Advocacy News

Last week, Carter was in Eastern Washington alongside other WMFHA team members to attend EdCon East, as well as the Eastern Executive Council meeting. While there, she provided a legislative session and election preparation update as well as engaged members as to what they are seeing in their area... Continue Reading

Eastside Real Estate Symposium The WMFHA advocacy team recently attended the 2024 Eastside Real Estate Symposium hosted by the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce. The annual event highlights commercial real estate trends, housing supply and affordability and broader economic market signals. The event... Continue Reading

With legislative session over, the Government Affairs Committee (GAC), recently turned its focus to a few important election year issues; the Ban the Gas Ban Initiative, the Eastern Washington redistricting quagmire, and the campaign to elect Senator Mark Mullet as Washington’s next... Continue Reading

If you build it, they will come. Whether that refers to WMFHA’s recent Legislative Session Wrap-Up Webinar or the robust state level advocacy program, we’ll take it. Senators Annette (D-Vancouver) and Chris Gildon (R-Puyallup) and Representatives Andrew Barkis (R-Lacey) and Amy Walen... Continue Reading

The WMFHA PAC works to get multi-family friendly officials elected to office. With damaging legislation on the rise, WMFHA PAC is more important than ever. At a recent WMFHA PAC meeting members voted to financially support the following campaigns and groups: Jim Henderson – LD 26... Continue Reading

WMFHA Director of Government Affairs, Ryan Makinster, was recently named to the Up for Growth Action Board of Directors. The group is singularly focused on leading federal legislation to eliminate barriers and increase resources for housing production. The board represents expertise across all... Continue Reading

A new proposal requiring housing providers give renters a minimum of 180 days’ notice when increasing their rent made the news on Monday in Spokane. Currently, housing providers must give tenants 60 days’ notice for rent increases. Councilmember Paul Dillon announced this proposal to... Continue Reading

Each year the National Apartment Association (NAA) hosts Advocate- their annual advocacy conference- where NAA members gather at Capitol Hill to network, to learn issues, and collectively take action. All WMFHA members are automatically members of NAA. As Congress settles into Capitol Hill, this... Continue Reading

As of March 7, Legislative Session in the state of Washington officially come to a close. After a hard fought 60 days with the multifamily housing industry at the forefront of a couple of high visibility bills, we came out victorious. The highlight was once again stopping rent control in it's... Continue Reading

We are stronger and more successful when we work together and bring more lived experience in to one room. In DC, we connected with association members and leadership from all over the country. We are seeing a lot of the same policy ideas throughout the nation, and most relevant for us, on the west... Continue Reading

Last year, the City of Spokane joined jurisdictions across the state in passing additional regulations on the housing industry. We are now starting to receive feedback on the effects of this policy from our members. Included in these negative effects is the frustration with encouraging residents... Continue Reading

We are already actively engaged in the Washington gubernatorial race, as well as following many other races across our state as candidates announce. This is where the WMFHA PAC plays a pivotal role for us. Our PAC dollars go to champions of the multifamily housing and those who make sure we have a... Continue Reading

Earlier this month, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell announced a proposal that would vastly change housing throughout Seattle in the next 20 years. The “One Seattle Plan” would put Seattle in line with a bill adopted by the state legislature in 2023. The bill – HB 1110 – is... Continue Reading

Legislative Update 9 - The End of Session Continue Reading

Over the last few months, WMFHA, under the National Apartment Association’s (NAA) lead and with support from other multi-family housing associations and housing providers (including Weidner Apartment Homes, GRE Downtowner LLC, and the Apartment Owners Association of California, Inc.), was given the Continue Reading

As the Washington State Legislature starts to wrap up, everything starts going at an even faster rate during a short session. This week we saw what is called the Opposite House of Origin Policy Committee Cutoff, which means that if the bill was originally introduced in the House of Representatives... Continue Reading

WMFHA and PAH release rent control reports Continue Reading

Your voice matters, even if you are not sure how your experience can add to the conversation. Case in point, two supplier members Katie Phelan-Chostner, 1UP Floors, and Chris Dukelow, CredHub, knocked it out of their park with their recent testimony in Olympia. Their testimony was instrumental in... Continue Reading

The most bills ever to be presented in a legislative session in Washington, short or long. That’s a lot to keep track of- but our team is on it! We are a few weeks from knowing what bills will become law, and what will go away. Do you want to hear an overview on all the things that went down... Continue Reading

We had great representation from a few members on the eastside of the state, which helped us get meetings with our legislators from east of the mountains. Special thank you to Libby Patton, Amanda Gunn, Michael Sinitsa and Tim Braun. Thank you for making the trip and for representing our industry... Continue Reading

Our 2024 Day on the Hill was the biggest yet and proven very successful! Continue Reading

Hopefully you’ve been receiving all the Action Alerts and updates from our GA team. Those alerts- and our ability to continue the fight against bad policy- is largely supported by PAC contributions. We work to maintain relationships with legislators outside of legislative session, and the... Continue Reading

Beginning this month, the City of Tacoma is hosting seven tutorial sessions covering the City's updated Rental Housing Code, the new Landlord Fairness Code, how those codes work together, and what it all means for anyone who owns, operates, or rents residential property within the Tacoma City... Continue Reading

Every year, to incentivize NAA PAC contributions from the general membership, NAA puts together a sweepstakes that offers some awesome prizes. This year’s prizes are pretty jaw dropping…you could win a trip to Greece or a luxury Broadway trip to New York City! For just $25 apiece or... Continue Reading

House of Origin Cutoff, what's alive, what's hanging on, and what's dead. Continue Reading

Fiscal cutoff is a passed, but some priority bills are still alive. Continue Reading

The Partnership for Affordable Housing Shares Economic Report - Rent Growth Cap Will be Detrimental to Washington Seattle, WASH. -- (February 7, 2024) – The Partnership for Affordable Housing (PAH), a 501c (4) non-profit coalition of housing providers and business groups in... Continue Reading

Week four, and policy committee cutoff is behind us. Also another successful day on the hill with over 150 members joining us to educate legislators on our industry and how proposed legislation will affect our ability to provide housing to Washingtonians. Good news is that SB 5961, the Senate... Continue Reading

WMFHA members answered the call to ADVOCATE! This past Tuesday (January 30th), over 160 WMFHA members and staff spent the day at the Capitol in Olympia meeting with 66 legislators from the House and Senate, and the Lieutenant Governor of Washington, to advocate on behalf of the multi-family... Continue Reading

Week three is done and the first committee cut-off date looms large. The policy committee cutoff date is next Friday, which means that any bills that are not required to implement the budget need to be out of the committees in their house of origin by Friday or are dead (although some shenanigans... Continue Reading

Last year, the City of Spokane joined jurisdictions across the state in passing additional regulations on the housing industry. We are now starting to receive feedback on the effects of this policy from our members. Included in these negative effects is the frustration with encouraging residents... Continue Reading

If you or your company has made a PAC contribution from a corporate account, Washington law requires a “Certification of Contribution” to be completed. You or your accounting department will receive this... Continue Reading

The 2024 Legislative Session convened on Monday January 8 and will run for 60 days through March 7 at midnight. With the short session, everything is starting sooner and moving faster. 491 bills and resolutions were pre-filed in the House and Senate, with the majority of topics outside the scope... Continue Reading

