120 Day Notification for
ALL Rent Increases 
Scheduled for FINAL Hearing on March 13

Take Action Now

Bill 23636 - Rental Agreement Regulations

• Changes notification requirement from rent increases over 10% to all rent increases
• Changes notification requirement from 60 days to 120 days

Provide Your Input For the Council Meeting

To speak during a Public Hearing or the Public Comment Session, advance registration is encouraged. Speakers who register in advance will be called on first. Registration can be made by visiting https://cob.org/ccsignup. Speakers may participate via the following options:

•                     In person: Members of the public may come to the Council Chambers located at City Hall, 210 Lottie St., Bellingham.

•                     Remotely via Zoom: Click the following link to launch the Zoom meeting and follow staff instructions at the time of the hearing or public comment period: https://cob.org/cczoom.

•                     Remotely via phone: Call (253) 215-8782 and enter Meeting ID 839 2153 4374 and Password 9. Follow staff instructions at the time of the hearing or public comment period.

Before a Meeting:

Advance written Public Hearing testimony and general written Public Comment can be presented to the Council:

• Online:
  • For a public hearing: https://cob.org/publichearing
  • For general public comment: https://cob.org/ccpubliccomment

Drafting Your Talking Points

• Please use your personal experiences, stories and anecdotes when writing or talking to your councilor about the proposal. These are more effective than canned or boilerplate testimony.
• The following points will be helpful in preparing your testimony and talking points:
  • We are in a housing crisis and the only sustainable solution is increased supply, which the bill does the opposite:
    • Every new burdensome restriction and requirement causes housing providers to leave the market and dis-incentivizes new development
  • Burdensome and does not align with rental property operations
  • Do not know what operating costs, market conditions or other circumstances impacting operational costs are going to be six months out
  • Property taxes are posted one or two times a year with only four months’ notice
  • Insurance premiums change once or twice a year with only 30-60 days’ notice
  • Housing providers will have to mitigate risk by assuming and noticing larger annual rent increases than may be necessary to protect their ability to charge the appropriate amount six months later

• These regulations place a significant and unwarranted burden on housing providers – especially small landlords, which leads to unintended consequences including higher than expected rent increases and the stagnation or reversal of rental unit development at a time when supply is the biggest issue facing our region