early April. The bill would have regulated access to pricing tools, which would have gone far beyond regulations that any other industry is subject to. Analyzing data in order to set prices is a process involved in the pricing of any good, and this bill failing is a huge win for business in general in Washington state.

SB 5496: Limiting Homeownership

This bill would have set a hard limit on the number of single-family homes an individual or business is allowed to own. If this bill were to have passed, it would have set a dangerous precedent for the government’s ability to restrict your right to property, which is a fundamental right going back to the foundation of our country. This bill died in the Senate Rules Committee in the middle of March.

Keep in mind, these are only the bills that were dead at the time of writing this article. Check out the RHAWA Blog for an up-to-date list of all dead bills when the 2025 Session concludes.

SIGNIFICANT STRIDES WITH RHAWA PROMOTED LEGISLATION

RHAWA helped promote several key pieces of legislation that made it further in the 2025 Legislative Session than ever before:

HB 1088 / SB 5678: Housing Task Force

The Housing Task Force bill aimed to set up a diverse group of stakeholders to analyze the current rental housing policies in order to figure out what was effective and what was ineffective. This would have created more consistency in our statewide rental housing policy while eliminating much of the red tape that makes it more difficult for housing providers to provide affordable housing.

HB 1089 / SB 1089: Tenant Safety Act

Currently, families can be forced to live next door to abusive and sometimes dangerous tenants while waiting for an eviction to be carried out. TSA would have:
  • Streamlined the process to evict residents engaged in dangerous activity
  • Protected tenants who report dangerous or illegal activity
  • Created an expedited process for dangerous or unruly tenants
  • Prevented manipulation or intentional delays of the system.

HB 1099 / SB 5371: Tenant Assistance Program

Short-term rental assistance for seniors, fixed-income households, veterans, and others facing acute economic stress. TAP prevents evictions, preserves affordable housing, ensures family stability, and helps prevent homelessness.

SB 5661: Statewide Harmonization

Washington state needs a consistent set of rules for all Washington cities across the state. This will alleviate confusion, create confidence and compliance, and foster a more harmonized rental housing market landscape for both tenants and housing providers.

Each of these bills made significantly more progress this year than in any previous Legislative Session. As with any proposed policy, progress is built year over year, and it is encouraging to see the legislature beginning to understand that there are alternatives to the restrictive rental housing policy. Going forward, these policies will continue to be workshopped and presented in future Legislative Sessions to continue promoting positive change and the eventual passage of these policies.

UNPRECEDENTED MEDIA CAMPAIGN

RHAWA made significant strides in our campaign against the rent control bill. In addition to advocating for proactive housing solutions like Governor Ferguson's plan to create 200,000 new units in the next four years, we successfully raised the funds needed to secure commercial airtime for 30 spots. Our digital marketing initiatives have also achieved over 3.45 million impressions. We've engaged with 50 top developers across 13 legislative districts to discuss EHB 1217's impact on housing. Please read a more detailed summary of what we have accomplished below.

Achievements

• Coalition Building: We distributed a letter to the Governor, Lt. Governor, and all sitting senators, signed by a coalition of housing providers, real estate professionals, and developers.
• Commercial: We aimed to raise an additional $100,000 to acquire airtime for our powerful TV commercial and to enhance our influence on lawmakers while shaping public opinion. We successfully reached our target and secured airtime for 30 commercials, including 13 during prime time.
• Digital Marketing into Target Districts
  • Ran ads in 11 local outlets targeting key legislative districts.
  • Total Impressions Delivered: Over 3.45 million – up from 1,923,412 impressions as of March 14.
  • The last Seattle Times takeover scheduled for April 8, we anticipate reaching approximately 4.5–5 million impressions—almost double our initial expectations.
• Meetings with Target Lawmakers
  • Developer Meetings: Engaged 50 top developers across 13 districts, with 23 participating to discuss EHB 1217's impact on financing and development in Washington. They highlighted that rent control policies reduce housing supply by deterring investment and new construction, especially for affordable housing.
  • Legislative Day on the Hill: More than 100 meetings with lawmakers strengthened relationships and advanced ongoing advocacy initiatives.
• Media Highlights
  • Seattle Times Takeovers: Completed three takeovers on February 19, March 13, and April 8.
  • Coverage: Visit RHAWA’s press page for more coverage on this issue
• Listen to TurboTenant’s podcast: Rent Cap Bill Passes in Washington: “This Is How You Destroy Cities”
• Read: Bill capping annual rent increases at 7% passes Washington state House on KOMO News
• Listen to: RHAWA on the Ari Hoffman Show
• Watch: The rent increase regulation debate on TVW's The Impact
• RHAWA Produced Content
• The Economic Consequences of Rent Control
• History of Rent Control Short Documentary
• Legislative Session Weeks in Review: Weeks 1-2
• Housing Matters Episode 12: George Petrie Goodman Real Estate & Legislative Session News
• Legislative Session Midpoint Review     
• Housing Matters Episode 13: Rep. April Connors and Legislative Update

Together, We Made a Difference!
Your ongoing support was crucial as we continued to advocate against Engrossed House Bill 1217. Together, we secured effective housing policies, promoting affordability and growth. Thank you for your help!