Your advocacy team and fellow industry leaders had no time to rest at the start of this session. With a House and Senate version of rent control scheduled for hearings in the first week, the team and our stakeholder partners had to activate on short notice to address the biggest threat to our... Continue Reading

If you missed the 2024 Legislative Preview, we have you covered. On January 3, Senator Mark Mullet and Representative April Connors joined the WMFHA advocacy team for our session preview webinar. In addition to hearing from them about the upcoming session, the advocacy team provided a brief... Continue Reading

Join us for a pre-briefing webinar tomorrow to hear about the legislative process and what to expect at Day on the Hill! If you are registered for Day on the Hill, don’t forget that you need to either tune in live, or watch the recording prior to January 30. This will allow attendees to be... Continue Reading

Despite significant opposition from WMFHA members and others in the multifamily housing industry, Shoreline City Council approved a new ordinance on December 11 that established tenant protections for renters in Shoreline. While this wasn’t a win for us, it showcased valuable member... Continue Reading

At the Government Affairs Committee meeting on December 14th, members voted to adopt our 2024 Legislative Agenda. The document is a high-level policy one-pager intended to guide our advocacy efforts in Olympia, inform our members of our policy positions as well as the public and elected officials.... Continue Reading

Last week, part of the WMFHA team popped over to Spokane to meet with the Executive Council and to celebrate the holidays at the Giving Gala, benefitting Vanessa Behan. It was a productive trip consisting of planning for next year and a very successful Gala, as well as a Day on the Hill pitch. ... Continue Reading

What is the WMFHA PAC? And more importantly- why should you care? Continue Reading

Senator Mark Mullet and Representative Spencer Hitchins will be joining the WMFHA advocacy team for our pre-session webinar on January 3rd from 9:00-10:30 am. In addition to hearing from the legislatures about the expect from the 2024 session, the advocacy tram will also be providing a brief... Continue Reading

Shoreline City Council passed tenant protections on December 11, despite significant opposition from housing providers in Shoreline, WMFHA, and other housing associations . This new ordinance establishes new protections for Shoreline tenants, in addition to those already provided under the... Continue Reading

The City of Tacoma Landlord Fairness Code Initiative, formerly referred to as Measure 1, went into affect on December 8. The city recently added or updated a number of resources on their site including the required forms. In addition to participating in city and housing provider led meetings... Continue Reading

Olympia’s City Council heard a proposal for a rental registry and inspection program at their meeting on November 14. Continue Reading

Shoreline’s City Council is hearing a proposal for tenant protections at their November 20 meeting. Continue Reading

On Sunday, November 12, a group of WMFHA members met with Representatives Alex Ramel and David Hackney to discuss solutions to the current housing crisis and to provide feedback on Rep. Ramel’s HB 1389 “Rent Control” legislation. The group represented a broad swath of our... Continue Reading

Although election results aren’t officially certified until November 28, for practical purposes all races have been decided. Although the status quo of many councils has been maintained, there are a few changes that should have a significant impact. For example, we know that Seattle City... Continue Reading

Deputy Mayor Kevin Schilling recently joined the WMFHA Government Affairs Committee to give an update on the Burien City Council and the state of housing in the city. He highlighted numerous affordable housing projects recently opened or approved, highlighting the success of public/private... Continue Reading

Last week, NAA President and CEO Bob Pinnegar, CAE, informed local GA staff and leadership that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a notice of public rulemaking, which would prohibit “hidden and falsely advertised fees” and require all-in pricing across industries, including... Continue Reading

On Tuesday, October 10, the Seattle Chamber Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce released the latest findings from “The Index”, it bi-annual survey that gauges public sentiment on the quality of life in Seattle. The poll is instrumental in city council campaign efforts and points to... Continue Reading

The WMFHA Board of Directors recently voted to endorse a number of local candidates for city offices. Continue Reading

The No on Tacoma Measure 1 committee, which WMFHA is engaged in, recently released series of ads encouraging Tacoma voters to voter down Measure 1. Continue Reading

On Tuesday September 19, WMFHA hosted a webinar educating attendees on the state’s recently announced Washington EV Charging Program (WAEVCP). And it is already showing success. WMFHA member LED Trail has already met with 5 members on 6 projects to discuss eligibility and planning for... Continue Reading

Your GA team has been staying busy with events all over the region. Continue Reading

As we are gearing up for session in January, your GA team is meeting with legislators all over the state. Continue Reading

At Washington Apartment Outlook (WAO) this morning, WMFHA’s 2023 President, Tali Reiner, presented Senator Mark Mullet (D-Issaquah) with our 2023 Legislator of the Year Award. This is the highest honor given to an active legislator from WMFHA in recognition and acknowledgement of their... Continue Reading

On Tuesday September 19, WMFHA hosted a webinar educating attendees on the state’s recently announced Washington EV Charging Program (WAEVCP). Created through $64 million of state funding, the program includes $28.8 million of grant funding to support multi-family housing infrastructure,... Continue Reading

On Wednesday August 30, Pierce County Superior Court Judge Timothy Ashcraft ruled that “Measure Two,” the city of Tacoma’s tenant protection measure competing against “Measure 1 (Tacoma Initiative 2023-1),” be removed from the November ballot. With this legal... Continue Reading

The Eastside Business Alliance is the region's most effective organization for electing thoughtful, nonpartisan, pro-jobs leaders on the Eastside. Ryan Makinster, our Director of Government Affairs, sits on the board of the EBA on behalf of WMFHA. Because of our involvement in the EBA, our... Continue Reading

After a brief break for August, our Government Affairs Committee was back in full force last week. The committee voted to contribute to a NAIOP Washington campaign to support an effort to forego the 10-15% energy code efficiency “bump” above state mandated requirements. The group... Continue Reading

Our Government Affairs team is traveling all over the state meeting with legislators before session begins. We are excited to be in Eastern Washington Monday and Tuesday of next week and to engage our membership operating in that part of the state. We are hosting two Advocate Meet & Greets,... Continue Reading

On February 27, the Spokane city council passed two tenant protection ordinances, C36330 and C36366. C36330, which created a rental registration program that included a $15/door fee went into effect 30 days later. C36366, included the creation of a Spokane specific “portable... Continue Reading

With HB 1074, which changed how you collect, record, process and return security deposits fully in place, we thought this would be a good time to offer a few things for you to consider and a request. Lease renewals are new leases so they will need to comply with the requirements of HB... Continue Reading

The NAA Click & Lease Program will be updated on September 27 to include several changes to the lease forms. The Release Notes, which are accessible when logged into your NAA Click & Lease Program, include copies of these upcoming forms. Form changes listed here. Should you have any... Continue Reading

The Seattle Office of Housing has updated its website to include the current Renters Insurance Allowance. The website now links to one easy to read document that includes the most current Renters Insurance and Utility Allowance. If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to... Continue Reading

As part of our efforts to address the rising cost of compliance and increasing regulatory oversight, our WMFHA GA staff have been active in a stakeholder group that seeks to achieve a reasonable energy code as adopted by the Washington State Building Code Council (SBCC). The group is made up of... Continue Reading

On Monday September 18, WMFHA hosted Senator Mark Mullet, candidate for Washington Governor, in our offices. The event was attended by Board of Directors, Government Affairs and Political Action Committee members. It provided a chance for Senator Mullet to explain his platform, support for the... Continue Reading

