Law

My office has received a lot of inquiries lately about what a housing provider may charge when a resident breaks a lease provision. Washington law...

Update to attorneys' fees provision

RHAWA is working hard to keep track of the ever-changing landscape of rental housing regulation in various jurisdictions across Washington State....

The RHAWA government affairs team has been working over the past several months listening to members, tracking local jurisdictions, talking to...

Those subject to the residential rental code in the City of Tacoma are reeling with the city council-approved ordinance taking effect in July and...

Some of our readers may have seen the news stories as of late about eviction filings in King County being nearly double in October what they were in...

ordinance NO. 996 now effective in shoreline Ordinance NO. 996 effective 12/19/2023 creates additional resident rights in the City of Shoreline....

If you have been paying even a little attention to Seattle media over the last two months, you will have heard of Jason Roth, more commonly known...

With the passage of Tacoma Measure 1 expect a full-out frontal assault aimed at Olympia and small rental housing providers this winter. Armed by...

Just a few months ago, we made several changes to our leases and other forms in order to comply with an ordinance that changed the Tacoma Rental...

The citizen’s initiative, The Federal Way Stable Housing Initiative was approved by voters at the November 2019 election and certified into...

Last month, we featured a special 3-hour class covering Manufactured/Mobile Home Landlord-Tenant Act led by Attorney, Cody Branstetter. Similar to...

RHAWA has historically offered within its suite of forms, “default notices” (those notices which are the first step before commencing...

Legislative Session is almost over, but your RHAWA Government Affairs team is still hard at work fighting to maintain your rights as small housing...

City of Kirkland Rental Relief Assistance Fund A program for Residential Landlords – Intended to Assist Tenants Facing Housing Barriers ...

On Tuesday, March 21st, the 9th Circuit Court ruled that Seattle's prohibition on using criminal background checks for housing did not meet the...

With Legislative Session still underway, your RHAWA Government Affairs team is hard at work fighting to maintain your rights as small housing...

RHAWA’s Legal Defense Fund (LDF) has had to increase its focus on legal battles in order to protect the rights of housing providers. In the...

RHAWA invites you to the 2022 Legal Forum on July 13 from 3 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. on ZOOM. Do you have questions or concerns regarding your rental unit?...

With the ever-increasing complexity of Seattle rental regulations, it’s best to check for the latest information before taking any routine...

Maintaining a fixed-term tenancy is not as easy as it once was. With the passage of HB 1236, by default, every tenancy in Washington is now subject...

Seattle has enacted a 180 day notice and new relocation assistance requirements.

Way back in 1981, the City of Seattle started the trend of only allowing housing providers to end month-to-month tenancies by citing one or more...

Based on data from the May 26-June 7, 2021 Census Household Pulse Survey, 119,000 Washington State tenants have fallen behind on rent owing $3,500...

Today the US Supreme Court issued their ruling in the only property takings case of this term, confirming the right to exclude is a fundamental...

Email this new version to your Seattle tenants as soon as possible.

Are you a property owner currently dealing with non-payment of rent? According to our last Membership Quick Poll, 21% of those who responded have...

Proposed Laws in Auburn Add to Housing Woes Amidst COVID-19 Uncertainty A sweeping package of restrictive new housing laws is sailing through the...

New Seattle Laws on Roommates Last fall, the Seattle City Council passed several new bills relating to rental housing, including CB 119606 which...

The 2020 state legislative session ended in March, and with it came substantial changes to several components of landlord-tenant law. Below is a...

Governor Inslee announced on 6/2/2020 an extension of the evictions ban in place across the state through August 1, 2020. The order extends prior...

Seattle City Council recently passed legislation enacting a 6-month ban on evictions after the Governor’s COVID emergency order, currently set...

On February 10, the Seattle City Council took the unprecedented step of banning eviction for “Winter Months”. While there were many...

An interesting op-ed ran last week in The Lens focused on the risks which Just Cause laws pose to neighbors and other risks, from the perspective of...

As an RHAWA member, you now have exclusive rights to use our new ONDEMAND learning platform. Launched in November, the platform is already populated...

Nobody should be without a safe place to stay during the winter – or any time of year. Evictions are a last resort for housing providers...

Seattle’s “First in Time” ordinance is coming back and may be in effect by the time you are reading this article. As its title...

Earlier this morning, the State Supreme Court ruled unanimously that Seattle’s “First in Time” (FIT) ordinance, previously thrown...

