New State Laws Take Effect June 11

The 2026 legislative session wrapped up far kinder to housing providers than the last few have been, and the proof shows up on the calendar this month. Thursday, June 11 is the standard 90-day effective date for most bills passed during this year's short session, RHAWA is here to keep you up to date with all relevant changes. Changes to RHAWA forms are already well under way and will be completed well in advance of the compliance dates of these policies.

Taking Effect on June 11, 2026

HB 2664 – Fixing Service of Process in RCW 59.12.040

• Removes the certified mail requirement that was added last year 
• Restores standard service “through the mail” with postage prepaid
• Keeps existing personal service and posting-plus-mailing options 
• Preserves the added time rule when service is made by mail
• Requires clear termination notice language stating the vacate or comply-by date 

HB 2452 – Changing Service of Process for Rent Increase Notices For MHC

• Ensures that Manufactured/Mobile Home Community service is in line with HB 2664.

SB 6091 – Prohibiting Exclusive Marketing of Residential Real Estate

• Prohibits a real estate broker from marketing a sale or lease of residential real estate to an exclusive group of buyers without concurrently marketing to the general public. 

SB 6200 – Allowing Renters to Install Portable Cooling Devices

• Restricts residential housing providers and owners of mobile home parks from prohibiting or restricting tenants from installing a portable cooling device of the tenant's choosing, with certain exceptions.
• Creates exceptions to allow a housing provider to prohibit instillation of window mounted portable cooling devices.
• Provides immunity to housing providers if damage, injury or death is caused by a portable cooling device. 

SB 6237 – Flooding Disclosure for Rental Housing

*The disclosures required by the act only apply to leases entered into after December 31, 2026.

• Adds flood-risk disclosures to duties of housing provider (hazard area, known flooding/drainage issues).
• Housing Provider must inform tenants that housing provider insurance does not cover tenant belongings; suggests renters/flood insurance. 
• Requires notice that local governments have hazard and flood info about the property.
• No penalties unless the housing provider is aware of the hazard and fails to inform the tenant. 

Taking Effect after June 11, 2026

SB 5937 – Smart Access System in a Residential Property – Effective January 1, 2027

• Requires a privacy policy for electronic entry systems.
  • Does not include keypad or similar device that utilizes the manual entering of a coded sequence of numbers, letters, or both. 
  • Allows the housing provider to provide a link to the developer's privacy policy. 
• For app based or biometric forms of entry, must allow for alternative form of entry such as keycard or fob.

The Takeaway:

June 11 brings real, beneficial changes to our current rental housing laws. Make sure to update your procedures, brief your team or property manager, and make sure anyone serving notices on your behalf knows the certified mail requirement is gone. RHAWA has already updated several of its forms to comply with these new regulations. As soon as these law changes pass the state legislature RHAWA begins its work to update all of our forms and Support Center information.

For deeper discussion of how these changes fit into the broader regulatory picture bring your questions to the 2026 Legal Forum on June 17, just six days after these laws take effect.