As we have seen over the last 12 months, political action is not only required at the state level, but in city council chambers as well. We cannot remain solely focused on Olympia, we need to continue to expand our election efforts to the local level, as well as by endorsing and supporting county... Continue Reading

The Board of Directors of the Washington Multi-Family Housing Association (WMFHA) voted and approved the association’s endorsement of Senator Mark Mullet (D-Issaquah) for Governor. With this endorsement, WMFHA will be actively supporting Sen. Mark Mullet’s 2024 gubernatorial campaign... Continue Reading

On Friday July 28, King 5 news reporter Erica Zucco interviewed WMFHA Director of Government Affairs Ryan Makinster for story titled “Debate continues as Seattle rent control measure approaches vote.” The story, which aired the same day and re-aired prior to the Tuesday August 1 vote,... Continue Reading

On Tuesday, August 1st, multi-family government affairs, affiliate executives and legal professionals descended upon the Omni Hotel in downtown Chicago to discuss current legislative and legal issues, exchange ideas and promote best practices to support our industry locally, statewide, and at the... Continue Reading

On August 1, the Seattle City Council, by a vote of 5-2, killed Councilmember Sawant’s ill-conceived rent control “trigger” law, ordinance CB 120606 with Councilmembers Nelson, Herbold, Strauss, Lewis, Peterson, and Juarez voting against passage, Mosqueda excused, and Sawant and... Continue Reading

On August 2nd, Tacoma for All, a renters’ rights group, filed suit against the City of Tacoma, Pierce County, and the county auditor to have “Measure Two”, the city of Tacoma’s competing tenant protection measure, removed from the November ballot. Last month, the... Continue Reading

WMFHA’s Political Action Committee (PAC) supports candidates who share our views on industry issues. Our PAC gives us opportunities to gain access to elected officials and educate them on the positive and negative consequences of proposed legislation. Included with your membership renewal... Continue Reading

The 2023 election could be a watershed for politics in Seattle. Due to growing frustration with the Council’s ideological, rather than solution oriented, policy decisions, the majority of Seattle voters want a change. Couple that with 7 seats up for grabs, with a majority of those being... Continue Reading

In addition to Seattle, the WMFHA PAC and GAC have designated three other cities as priority jurisdictions: Bellevue, Spokane, and Tacoma. The primary results in these jurisdictions are below. Bellevue No Primary Races Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown ... Continue Reading

WMFHA PAC has also listed a few jurisdictions as ones to watch. After reviewing the primary results, the committee will decide which, if any races, WMFHA should participate in. BurienPosition 2Linda Akey 31.88%Cydney Moore (i) 28.27% Position... Continue Reading

Important Update on Seattle’s Rent Control Trigger Ordinance WMFHA’s government affairs team has maintained a very watchful eye on Seattle City Councilmember (CM) Kshama Sawant’s rent control trigger ordinance, playing a significant part in the lobbying that has occurred... Continue Reading

Tacoma Tenant Protections Take Effect July 24, 2023 Continue Reading

Although WMFHA has not endorsed Seattle city council candidates for the primary, GA staff have been active in candidate interviews through the Seattle Chamber and other loosely affiliated business groups. Through the process business leaders have recognized stand outs in each race that align with... Continue Reading

The Washington Multi-Family Housing Association (WMFHA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Carter Nelson as its new Public Affairs Manager, effective July 10, 2023. Carter brings a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of housing policy and advocacy to her role at WMFHA. As Public... Continue Reading

What happens if you host a webinar, and nobody comes? We don’t know because we had almost 100 attendees for the 2023 Legislative Update Webinar. On Wednesday, July 12 WMFHA Education and Government Affairs team members updated members on the recent bills passed during the 2023 legislative... Continue Reading

On Monday June 19, WMFHA GA staff joined fellow real estate industry advocates to discuss priorities for the upcoming legislative session. Hosted by the Washington Business Property Association, the annual WREC meeting is a chance for real estate and property rights advocates to discuss concerns... Continue Reading

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

The 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

Seattle City Council Member Sara Nelson will join the WMFHA Government Affairs Committee on Thursday June 15 from 12:30-2 to give an update on industry issues in Seattle and to hear members’ concerns about current processes in Seattle. She will update members on her role as Vice-Chair of... Continue Reading

Mike Kingsella, CEO of Up for Growth will join the WMFHA Government Affairs Committee at its June meeting on Thursday, June 15 from 12:30-2 to discuss the partnership of WMFHA and Up for Growth and give an update on the current initiatives Up for Growth is executing. WMFHA and Up for Growth have... Continue Reading

Tacoma recently had a work session on proposed “Tenant Protections” legislation. Although it is not currently scheduled for first reading before council, that action is expected to happen at an upcoming council meeting, possibly as early as next week. Ryan Makinster, Director of... Continue Reading

WMFHA along with a number of trade association and multi-family developers sent a letter to the Kirkland Planning Commission highlighting concerns NE 85th St Station Area Plan Affordable Housing Requirements as proposed by ARCH and city staff. Specifically, the coalition is concerned with the... Continue Reading

WMFHA and NAA Seeking Case Studies for White House Resident-Centered Housing Challenge 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

With less than 4 days left in session, it looks like we only have one major bill left in play, HB 1628, otherwise known as the “REET increase bill.” The removal of the state pre-emption on local rent caps did not reappear, nor did the multiple versions of extended notification for... Continue Reading

On Tuesday, Seattle Ctty Council passed a cap of $10 on late fees for rent. The proposal by Councilmember Kshama Sawant had been amended in committee, to 1.5% or $50 flat fee, by Councilmember Sara Nelson, but was amended back to the original proposal during the full council meeting. Although... Continue Reading

A broad coalition of interest groups and associations, including WMFHA, have been working together for the past month. The group has taken a multi-pronged approach to confronting the REET increase legislation under consideration in Olympia. In addition to the multimedia campaign and commercial... Continue Reading

During the week of March 27, WMFHA staff and several members traveled to Washington, DC for the annual Advocate conference hosted by NAA. In addition to the NAA board meeting, that focused on policy and advocacy issues, NAA members and more specifically WMFHA members, spent a day on the hill... Continue Reading

In February, Partnership for Affordable Housing (PAH), a coalition aligned to fight rent control, developed a new campaign to address the ren control efforts under consideration in Olympia. PAH also exists to fight rent control at all levels in Washington, including any effort to pass a statewide... Continue Reading

WMFHA Members Step Up Big to Support NAAPAC Every year, NAA asks local affiliates to support its federal advocacy efforts through its “Fund our Future” program. The minimum suggested annual contribution is based on affiliate membership size. With a minimum suggested contribution of... Continue Reading

On March 27th, the Spokane City Council overrode Mayor Nadine Woodward’s veto of C36366, paving the way for the ordinances to take affect April 26. However, both bills are dependent on the city putting into place a myriad of programs to enforce the new laws, create and manage the funds and... Continue Reading

On the recommendation of the Government Affairs Committee (GAC) the WMFA Board of Directors (BOD) recently created a permanent position for an Eastern Washington Representative on the GAC. Although the committee doesn’t have designated seats, generally, the GAC and BOD felt it was important... 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

Bills that would have capped rent increases to CPI or 7%, whichever is lower failed to pass out of the Senate and House prior to the “house of origin cutoff.” By not passing the floor, these bills have stalled and are extremely unlikely to pass this year. Continue Reading

