City of Port Townsend – Notice of “Tenant Protections” Changes Effective October 24

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 comply.

Notice of Rent Increase

A landlord may not increase the rent except in accordance with this section, unless such increase or charge has been agreed to in writing signed by landlord and tenant at the time of entering into the initial lease or rental agreement:

• 120 days’ written notice for rent increases greater than (3%)

• 180 days' written notice for rent increases greater than (10%)

What This Means For Members:

• Rent increases starting on October 24 cannot exceed 3% for the first 120 days and cannot exceed 10% for the first 180 days because you would be unable to comply with the new noticing requirements

 You can view the adopted ordinance here.

For any questions please contact Director of Government Affairs, Ryan Makinster at ryan@wmfha.org or 253.246.8384.