(The Center Square) – In a matter of hours, House and Senate Democrats could vote to cap rent increases for the first time in state history. The move could offer affordability to low-income families, but critics argue it’s at the cost of discouraging new construction amid a significant housing shortage.
The legislative session ends on April 27, so both chambers of the Washington State Legislature must pass Engrossed House Bill 1217 before then to enforce the cap. House Democrats approved it on March 10, and the Senate followed on April 10, but both still need to agree on amendments.
The House and Senate proposed more than 100 changes between the two floor votes, with six Democrats siding against the annual cap altogether. However, the House refused to concur with the amendments, triggering a conference on Thursday to offer a new version of the bill.
In a news release about her proposal after the special meeting, Sen. Emily Alvarado, D-West Seattle, noted, “Forty percent of the people in this state are renters or manufactured homeowners, and without this bill, they have zero protections about how high their rent can go.”
The compromise would limit annual rent increases to 7% plus inflation, or 10%, whichever costs less, rather than 10% plus inflation. The Senate also exempted single-family homes, upending the cap for a considerable amount of the rental stock, but the new version does away with that.
Instead, the proposal exempts public housing authorities, affordable housing units managed by nonprofits and new construction for at least 12 years. The 7% cap on residential units would end after 15 years, but another 5% cap on manufactured and mobile homes would remain in place.
Alvarado painted affordability as the state’s “number one issue” and said her proposal offers a guardrail for many renters struggling to scrape by. If passed, HB 1217 would require landlords to provide notice at least 90 days before raising rent.
“Washingtonians know our housing crisis is out of control, and we need affordability relief now,” Sen. Jessica Bateman, D-Olympia, wrote in the release. “People struggling to afford their home deserve a bill that responds to their concerns and meets their needs.”
Many Republicans argue that the bill will prompt developers to move to other states, where they can make more money. If the prediction holds, it could impact the state’s housing stock as it attempts to build a million new units to keep up with demand over the next two decades.
While House and Senate Democrats discussed the changes ahead of Thursday, Sen. Keith Goehner, R-Dryden, said his party didn’t have an opportunity to provide input. He called for a more open conversation that vets Republican concerns before voting against the compromise.
The conference included six lawmakers, four Democrats, Goehner and Rep. Sam Low, R-Lake Stevens, who called the compromise “devastating” for housing providers. The Legislature has until Sunday to pass the historic rent cap, but further amendments may push it out of reach.
“This is a really major policy change from what we’ve seen since the beginning of time here in the state of Washington,” Goehner said Thursday. “I feel like there were some critical things that should’ve been more fully vetted before we pass a motion for this striker [amendment].”