HB 1124, which would have required 180 notice was placed on the House Floor Calendar for a vote, but eventually failed to pass when it wasn’t brought up prior the “origin of house” cutoff. Continue Reading

Over 80 WMFHA members joined WMFHA staff, the Board of Directors, and our lobbyists for an exciting and fruitful day on the hill in Olympia. Continue Reading

The two bills, one House and one Senate, that would have removed the state preemption on town, city and county rent control failed to pass out of their first committee of referral. Continue Reading

WMFHA Government Affairs Director Ryan Makinster and WMFHA member, Kevin Weishaar, VP, Mercy Housing Management Group testified before the Senate Housing Committee on the Security Deposit acceptance and return process at the request of the Chairwoman, Senator Patty Kuderer. Continue Reading

On March 13, the Bellingham City Council passed an ordinance that requires all rent increases to be preceded by a 120 day notification. Continue Reading

On February 27, the Spokane Council passed two ordinances, C36330 and C36366 with Mayor Nadine Woodward vetoing the second one on March 16, 2023. Continue Reading

The Release Notes, which are accessible when logged into your NAA Click & Lease Program, include copies of these upcoming forms. Continue Reading

Where to Find Legislative Updates and Action Alerts Continue Reading

Due to the effort of WMFHA, RHA, Spokane Realtors, Landlord Association – Inland NW, and many individual members, the Spokane City Council originally delayed passage of tenant protection ordinance 36330 from December 5, 2022 to January 23, 2023 in order to have stakeholder meetings and a... Continue Reading

We don’t have a rent problem; we have a supply problem. Due to decades of increasing regulation, artificially constrained land supply and ever-increasing inefficiencies in permitting, the creation of units has not kept up with demand. In fact, the WA Dept of Commerce recently estimated that... Continue Reading

Although less onerous, but still very detrimental to our industry, several “tenant protection” bills have also been filed with some already having been heard and moved out of committee. HB 1074 (Moved out of Housing Committee on a party line vote after amendment to statute of... Continue Reading

As you are probably aware there are several bills that although euphemistically labeled “Rent Stabilization” are, in fact, rent control. Three bills, HB 1388, HB 1389, and SB 5435 all attempt to create a statewide cap on rent increase. HB 1625 and SB 5615, the nuclear option, would... Continue Reading

This measure would create the “Seattle Social Housing Developer” as a public development authority (PDA) to develop, own and maintain social housing in Seattle, with all the powers available to PDAs under local and state law. Social housing means publicly owned and financed... Continue Reading

On Januarary 25, the White House announced a new plan to protect renters and promote affordability. NAA participated in a White House call previewing the Administration’s blueprint for advancing a “renter’s bill of rights,” an explicit campaign promise from President... Continue Reading

Although, now officially a lame duck, Seattle City Council Member Kshama Sawant led a discussion on legislation limiting late fees at the January 20 “Sustainability and Renters Rights Committee. (video)” Pointing to a need to protect renters without providing data or even a proposed... Continue Reading

Click and Lease 30 day notice update (Recent Cares Act Court Decision) Continue Reading

After hearing from WMFHA, housing providers and industry partners, Spokane City Council delays vote on tenant protection ordinance 36330. With first council discussion at the November, 21 2022 City Council briefing session, the ordinance was on the fast track to be passed at the December 5 City... Continue Reading

On Monday, December 5 the WA Court of Appeals published their opinion in Yemeserach Gebreseralse v. Columbia Debt Relief. The court found, in this circumstance, that the security deposit couldn't be fully forfeit due to the tenant’s failure to give notice and must, at least in portion, be... Continue Reading

Notice of Recent CARES Act Notice to Vacate Appeals Court Opinion - On Monday, December 5 the WA Court of Appeals published their opinion in Sherwood Auburn LLC v. Joel Pinzon and Rosa Mendez. This will require landlords, that are subject to the CARES Act, to modify the state court 14-day... Continue Reading

At the December 8 Government Affairs Committee meeting, WMFHA contract lobbyist Kathryn Hedrick presented “Legislation 1010 and Session Preview.” The presentation was a primer for some and reminder for others on the legislative makeup, the process of bill creation, drafting and... Continue Reading

WMFHA Director of Government Affairs Ryan Makinster and Consultant Kathryn Hedrick recently met with Democratic members of the “pragmatic” caucus during the Jackson Legacy Fund Reception in Olympia. As sponsors of the exclusive pre-reception social hour, WMFHA was able to discuss... Continue Reading

The NAA Assembly of Delegates was held November 14-17 in Norfolk, Virginia with several WMFHA members and staff in attendance. The Assembly of Delegates (AOD) is composed of up to two hundred and fifty (250) delegates from the NAA’s ten regions. AOD is NAA’s largest business meeting... Continue Reading

The roundtable was an opportunity for stakeholders to discuss housing affordability and supply issues as well as solutions designed to address the crisis, including the YIMBY Act. Continue Reading

57-41 and 29-20 majorities in both the House and Senate respectively. Continue Reading

On Tuesday November 1st WMFHA ‘s Director of Government Affairs, Ryan Makinster and Lobbyist Krystelle Purkey attended a housing roundtable in Olympia hosted by Lt. Governor Denny Heck & Senator Yasmin Trudeau. After opening remarks by Lt. Governor Heck and Senator Trudeau, Dr. Mike... Continue Reading

We know housing and affordability issues will take center stage with lawmakers. Partners for Affordable Housing (PAH), our coalition of organizations with shared interests on housing, is working now to prepare our industry to strategically engage on these critical issues through advocacy. Continue Reading

The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries announced that the state’s minimum wage will increase to $15.74 starting Jan. 1, 2023. Continue Reading

On Monday October 24, the Burien City Council passed a new “Tenant Protection” Ordinance with several requirements/prohibitions. Unfortunately, the council, through emergency action, chose an immediate effective date of October 28, so we want to make you aware so you can update your... Continue Reading

On Monday, October 17, the Port Townsend City Council passed a new “Tenant Protection” Ordinance with a notice of rent increase requirment. Unfortunately, the council chose an immediate effective date of October 24, so we want to make you aware so you can update your processes to... Continue Reading

On Tuesday, October 11, Mayor Harrell announced that the Seattle COVID Civil Emergency Proclamation will end October 31. With the end of the state of emergency, many of the Covid related restrictions specific to Seattle, will change or go away. Key changes: Rent Installment Plan requirement... Continue Reading

The Committee will review and provide direction on policy and regulatory issues of interest to the multi-family residential and associated industries. The committee will also recommend legal action, policy positions and state and local legislative priorities to the WMFHA Board of Directors. Continue Reading

Thankfully, due to WMFHA GA and member efforts, the council chose to apply an effective date of October 5 as well as protections for renewal notices provided prior to that date. Continue Reading

At their Tuesday night meeting, the Newcastle city council voted 4-3 against adopting a set of tenant protection proposals pushed region wide by A Regional Coalition for Housing (ARCH). The ordinance championed by Newcastle Councilor Paul Charbonneau would have implemented the full package of ARCH... Continue Reading

City of Issaquah – Notice of “Tenant Protections”: Changes Effective October 5 Continue Reading

Remaining Covid Emergency Orders and State of Emergency to End by October 31, Governor Inslee Announces Continue Reading

