Find the latest summaries and policy updates for all multifamily housing regulations and policies.
Now that the 2023 legislative session is complete, and we have had time to digest all that happened, WMFHA will be hosting a Legislative Wrap-Up Webinar on July 12. The webinar will give a brief overview of what transpired during the session, including the failure of several rent control and... Continue Reading
Well, we can finally check off the 2023 legislative session and say that we had a pretty successful run this year. What started out as a pretty nerve-racking session with many bills introduced that took direct aim at our industry, ended up being a fairly benign session with only a few bills... Continue Reading
This summary of the Washington Residential Landlord-Tenant Act was created by Joe Puckett, founding Board Member and former Director of Government Affairs. Each year, to coincide with the Virtual Legal Symposium (VSL), this document is updated, summarizing new laws passed by the Washington... Continue Reading
May 19 is the filing deadline for local, city and county, elected races. Although WMFHA has traditionally focused mostly on state races, with recent actions at city and county councils, it has become imperative that we, as an association, start becoming more active in these races. The WMFHA PAC... Continue Reading
The Government Affairs Committee (GAC) created two ad hoc subcommittees, the Seattle Economic Displacement Relocation Assistance (EDRA) and Required Notification committees. The EDRA subcommittee is tasked with discussing appeals and implementation of the Economic Displacement Relocation... Continue Reading
The Seattle Office of Housing has updated their requirements for “holding deposits” for MFTE units after receiving feedback from housing providers. As of April 2021, MFTE communities were only able to collect a holding deposit of $100 for MFTE units upon application. In addition,... Continue Reading
Seattle Councilmember Kshama Sawant is urging her supports to sign a petition to pass rent control in Seattle and is drafting an ordinance so it can be rubber stamped by her Sustainability and Renter’s Rights Committee before moving to the full council. Although it wouldn’t... Continue Reading
We are still accepting candidates for the Public Affairs Manager position at WMFHA. This position supports our association’s visible and proactive government affairs engagement with priority jurisdictions throughout Washington State, working with elected officials, stakeholders, and public... Continue Reading
On Tuesday March 21, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that s key portion of a Seattle law meant to guard against housing discrimination is unconstitutional. In their ruling, they found that barring landlords from asking prospective tenants about “any arrest record, conviction... Continue Reading
On April 11, the Seatac City Council passed Ordinance #23-1009 which added most of the tenant protections contained in the “ARCH” proposal. There were a number of amendments, with 5 being adopted. The specifics: 120 day notice for 3% increase, 180 day notice for 8%... Continue Reading
Recently, Seattle has started charging an $85 filing feel to appeal EDRA applications. After review, this is allowed by ordinance. It must be noted that an appeal won’t be considered until the fee has been paid which must be filed within 10 days of the directors decision on the initial... Continue Reading
In July 2021, King County enacted Ordinance 19311, which created several new tenant protections in unincorporated King County. The ordinance requires the King County Executive to develop standardized eviction notices for landlords to use when terminating a tenancy. The new notices were published... Continue Reading
