LOCAL RENTAL HOUSING REGULATION WATCH - JULY 2026

The RHAWA Government Affairs Team consistently watches for updates to local housing policy. We track changes proposed by both local city councils, state-level lawmakers, as well as ballot initiatives that threaten the rights of local housing providers.

BELLINGHAM

The City of Bellingham is developing a Landlord and Tenant Advisory Work Group in order to evaluate and develop rental housing policies within the city limits. Over the last few months, the city has improved its approach to rental housing policies and even hosted an advisory session giving an overview of current rental housing policies both statewide and locally. RHAWA was invited to join the previous presentation and deepened our relationships with the city. We hope to be accepted on this work group and represent the needs of small housing providers throughout this process. The first work group will be in September of this year.

REDMOND

There are rumors of new renter protections being developed in the City of Redmond. While Redmond already has several provisions in line with several cities around King County, the rumored new ordinance would likely set the stage for a new series of rental housing regulations in cities across King County.

From the limited information available, it appears the new ordinance would include provisions akin to other recently passed pieces of legislation in Whatcom County. These provisions include: Limits on “Junk Fees”: Potential bans on administrative fees, monthly pet rent, amenity fees, common area utilities, third-party utility billing fees, valet garbage fees, required internet fees, and billing fees for online rental payments.

First Right of Refusal: A City of Seattle policy mandating renewals for term leases. This would remove the ability to serve an end-of-term non-renewal, which is one of the only ways to end a lease without cause.

Lease Break for Rent Increases Over 3%: Renters would be allowed to break a rental agreement with 20 days’ notice if they were served with a rent increase of over 3%.

Development of Renter Resources: The city would be required to develop a thorough renter rights website, requiring the web address to be visibly posted in apartment buildings and provided to renters. The City would also need to hire or contract with staff to inform, advise, and advocate for renters.

Clearly, many of these provisions would be concerning to housing providers operating in the City of Redmond. However, the deeper concern is that these policies could spread in much the same way as ARCH proposals from a few years back. These are not officially proposed policies as of the time of writing this article, but it is important to stay vigilant and show up if you see an RHAWA Call to Action in your email inbox.

SPOKANE

The City of Spokane's "Pathways to Eviction Diversion" ordinance (C36808) took effect June 1. If you own or manage rental housing inside city limits, it adds a required notice to your standard paperwork and adds steps before you can file in a nonpayment case.

First, you must give tenants the City's official eviction prevention resources notice at several points:

• At lease signing or the start of tenancy
• With every lease renewal
• With any rent increase notice
• Before seeking a mutual termination agreement
• With any 14-day pay-or-vacate notice

Use the City's version of the notice. You can find it on the City's Pathways to Eviction Prevention website. Leaving it out can give a tenant a defense in an eviction case, so build it into your routine now.

Second, for nonpayment cases, there are added steps before you file an unlawful detainer:

• Contact an eviction prevention provider from the City's directory.
• Notify the tenant in writing, within 5 days, that you have done so.
• Participate in good faith for up to 30 days.
• If the matter is unresolved after 30 days and the tenant has not engaged, you may proceed with a court filing.

Right to Cooling

The City of Spokane is close to finalizing its "Renters' Right to Cooling" ordinance (ORD C36877). A revised version was approved 5-2 and is set for first reading on June 22, with final reading tentatively scheduled for July 15. If it passes, it will require "adequate cooling" in every bedroom of every rental inside city limits.

RHAWA's Government Affairs team has been at the center of this fight. We built and coordinated a broad coalition of eleven housing, business, and real estate organizations and produced the economic analysis the City never did, with data on Spokane's aging housing stock, realistic retrofit costs, and climate comparisons. We presented it directly to the Housing Action Subcommittee and to council member offices. That sustained pressure helped move Council to defer the ordinance on May 18 and bring back a substantially revised version.

The revision reflects much of what we pushed for. Earlier drafts set a hard 80-degree limit in every bedroom, labeled non-compliance "imminently hazardous to life," and created a private lawsuit with steep penalties and possible loss of your rental license. Those provisions are gone. The current version calls only for cooling "sufficient to avoid risks to tenant health," with no set temperature and no measurement method, and passive measures like fans, shading, ventilation, and insulation can count alongside mechanical options such as air conditioning and heat pumps. Tenant-installed portable units now follow new state law (SB 6200).

We still have very real concerns. Compliance would land around mid-August with no phase-in, on some of the oldest rental stock in the state. And "sufficient to avoid risks to tenant health" sets no objective standard, so there is no way to confirm you are compliant ahead of time, and this could lead to a defense to eviction. Whether your cooling counts would be decided case by case after a tenant raises it. RHAWA is pushing for a clear, objective standard and a realistic timeline before final reading.

The ordinance is not final and may still change before July 15. RHAWA will keep working the issue through final reading. Watch your inbox for a Call to Action.

TACOMA

The Safe Homes for All initiative has gathered around 5,800 signatures at the time of writing this article. This initiative would expand on the harmful provisions that were established in 2023 by the "Landlord Fairness Code," also known as Tacoma Measure 1. For those who missed the article from a few months ago, this new initiative includes provisions such as:

• Mandatory Rental Licensing and Per-Unit Fees
  Every provider operating in Tacoma would be required to obtain a rental license and pay an annual per-unit fee.
• Tenant Union Recognition and Mandatory Bargaining
  Once a tenant union demonstrates support from residents in more than 50% of occupied units in a building or complex, a housing provider would be legally required to sit down and bargain in good faith with that union on a wide range of topics.
• Expanded Enforcement Rights and Penalties
  Penalties for each violation would range from a minimum of $500 to a maximum of five times the monthly rent.
• A Public Database
  The City would be required to build and maintain a publicly searchable database of housing providers operating in Tacoma, including their units beyond the city limits.
• Enhanced Consequences for Large or Repeat Offenders
  Large housing providers own 25 or more units, while repeat offenders have committed six or more violations within a 36-month period.
• Business License Revocation
  The City Director would have the authority to revoke a housing provider's business license if their violations pose a "serious threat of loss of life or injury."

When you are reading this article, we will have confirmation on whether the initiative has gathered enough signatures to make it to the November ballot. The deadline to gather the remaining signatures is June 15. Check your email for an update from RHAWA’s Government Affairs Team!

Thank You

Keeping yourself informed as policies develop is one of the best ways to protect your rental property. Often, it is not a matter of if, but when more restrictive policies will become law in your local jurisdiction.

As always, the RHAWA Government Affairs Team is here to help. We consistently track these changes and keep you informed if things change. Please reach out to us if you have questions.

Make sure you are checking your inbox for opportunities to share your perspectives with your local elected officials.