On Tuesday, August 16, the Olympia City Council passed a new “Tenant Protection” Ordinance” with several requirements/prohibitions. Thankfully, due to WMFHA GA efforts, the council chose to apply a delayed effective date for the notification requirements. The adopted ordinance... Continue Reading

On Wednesday, August 3, the Kirkland City Council passed a new “Tenant Protection” Ordinance with several requirements/prohibitions. Thankfully, due to WMFHA GA and member efforts, the council chose to apply a delayed effective date of September 18 as well as protections for renewal... Continue Reading

On Monday July 25, the Kenmore City Council passed a new “just cause” ordinance with several requirements/prohibitions regarding evictions and tenancy termination. The effective date is Wednesday August 24, 2022. Just Cause A landlord shall not evict or attempt to evict any... Continue Reading

On Tuesday July 19, the Redmond City Council passed a new “Tenant Protection” Ordinance with several requirements/prohibitions. Unfortunately, the council chose an immediate effective date of July 30, so we want to make you aware so you can update your processes to comply. Notice of... Continue Reading

We are only six months into 2022, but the trend of housing providers leaving the Seattle market hasn’t slowed down. According to the latest data from Seattle’s Rental Property Registration database, Seattle continues to experience a decline in rental housing, with a net loss of 313... Continue Reading

Dispute Resolution Centers (DRCs) across the state are tasked with handling mediation between housing providers and residents when issues with lease compliance arise. Unfortunately, many DRCs operate at such a slow pace that instead of finding solutions and providing rental assistance, they are... Continue Reading

And that's a wrap (Sine Die) with the industry victorious! Continue Reading

Seattle sheds 9,759 more rental units, adds only 27 units... Continue Reading

Take a look at these three local housing providers that share their reflections, expectations, and how they are moving forward post-moratorium. Continue Reading

City of Kenmore (Ordinance) Creates a defense to eviction where the rent was unpaid during the public health emergency or a substantial increase in expenses resulting from COVID pandemic. “Resulting from the COVID pandemic” includes: the tenant suffered a loss of employment or a... Continue Reading

On Monday January 10, 2022, the City of Spokane passed an ordinance parroting language directly from the Governor's expired eviction moratorium. Taking us back in time, the ordinance requires the following: For rent owing from February 29, 2020 – July 31, 2021: Prohibits serving a 14-day... Continue Reading

Seattle's population grew by about 50,000 people between July 2018 and May 2021, but the city saw a net loss of 785 rental properties according to Seattle’s Rental Property Registration database. Continue Reading

Governor Inslee’s eviction “Bridge” is scheduled to end on October 31. Continue Reading

We have defined this terminology below to better inform our members and the housing industry, tenants of our communities and residential property managers. Continue Reading

To help meet renters’ needs in the current multifamily housing climate, cities and states are starting to take a closer look at move-in affordability and, specifically, security deposit requirements. Continue Reading

In many places across the state, rents are still below pre-pandemic levels, yet costs for housing providers have continued to rise. Those increased costs directly impact the cost of rent. Continue Reading

Here's what you need to know... Continue Reading

Under the “Bridge Moratorium,” August 2021 provides a change of responsibilities for both the housing provider and tenant. Continue Reading

On Tuesday, June 29, the King County Council passed an ordinance creating local tenant protections for parts of unincorporated King County. Continue Reading

On Tuesday, June 29, 2021 the Governor published an updated moratorium on evictions, dubbed the “Bridge Moratorium.” This moratorium expands the ability to terminate a tenancy and returns most managerial functions to rental property managers. Continue Reading

Today, Governor Inslee announced he will be extending the state's eviction moratorium through September 30 by creating a bridge Proclamation.  Continue Reading

On Monday June 7, the Seattle City Council passed a suite of laws further restricting evictions. Continue Reading

The Governor needs to know any extension of the eviction moratorium will affect you and exacerbate the struggles you've experienced over the past year.  Continue Reading

On March 11, 2021, Governor Inslee announced the Healthy Washington - Roadmap to Recovery plan will be transitioning from a regional approach to a county-by-county evaluation process. Continue Reading

Councilmember Kshama Sawant recently proposed an extended ban on evictions pegged to the school year. Continue Reading

Governor Inslee announced Washington will fully reopen by June 30, 2021, if not sooner when the state reaches a 70% vaccination threshold. Continue Reading

We found 90.4% of statewide apartment homes made a full or partial payment by April 30, 2021. Continue Reading

Since the start of COVID-19, the number of housing providers selling or occupying their rental properties in Washington state has increased significantly year-over-year. This increase is largely due to the financial stress the extended eviction moratorium has caused them. Continue Reading

This is part 3 of the legislative update, focusing specifically on the just cause eviction legislation that was passed this year.  Continue Reading

From the start of the pandemic it was clear some sort of legislative action would be necessary to address the return to normality. Continue Reading

Sunday marked the final day (Sine Die) of the 2021, first ever full virtual, legislative session. Since January, the WMFHA Government Affairs team has worked tirelessly on behalf of the rental housing industry to create the best path forward towards recovery and normalcy.  Continue Reading

We found 91.5% of statewide apartment homes made a full or partial payment by March 31, 2021. Continue Reading

Washington state residents continue to see rising property taxes. Continue Reading

A week from Monday, April 5, the legislature must pass policy legislation, or it is considered dead for this legislative session. Continue Reading

Lakewood rental and mortgage assistance and Pierce County rental assistance flyers with more information Continue Reading

Renton, Washington – Washington Multi-Family Housing Association’s (WMFHA) found 94.6% of statewide apartment homes made a full or partial payment by January 31, 2021). The data was collected from the association’s 267,000 professionally managed homes in the state. This is a 2.5... Continue Reading

New data released by King County shows that while the breadth of people behind on rent is historically high, the depth of the challenge may not be as big as many thought. Continue Reading

Monday, February 15, 2021 marked the first policy cutoff in the Washington legislature. The next important cutoff is March 9, when all proposals must be considered by their house of origin. Continue Reading

Governor Inslee Moves Counties to Phase 2 On Thursday, January 28, Governor Inslee announced that two regions will move to Phase 2 of the Healthy Washington - Roadmap to Recovery Plan beginning Monday, February 1. The counties affected are King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties (Puget Sound region),... Continue Reading

2020 will certainly be a year to remember, and a year to forget. Continue Reading

Renton, Washington – Washington Multi-Family Housing Association’s (WMFHA) found 88.23 percent of statewide apartment homes made a full or partial payment by January 14. The data was collected from the association’s 267,000 professionally managed homes in the state. This is a... Continue Reading

The Governor released official Fitness and Training COVID-19 Guidance on Wednesday night. The Guidance describes reopening of unstaffed indoor fitness facilities in Phase 1, based on the below restrictions with one additional restriction - only one person per room. Therefore, in order to reopen... Continue Reading

As legislators convene for a historic 2021 legislative session, we urge them to make housing access, affordability, and market health a top priority. Much focus is on how COVID-19 impacts residents’ ability to pay rent. Similarly, amidst reduced income, many housing providers continue to... Continue Reading

The 2021 state legislature is now in session. Over the next several months policymakers will be deciding some of the most important pieces of legislation in years. Continue Reading

One notable change in the moratorium: housing providers are now able to access rental assistance on behalf of tenants. Continue Reading

