Rental Housing Bill Update for Washington State Legislature (Week 3)

 

HFO is providing the following important news update from the Washington Multifamily Housing Association.

Week 3 of the legislative session (and the last week of January) was busy. There were three hearings in the House of Representatives on proposed legislation that would impact rental housing operations. 

 Last week…

• Senate Bill 5139 on rent control was scheduled for its second hearing on Thursday but was pulled from the hearing and no vote was taken.
  
  
• House Bill 1236 was heard on Tuesday. This proposal would enact statewide just cause eviction requirements, and as drafted eliminate the fixed-term lease. WMFHA members testified in opposition to this proposal as written. The proposal is scheduled for its second committee hearing on Thursday at 1:30 pm.
  
  
• House Bill 1228, introduced by Representative Barkis, received a hearing on Thursday. This common-sense gradual path towards normality received significant public interest, with more than 1,600 people signing in pro or con. Thank you to all who took action and showed support for this proposal. The proposal is scheduled for its second committee hearing on Thursday at 1:30 pm.
  
  
• House Bill 1300 receives a hearing on Thursday, February 4th. This bill would make drastic changes to the return of the security deposit and create onerous requirements to provide a litany of documents and specific statement of deductions and would prohibit charging for carpet cleaning and the termination of the tenancy. Time for public testimony was cut short, but WMFHA members' testimony was provided to the committee voicing our opposition to the policy as written. This proposal is also scheduled for its second committee hearing on Thursday at 1:30 pm.

Now that each bill has received a hearing, stakeholders will propose amendments and work on the language of the legislation. 

On rental assistance, the state and some local jurisdictions have received federal rental assistance funds. BUT prior to distributing those funds, the U.S. Department of Treasury must issue guidance on how to administer and provide rental assistance. Treasury has not released its Guidance yet. We’re learning that some of the requirements to access these rental assistance dollars will be to provide more information verifying the tenancy and the delinquency. We do not expect these rental assistance funds to be available prior to March.

Thank you again to each of our grassroots advocates who provided time last week to voice their opposition to or support of certain legislation, and to each of you who signed in SUPPORT of House bill 1228.