SB 5961: Residential tenants
Improving housing stability for tenants subject to the residential landlord-tenant act and the manufactured/mobile home landlord-tenant act by limiting rent and fee increases, requiring notice of rent and fee increases, limiting fees and deposits, establishing a landlord resource center and associated services, authorizing tenant lease termination, creating parity between lease types, and providing for attorney general enforcement.
Summary
- Prohibits a landlord under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act or the Manufactured/Mobile Home Landlord-Tenant Act from increasing a tenant's rent during the first 12 months after the tenancy begins and limits the amount by which a landlord may increase a tenant's rent during any 12-month period to 5 percent, with certain exemptions.
- Provides certain other protections for tenants, such as rent and fee increase notice requirements, tenant lease termination provisions, limits on move-in fees, security deposits, and late fees, and requirements for parity between month-to-month and longer-term rental agreements.
- Requires the Department of Commerce to create an online landlord resource center and requires the Attorney General's Office to publish model lease provisions regarding rent and rent increases.
- Provides remedies and enforcement, including attorney general enforcement of provisions under the Consumer Protection Act, for damages against a landlord who violates certain provisions of the bill.
From the Senate Bill Report (SB 5961), written by the Legislature's nonpartisan staff. Read the full report ↗
- IntroducedJan 8, 2024
- Out of committeestopped here
- Passed Senate
- Passed House
- Governor
- Law
- Prime sponsor
- Yasmin Trudeau (D-27)
- Introduced
- January 8, 2024 in the Senate
- Last action
- January 8, 2024
- Companion bill
- HB 2114
- Budget
- Has a fiscal note
AN ACT Relating to improving housing stability for tenants subject to the residential landlord-tenant act and the manufactured/mobile home landlord-tenant act by limiting rent and fee increases, requiring notice of rent and fee increases, limiting fees and deposits, establishing a landlord resource center and associated services, authorizing tenant lease termination, creating parity between lease types, and providing for attorney general enforcement;
Sponsors
Prime sponsor: Yasmin Trudeau (D-27)
13 co-sponsors (13 Democrats, 0 Republicans)
Votes
No recorded floor votes. This measure never reached a floor vote.
History
- First reading, referred to Housing.
- Prefiled for introduction.
SB 5961 in other sessions
Bill numbers restart every two years, so the same number is a different bill in each session.
- SB 5961 (2025–26) Early literacy programs
- SB 5961 (2021–22) Biochar
- SB 5961 (2019–20) WA tax structure
- SB 5961 (2017–18) B&O tax/net receipts
- SB 5961 (2015–16) Construction defect actions
- SB 5961 (2013–14) Regional transit authorities
- SB 5961 (2011–12) Local government funding
- SB 5961 (2009–10) Newspaper industry B & O tax