Eviction moratorium extended to March 31, 2021 Continue Reading

Washington Multi-Family Housing Association’s (WMFHA) found 85% of statewide apartment homes made a full or partial payment by December 13, 2020. The data was collected from the association’s 267,000 professionally managed homes in the state. Continue Reading

PAH Rent Control Research Presented to State Lawmakers PAH Rent Control Research Presented to State Lawmakers Hi Coalition Members, Last Tuesday, Morgan Shook at ECONorthwest presented the Partnership for Affordable Housing’s rent control report released. Continue Reading

The intense pressures of COVID-19 have exacerbated domestic and family violence, along with addiction and mental health challenges. Continue Reading

Washington Multi-Family Housing Association’s (WMFHA) found 88.6 percent of statewide apartment homes made a full or partial payment by November 13, 2020. The data was collected from the association’s 267,000 professionally managed homes in the state. Continue Reading

The Supreme Court of Washington has authorized the creation of an Early Resolution Program (ERP) for nonpayment of rent cases only. Continue Reading

On Sunday, amid multi-day record breaking positive infection rates, the Governor announced additional restrictions on business activities. These additional restrictions take effect at 11:59 PM on Monday, November 16 and extend through December 14, 2020. Even though the increase in COVID-19 cases... Continue Reading

“We appreciate the investment in rental assistance from the state and King County as well as recent program changes to help support both residents and housing providers. There is more we can do to target protections and assistance to those who are impacted by COVID-19. First, Washington... Continue Reading

On Thursday, October 9, the Governor announced he is extending the state's eviction moratorium to December 31. Continue Reading

Renton, Washington – Washington Multi-Family Housing Association’s (WMFHA) found 88.15 percent of statewide apartment homes made a full or partial payment by October 13, 2020. The data was collected from the association’s 267,000 professionally managed homes in the state. This... Continue Reading

The Governor has issued updated guidance on the use of private, limited use pools that are regulated under the Washington Administrative Code 246-260. These pool facilities can now open with restrictions. You must follow the Department of Health Guidance on the reopening of pools. We continue to... Continue Reading

Rental assistance funds for residents and housing providers impacted by COVID-19 are being made available as part of local CARES Act relief funding. This is positive news for the 1.4 million people experiencing unemployment and the thousands of housing providers who are also struggling to cover cost Continue Reading

When COVID-19 hit Washington, many of HNN’s residents, who are often low-income households, faced job loss or a sudden reduction in income. Continue Reading

Renton, Washington – Washington Multi-Family Housing Association’s (WMFHA) found 90 percent of statewide apartment homes made a full or partial payment by September 13, 2020. The data was collected from the association’s 267,000 professionally managed homes in the state. This... Continue Reading

The city of Auburn unanimously passed a new rental housing code on Tuesday September 8, 2020. The new laws apply to all residential multifamily properties located in the city of Auburn. Continue Reading

Guidance on CDC Order Temporarily Halting Certain Evictions Yesterday, the President’s Administration, via an Agency Order filed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the Federal Register, cited a public health emergency to halt residential evictions across the... Continue Reading

What we don’t need are policies that slash housing creation and living-wage jobs at a time when Washingtonians need it the most. Continue Reading

Rental assistance is now available and accessible in some counties. In order to qualify for the Department of Commerce's Eviction Rent Assistance Program, a tenant must earn 50% AMI or less within the prior 60 days, have at least one month of rent that is unpaid or partially unpaid since March... Continue Reading

Living Access Support Alliance (LASA) is now accepting applications for the Lakewood COVID-19 Rent Assistance program. Continue Reading

Renton, Washington – Washington Multi-Family Housing Association’s (WMFHA) found 90.52 percent of statewide apartment homes made a full or partial payment by August 13, 2020. The data was collected from the association’s 267,000 professionally managed homes in the state. This... Continue Reading

This week Governor Inslee updated Guidance related to the use of indoor fitness centers including gyms, fitness studios, and multi-use indoor fitness facilities, etc. The updated Guidance can be found here. This applies to all counties in Phase 2 of the Governor's Safe Start Program. The Guidance... Continue Reading

The state of Washington has allocated $100 million of CARES Act General Relief Funds to rental assistance and the Department of Commerce has set forth guidelines to make this rental assistance available and accessible to tenants and landlords across the state. Below are details of the program.... Continue Reading

A sweeping package of restrictive new housing laws is sailing through the Auburn City Council that will add to the mounting challenges housing providers are already experiencing as COVID-19 surges back. These laws do not provide residents with critical rental assistance many need to cover their... Continue Reading

Renton, Washington – Washington Multi-Family Housing Association’s (WMFHA) found 91.67 percent of statewide apartment homes made a full or partial payment by July 13, 2020. The data was collected from the association’s 267,000 professionally managed homes in the state. This... Continue Reading

We must work together to address the urgent need for affordable housing in Washington state. WMFHA has joined Partnership for Affordable Housing, a 501(c)4 nonprofit, formed out of a strong and shared interest to come together to provide effective solutions to housing affordability in... Continue Reading

In September 2019, the Seattle City Council passed an ordinance that permits tenants to add additional occupants to existing tenancies. The law passed the City Council unanimously, but the Mayor did not sign the legislation, allowing it to go into effect without her signature. Though we have... Continue Reading

The King County Council on Tuesday passed an ordinance creating additional protections in unlawful detainer proceedings for tenants of residential and commercial tenancies. The law passed 7-2A copy of the ordinance can be found here. The law applies to and affects properties in unincorporated... Continue Reading

Renton, Washington – Washington Multi-Family Housing Association’s (WMFHA) found 90.48 percent of statewide apartment homes made a full or partial payment by June 13, 2020. The data was collected from the association’s 267,000 professionally managed homes in the state. This is... Continue Reading

Several bills passed the legislature which affect the landlord-tenant relationship and housing provider operations. The following is a summary of each policy that passed in 2020. The following bills apply to all residential rental properties in the state of Washington and become effective June... Continue Reading

Late yesterday, Governor Inslee extended the statewide eviction moratorium an additional 60 days to August 1, 2020. A copy of the new eviction moratorium can be found here. Details of the changes can be found below. Despite real evidence that rental payments are largely being made, our members... Continue Reading

We are quickly approaching a moment that will significantly test the resiliency of our housing system amidst COVID-19 and historic unemployment. Eviction moratoriums are beginning to lift in cities and states across the country, yet many people remain out of work. Meanwhile, the extra... Continue Reading

Washington Multi-Family Housing Association conducted a survey of members to understand better the property owner consequences of the Washington Eviction Moratorium. The May survey results found an increase in non-rent material lease violations, including a more than doubling of incidents of... Continue Reading

Renton, Washington – Washington Multi-Family Housing Association’s (WMFHA) found 90.35 percent of statewide apartment homes made a full or partial payment by May 13, 2020. The data was collected from the association’s 267,000 professionally managed homes in the state. This is... Continue Reading

On May 11, 2020, the Seattle City Council passed two more bills affecting the landlord-tenant relationship. The laws become effective immediately upon the Mayor's signature. Each bill is described below. The law applies to properties located in the city of Seattle only. These laws, on top of the... Continue Reading

On Monday May 4, the Seattle City Council passed an ordinance that extends the eviction moratorium for nonpayment an additional 6 months after the Mayor's eviction moratorium terminates. Currently, the city of Seattle's eviction moratorium is set to expire on June 4. This is the same date the... Continue Reading

