Bill capping annual rent increases at 7% clears Washington state House: 'We must give people stability'

Simone Carter, The News Tribune (Tacoma, Wash.) on Mar 11, 2025

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The Washington state House passed a bill Monday that would cap annual rent spikes at 7%.

House Bill 1217, sponsored by Democratic state Rep. Nicole Macri of Seattle, cleared the chamber 53-42, with another three members excused. Five Democrats broke with their caucus colleagues by voting against the bill; no Republican voted in favor of the legislation.

The five dissenting Democrats were state Reps. Dan Bronoske of Lakewood, Mari Leavitt of University Place, Adison Richards of Gig Harbor, Sharon Tomiko Santos of Seattle and Amy Walen of Kirkland.

Supporters have touted the measure as necessary to prevent a rise in homelessness and evictions. Detractors fear that it could ultimately have the opposite effect, translating to higher costs for renters and stymieing new housing development.

The bill includes an annual rent increase cap of 7% for residential tenants and places limits on late and move-in fees for manufactured homes.

Construction under 12 years old and nonprofit-owned housing would be exempt, and landlords would have to give 90 days’ notice before raising rent. If a landlord violates the law, a tenant could take them to court — as long as they have first given the landlord an opportunity via written demand to comply with the cap.

Macri called the policy that passed the House floor Monday a “lifeline.”

“It’s also a balanced approach that gives our landlords predictability,” she continued. “There’s no single thing that we can do on this House floor which will solve our housing crisis. … But we must give people stability. We must give people stability right now.”

Michele Thomas, director of policy and advocacy for the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance, said excessive rent increases are at the root of the state’s eviction and affordable-housing crisis.

“Evictions are at an all time high, and more and more households are struggling to meet their basic needs while landlords take advantage of vulnerable people, including seniors and families with young children,” Thomas added in a news release.

House Majority Whip Alex Ramel of Bellingham said tenants fear that extreme jumps in rent can push them to move out of their homes and undermine stability.

State Rep. Jeremie Dufault countered that “certainty is important.”

“I would argue that solvency is more important,” the Selah Republican said. “Our rental housing providers will be insolvent if there’s rampant inflation.”

Other critics say the bill would hamper new multifamily complexes and apartments from being built, and that it would act as a burden for small landlords struggling to afford rising maintenance costs.

Republican Floor Leader April Connors of Kennewick warned the bill would instead destabilize the state’s housing market. Plus, it’d “choke off supply.”

“This is a great bill: It’s a great bill for Idaho, it’s a great bill for Montana and it’s a great bill for Arizona,” Connors said. “Because just the hint of this bill is causing our developers to start moving towards those states.”

The House gave the green light to a similar rent-cap bill last session, but it ran out of gas in the Senate. This time around, with a stronger Democratic majority and fewer moderate opponents, the odds appear better.

The Senate Housing Committee approved the upper-chamber companion bill last month.

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