ALL-TIME HIGHS FOR MEMBER ENGAGEMENT

Excellent Turnout Across All Rent Control Hearings

One of the most significant moments of this Legislative Session was the great attendance at the first rent control hearing. Well over a hundred members showed up, filling the hearing room and overflowing into adjacent spaces. Our presence sent a powerful message to lawmakers who were likely not expecting us in such significant numbers on the very first day of the session. Not only was the turnout significant in size, but the level of enthusiasm was inspiring; nearly the entire line was dressed in “NO CAP” shirts created by the RHAC to communicate the message without even needing to say a word.

Throughout the rest of the Legislative Session, we continued to have incredible in-person attendance at each of the rent control hearings. We consistently outnumbered testimony from proponents of rent control by a significant margin, and our in-person and virtual testimony was crucial in reshaping the rent control policy to something much more reasonable by the time it arrived on the Senate floor.

Additionally, a big thank you to all those who took time out of their day to sign in as CON on each bill we opposed. Historically, this is where the proponents of rent control thrived, but this year, we made this a closer battle than it has ever been in the past. Several times throughout the legislative Session,

Additionally, a big thank you to all those who took time out of their day to sign in as CON on each bill we opposed. Historically, this is where the proponents of rent control thrived, but this year, we made this a closer battle than it has ever been in the past. Several times throughout the legislative Session, we maintained a lead in the pro/con sign-ins, which is a rare occurrence. Especially considering the fact that during some of the hearings, there were over 8000 total sign-ins, it is incredible that we were able to remain competitive in this fight despite the fact that we are significantly smaller in scale than the tenant advocacy groups.

Over 2,000 Messages Sent Through the Advocacy Center

Another major highlight of this Legislative Session has been the use of our Advocacy Center. Our email system has been a valuable tool for member engagement for several years, but in 2025, we witnessed an all-time high in its utilization. Members sent more than 2,000 messages to their legislators, more than doubling our engagement from the 2024 Legislative Session.

Several factors contributed to this surge in engagement. First, we refreshed the Advocacy Center to make it more user-friendly and efficient, allowing members to send personalized messages with greater ease. Additionally, we worked through these stories on briefing room calls to help members craft compelling messages that effectively conveyed their perspectives.

The impact of this email advocacy cannot be overstated. Lawmakers took notice of the influx of messages, and many were compelled to respond to the concerns of our members. Your involvement was so significant this year that our highest one-day engagement in the 2024 Legislative Session was closer to our average in 2025. This level of engagement not only influenced policy discussions but also strengthened our credibility as the leading force in housing issues in Washington State.

Briefing Room Attendance

Briefing room attendance has also been higher than in years past. Every year, we have successfully hosted more and more members in both our Monday 11 AM call as well as the calls we host two hours before any hearing. On the first day of the session, we had some of our highest attendance in a hearing to date, which fostered great discussion and sharing of different perspectives on the impact of rent control. Throughout the session, members demonstrated a keen interest in staying informed, asking insightful questions, and holding elected officials accountable.

Our attempts to streamline the process while also sending enough emails that members notice is a unique balance to attempt to maintain, but I am happy to say our Government Affairs team rose to the occasion and made sure our systems were easy to use while also responding to feedback quickly.

Legislative Day On The Hill

We hosted the highest number of members at the 2025 Legislative Day on the Hill since before COVID-19 disrupted our ability to host in-person activism. Legislative Day on the Hill allowed members to come down to Olympia in person and engage with policymakers directly. Sharing your stories with these lawmakers makes a huge impact on their perspectives on rental housing policy generally. It’s easy to push forward policy when you don’t have any understanding of how the policy will truly impact members of the community, and that is why Legislative Day on the Hill is so crucial to our fight against harmful policies.

Members who attended our event got to meet both their constituent lawmakers as well as several other lawmakers who attended our catered lunch. It always proves to be a unique experience that is informative while also being a lot of fun. Our Government Affairs team always looks forward to hosting this event as we get to show members around the capitol campus, engage in meaningful discussion, and provide insight into how we do what we do.

We hope you already know how much the RHAWA Government Affairs team appreciates the members who got engaged this year, it really cannot be overstated how much your involvement empowers us to be more effective than we could ever be as individuals. Collective action is the lifeblood of government advocacy, and we deeply appreciate each and every one of you who took time out of your day to send a message, come down to Olympia, or simply give us a call to ask questions about current legislation.