On April 24, 2020, as an early first step in re-opening Washington's economy, Governor Inslee released a framework to open construction activities. Construction activities will be permissible under certain conditions that focus on the health and safety of the construction workers while ensuring... Continue Reading

Weidner Apartment Homes has grown to include properties in 12 states since opening in Seattle in 1977. When the coronavirus outbreak hit their hometown, they knew the situation was serious. Weidner’s Kirkland office is less than a mile from the nursing home where the outbreak began. As they... Continue Reading

Residents across Washington who are impacted by the economic fallout of COVID-19 are understandably worried about paying rent. With one-third of renters paying partial or no rent in April, and rising unemployment, it’s reasonable to expect that this number will increase in the coming weeks.... Continue Reading

Renton, Washington – Washington Multi-Family Housing Association’s (WMFHA) found 89.46 percent of statewide apartment homes made a full or partial payment by April 13, 2020. The data was collected from the association’s 267,000 professionally managed homes in the state. This is... Continue Reading

The economic impacts of the coronavirus are placing new challenges on both residents and housing providers who must work together to find solutions during this difficult time. Now more than ever, we need to do everything we can to help people remain in their homes while we ensure that our... Continue Reading

Dear WMFHA members,I write to update you on Washington's statewide eviction moratorium. I ask that you share your story with me about how the eviction moratorium is affecting the ability to properly manage your community. As you know, on March 18, Governor Inslee issued Proclamation 20-19 which... Continue Reading

Economic Injurty and Disaster Loans (EIDLs). As Monument notes, the CARES Act temporarily expands eligibility for SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans. What they are: An emergency loan program for federal disasters, including COVID-19. This program offers up to $2 million in assistance for fixed... Continue Reading

Dear WMFHA member,Over the past week, we've been working with our partners in the real estate industry to confirm with the state that residential property management services are considered Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers. I can report that residential property management services are... Continue Reading

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Housing providers are doing everything they can, but a long-term solution is needed to address housing during COVID-19 and beyond. COVID-19 represents a complete shock to Washington’s vital systems, infrastructure, and institutions. The virus is testing our world-class healthcare workers,... Continue Reading

Assistance for Small Businesses Across the United States, multifamily communities are grappling with the COVID-19 outbreak. Social distancing is being put into place, as well as regular deep cleaning of community spaces and changes to daily operations. With April 1 around the corner, many... Continue Reading

Dear valued members,The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) yesterday announced that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the Enterprises will offer mortgage forbearance for multifamily property owners, under the condition that they suspend all evictions for renters who are unable to pay rent because of... Continue Reading

Dear WMFHA members,Today, Governor Inslee announced a shelter-in-place order called Stay Home, Stay Healthy. It goes into effect on Wednesday, March 25 at 5:30 pm. The order does the following: Requires every Washingtonian to stay home unless they need to pursue an essential activity. Bans all... Continue Reading

Last night, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Executive Order N-33-20 mandating all individuals living in California to stay home or at their place of residence to protect public health, exempting certain essential services. This is one example of a policy that could be adopted in our state as... Continue Reading

Dear WMFHA members, Today, Governor Inslee announced a statewide eviction moratorium. The Governor's order prohibits rental housing providers from serving a 14-day notice to pay rent or vacate for default payment of rent. Housing providers are also prohibited from issuing a 20-day notice to... Continue Reading

An update on the coronavirus-related government actions. ***update March 18, 2020 - The WA Supreme Court has ordered a stay of all Writs until April 27, 2020. The following cities have enacted eviction moratoria - Seattle, Kenmore, Everett, Woodinville, and King County (sheriff -... Continue Reading

Support for King County Renters Impacted by COVID-19 King County is experiencing the highest rate of COVID-19 illness in the country and the disease is impacting many elements of daily life. Decisions to cancel or postpone public events or institute building closures are done in the interest of... Continue Reading

Tuesday, March 10, is the Washington Presidential Primary. Your vote matters! Regardless of whether you have voted, housing remains a critical issue for any candidate running for any elected position in Washington. As we move forward to the November election, I strongly encourage you to... Continue Reading

On Tuesday, the House and Senate voted on three landlord-tenant bills. For all intents and purposes, this is the final hurdle for these legislative proposals before they will become law. With all proposals that are considered in Olympia, there is a lot of give and take between stakeholders and... Continue Reading

The 2020 legislative session is “half over.” There are two weeks left and the pace at which legislation moves increases a lot. About last week... This legislative session the WMFHA lobby team has defeated efforts to implement rent control and defeated efforts to prohibit... Continue Reading

Last Wednesday, the House and Senate began marathon floor sessions to vote on policies that survived the first policy and fiscal cut-offs. The floor sessions will continue until Wednesday, February 19. During this time, the full chamber considers any bill that moved out of its policy committee or... Continue Reading

Yesterday, by a 7-0 vote, the Seattle City Council passed a law that allows a tenant to say: “It’s winter. You can’t evict me.” The law applies to certain evictions between December 1 and March 1, every year. This is the first major action taken by the new Seattle City... Continue Reading

Four things to know about Week 4 of the legislative session. 1. Any proposal that did not receive a hearing or a vote by its policy committee is considered dead for the legislative session. A bill that would implement rent control in Washington, among other strict provisions is dead. We... Continue Reading

This Friday marks the first significant deadline of the 2020 legislative session when bills must be voted out of their policy committee. If a bill is not voted out of its policy committee it is considered dead for this session. We expect several rental housing bills to move out of their policy... Continue Reading

HUD recently released guidance clarifying the terms under which a tenant may request a reasonable accommodation to keep an animal as a service animal or assistance animal. The guidance is available here. It is also available on the HUD website. Below is a summary of the law and should not be... Continue Reading

In this session, policymakers in Olympia are considering Senate Bill 6490, legislation intended to limit the use of criminal history in tenant screening. Criminal history is important for resident screening. An individual’s criminal history is an additional data point that provides context... Continue Reading

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today released new guidance to clarify the responsibilities of both rental housing providers and renters concerning reasonable accommodation requests for emotional support animals (ESAs) in housing. For four years, this has been a priority... Continue Reading

In Olympia last week: The House Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee held a hearing on HB 2453, implementing "just cause" requirements in Washington. There were also hearings on HB 2520 adding onerous requirements to return a security deposit and HB 2535, implementing a mandatory grace period... Continue Reading

Washington's 66th Biennium resumed this week in Olympia. Washington’s legislative cycle is two years long, with sessions lasting 105 days in odd-numbered years and 60 days in even. 2020 is, therefore, a short session expected to end March 12. The first policy cut off is February 7. In the... Continue Reading

Eviction Moratoriums Harm Residents and Housing Providers: Washington Needs More Holistic Solutions to Address the Cause of Evictions and Homelessness Nobody should be without a safe place to stay during the winter – or any time of year. Evictions are a last resort for housing providers... Continue Reading

Apartment companies doing business in California or with Californians must be ready to comply with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), the first “omnibus” privacy law in the United States, by January 1, 2020. The CCPA applies to any business that collects personal information... Continue Reading

Recent findings by the National Apartment Association (NAA) reveal rent control’s potential effects on four major U.S. cities. NAA’s analysis shows that these policies decrease the housing supply, harm the condition of existing housing stock and lower property values, which leads to... Continue Reading