What is abundantly clear from the 2019 General election is that the issues the rental industry faced in the City of Seattle prior to the election...

Stable Homes Federal Way Initiative 19-001, submitted by Washington Community Action Network (Washington CAN), will be a ballot measure on the...

On average, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 9 men experience some form of domestic violence at the hands of an intimate partner in America. Here in Washington...

An article which appeared in last Saturday’s Tacoma News Tribune highlighting new landlord-tenant laws included several assertions by tenant...

Effective July 28, 2019, several new landlord-tenant laws took effect which have a direct impact on how rental owners manage their properties and...

The passage of SB 5600, HB 1138, HB 1440, and HB 1462 made permanent changes to Washington State's Residential Landlord-Tenant Act (RLTA) and will...

While many homeowners are set to benefit from legislation which revises how excise taxes are charged for real estate transactions, the new,...

The Seattle City Council continues to propose new legislation and amend existing landlord-tenant laws under the premise of addressing housing...

April 28 brought the 2019 legislative session to a close. After 105 days in session, lawmakers, staffers, and lobbyists alike were ready for sine...

RHAWA Advocacy Team The rental housing industry is faced with a broad political coalition that has been forming throughout the Puget Sound to...

Heather Pierce | Deputy Director of Government Affairs Washington State legislators are already hearing bills that would drastically alter the RLTA...

On December 3, 2018 the Renton City Council held a first reading of Ordinance 5913 or RMC 4.5.125, the Residential Rental Registration and...

Heather Pierce | Deputy Director of Government Affairs Tuesday night, Tacoma City Council passed several new rental housing regulations which...

RHAWA Member Turnout is Crucial for Landlord Voices to be Heard in Burien City Council Meetings Heather Pierce | Deputy Director of Government...

The statewide Source of Income Discrimination law is now in effect with the enforcement period having commenced on September 30, 2018. This new...

On Tuesday, July 24, a group of UW researchers briefed Seattle City Council’s Human Services, Equitable Development, and Renter Rights...

PRESS RELEASEContact:Heather Pierce(206) 905-0611 | hpierce@RHAwa.orgRHAwa.org Seattle, WA – July 24, 2018 – A group of researchers...

Monday, July, 9, 2018, the Seattle City Council voted to pass a new ordinance requiring the safe storage of and access to firearms. Ordinance 119267...

Tenant rights advocates have been fighting landlords through legislation in Seattle for 40 years. This city has many aging buildings and has been...

Lawsuit against Seattle’s “Prohibiting Criminal Background Screening” Ordinance filed May 1 Seattle, WA – Pacific Legal...

Pets and Service Animals are a subject that we get many calls to the RHAWA Resource Desk about from our members. Many people have some anxiety...

All investments have some risk and in rental property, you're offering housing as a service and that means that there are some unique risks to this...

Tenant screening laws are rapidly evolving in Washington State, in particular when dealing with criminal records and how to consider an...

Thank you for writing to me about the Fair Chance Housing Legislation. This legislation will not go into effect until 150 days after the Mayor...

On the 65th Washington Legislature Washington State’s 65th Legislature began its 2017 legislative session on January 9th, with the one...

Dear City Councilmembers, As you’re aware, the Rental Housing Association of Washington represents more than 5,500 small, independent...

What’s a landlord to do when no measure of communication successfully brings a tenant in to compliance with a term of the rental agreement?...

Sean Martin | Director of External Affairs An initiative filed in early-March – filed by Devin Silvernail, a tenant advocate from San...

Next week, on Thursday, July 13, Seattle Councilmember Lisa Herbold is hosting a town hall discussion panel focused on a proposal which will...

Seattle, WA – May 30, 2017 – After careful legal review, the Rental Housing Association of Washington filed a lawsuit in King County...

SEATTLE -- A lawsuit in Seattle pits some fundamental rights against each other -- it’s civil rights that ban discrimination, and property...

Seattle Councilmember Kshama Sawant is continuing her political march against independent landlords as she prepares to push CB 118756 through her...

Looking to write Seattle Council in opposition to CB 118817 but don't know where to start? Consider using the sample letter below. Landlords are...

On Monday, August 8, Seattle City Council adopted new legislation which forces rental housing owners in Seattle to process applications beginning...

Effective August 1st, the amount of relocation assistance required by subsection A of SMC 22.210.130 will increase from $3,255 to $3,340. This...