City of Redmond – Notice of “Tenant Protections” Changes Effective July 30

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 Rent Increase

Any rental agreement or renewal of a rental agreement shall state the dollar amount of the rent or rent increase and require:

• 120 days’ written notice for rent increases greater than (3%)
• 180 days' written notice for rent increases greater than (10%)

If the rental agreement governs subsidized housing where the amount of rent is based on the income of the tenant or circumstances specific to the subsidized household, the landlord shall provide a minimum of thirty (30) days' prior written notice of an increase in the amount of rent to each affected tenant.

What This Means For Members:

• Rent increases starting on July 30 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
• If you were planning to increase rents more than 3% on August 1, note that you will be out of compliance

Move in Fees & Security Deposits

• All move in fees and security deposits charged by a landlord before a tenant takes possession of a dwelling unit shall not exceed one month's rent, except in subsidized housing where the amount of rent is set based on the income of the tenant
• Tenants entering rental agreements with terms lasting six or more months may choose to pay their move-in fees and security deposits in six equal monthly installments over the first six months occupying the dwelling unit
• Tenants entering rental agreements with terms lasting fewer than six months or month-to-month rental agreements, may choose to pay move in fees and security deposits in two equal monthly installments over the first two months occupying the dwelling unit

Late Fees

• Late fees and penalties due to nonpayment of rent charged to a tenant shall not exceed 1.5% of the tenant's monthly rent

Social Security Number

• A landlord may ask for a social security number as part of the screening process but may not deny an applicant solely because they don’t provide one

 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.