According to EvictionLab.org, Washington’s eviction rate has continued to fall from its 2005 peak of 1.45% to 0.82% in 2016, the latest year the data is collected. Evictions remain low in Washington and its biggest cities despite increasing housing costs brought on by historic population... Continue Reading

On Monday, October 7, the City of Burien passed a bill creating a local rental housing code requiring "just cause" for termination of a tenancy, requiring distribution of information and notice of intent to sell low-income housing properties. The law takes effect on October 15, 2019, and applies... Continue Reading

The City of Seattle recently passed legislation requiring changes to the notices served to residents. These laws were signed by the Mayor on October 4 and take effect on November 3, 2019, for all properties located in the City of Seattle. Below is a summary of each of the laws: Council Bill... Continue Reading

The City of Federal Way is considering a rental registration and inspection program. The program will be proposed and considered by the City Council beginning in December, with an implementation and registration period throughout 2020. The city is currently proposing a $15 per unit registration... Continue Reading

An article which appeared in last Saturday’s Tacoma News Tribune highlighting new landlord-tenant laws included several assertions by tenant advocates claiming that landlords are intentionally attempting to remove protections granted to them under the new law. To set the record straight,... Continue Reading

On average, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 9 men experience some form of domestic violence at the hands of an intimate partner in America. Here in Washington state, the data is alarming. In 2018, the Domestic Abuse Women’s Network (DAWN) answered more than 5,700 calls from survivors desperate for... Continue Reading

The subject of housing affordability is front and center in the national conversation. The causes of rising housing costs and available and effective solutions are just now getting their much-deserved spotlight. Congressman Denny Heck from Washington’s 10th District made his viewpoint very... Continue Reading

The Seattle City Council recently amended a 2015 law requiring notice to the Seattle Office of Housing and Seattle Housing Authority of the owner's intent to sell multifamily property. The law takes effect September 1, 2019, and applies to properties located within the City of Seattle only. ... Continue Reading

As published in Rental Housing Journal's May 2019 On-Site Who Wants Affordable Housing? Apparently, not Oregon. Oregon’s horrendous newly adopted statewide rent control law has opened Pandora’s box. It threatens real... Continue Reading

The Seattle Office of Housing published the 2019 maximum income and rent schedules for the various income-restricted housing programs operating within the City of Seattle limits. Schedules for the various programs can be found here. For participants in the Multi-Family Tax Exemption (MFTE)... Continue Reading

On April 24, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published the 2019 Median Income schedules which set limits for certain housing assistance programs in the country. For Washington, "Median Income" increased 6.4% from $81,100 to $86,300 per year. HUD has published... Continue Reading

Wednesday, April 17, marks the final day the legislature may consider a proposal from the opposite house. The remaining time is devoted to concurrence votes (more below) and items that are necessary to implement the budget (taxes). Last week was busy for the legislature, passing a number of... Continue Reading

The Democratic Party may have the majority in both chambers of the Washington State Legislature, but their proposed Biennium Operating Budgets couldn’t be more different. Now the question has been raised: are we going into a special session? The main difference between the two budgets?... Continue Reading

March 13 marks the last day the house of origin (the House of Representatives or Senate) may consider any bill introduced in the respective chamber in the 2019 legislative session, with exceptions. Generally speaking, if a bill has not been voted on by the full chamber of origin, it is considered... Continue Reading

Those of us who are old enough remember the famous Schoolhouse Rock animation of “I’m Just A Bill”. That video certainly motivated young children to ask their parents or teachers questions about how a bill becomes law. That civics lesson would be an important and timely lesson... Continue Reading

Friday, February 22 marked the first policy cut off in the State Legislature. Any policy that was not voted out of its committee of origin is considered dead for this session. However, any proposal that was voted out of its committee of origin will receive further consideration in one of two... Continue Reading

Beginning Friday, February 1, new landlord-tenant laws take effect for properties in the City of Tacoma only. Jump to Information required at the initiation of the tenancy, and Information and notice requirements to terminate a tenancy. A copy of the ordinance can be found here. First, all... Continue Reading

As the government shutdown continues to drag on into the second month, there is a lot of media attention directed at the government's ability to continue funding housing programs. Particularly of interest is Project-Based Section 8 and Tenant-Based Section 8 for federal employees who continue to... Continue Reading

Tacoma's Rental Housing Code Effective February 1, 2019 On November 20, Tacoma City Council passed an ordinance which creates specific renter protections for renters in the City of Tacoma. The law applies to properties in the City of Tacoma only. The majority of the new law becomes effective... Continue Reading

After seven months of negotiations, the Tacoma City Council passed a Rental Housing Code on the evening of 11/20/18. The majority of the new laws become effective February 1, 2019, however, the Council passed an amendment speeding up the effective date of notice of rent increases. Beginning... Continue Reading

Tonight, the Federal Way City Council will consider new sizable fees on multifamily developments, including those that offer on-site accessory parking or storage units to residents. Added fees are impediments to housing affordability. The city already assesses astronomical impact fees to... Continue Reading

We heard California residents loud and clear defeat Proposition 10 62% to 38%. Prop. 10 would have overturned the state’s Costa Hawkins Rental Housing Act, which bans local governments from imposing rent control on any apartment built since 1995. The act also bans rent control on any... Continue Reading

The Fox Cove Apartments in Burien recently sold and new owners are seeking to renovate and improve the property. The prior owner allowed the property to fall into disrepair, with allegations of mold and mildew on the interior of the units and failed to provide basic property maintenance. In... Continue Reading

Beginning in 2019, all rental properties located within the City of Seattle will be required to renew their rental registration license. We recently learned the city is proposing drastic changes to the fee and licensing requirements. The below information is proposed and any changes must be... Continue Reading

Since April, WMFHA and local housing providers and other rental housing associations have been working with the City of Tacoma to find reasonable common ground on a rental housing code that emerged due to public outcry. We are where we are because of one unfortunate incident that caused the... Continue Reading

Your Rights as a Property Owner and the Seattle Waterfront LID As you may know, the City of Seattle is in the process of creating a special tax assessment property owners as part of its Waterfront Seattle project. The tax, known as a Local Improvement District (LID), would apply to commercial... Continue Reading

The most significant threat to multifamily industry in decades... Is the potential of Proposition 10 passing in California. Residents will vote this November on whether or not to undo the statewide prohibition on rent control known as Costa-Hawkins. If we lose the fight in California, the effects... Continue Reading

After suspending rent increases in the MFTE program in early April, the Seattle Office of Housing published income and rent schedules for the MFTE and other income and rent restricted programs on Monday May 14, 2018. The published rent and income schedule results in an average 4.5% increase in... Continue Reading

The Multi-Family Tax Exemption (MFTE) program is a highly successful affordable housing program authorized by the City of Seattle to create affordable rental housing to families earning between 65% and 80% AMI. As of June 2017, more than 160 apartment communities participate in the program,... Continue Reading

On May 14, a new law takes effect in Seattle which may change how you offer and charge for parking to residential and commercial tenants. The law affects multifamily properties in the City of Seattle only. The law, which amends the land use code to change mandatory parking requirements in... Continue Reading

The State legislative session concluded in the late hours of March 8 and for the first time in five years lawmakers did not enter a special session to complete its business. In total, legislators introduced 1,425 distinct legislative proposals. Of that number, 310 passed both the House and... Continue Reading