WA AG forces landlords to refund illegal rent hikes under new WA law

Attorney General Nick Brown cracked down on landlords who raised rent prices beyond what state law currently allows, entering into eight resolutions with landlords across the state.

The landlords settled on an agreement to withdraw their respective rent increase notices they had sent out. Any excess rent amounts are to be refunded to the tenants.

The landlords in the settlement were operating in Bothell, Edmonds, Issaquah, Kennewick, Lakewood, Montesano, Port Angeles, Puyallup, Ridgefield, Royal City, University Place, Vancouver, and Yakima. More than 250 households were affected by the rent hikes.

“Our office will do all it can to address the housing challenges impacting Washingtonians across the state,” Brown said. “Protecting tenants under this new law is one piece of the work we’re doing to ensure more people have safe, affordable places to live.”

What is House Bill 1217?

House Bill 1217, signed into law on May 7, caps the amount landlords can raise a tenant’s rent under both the Residential Landlord Tenant Act (RLTA) and the Manufactured/Mobile Home Landlord Tenant Act (MHLTA). Many Washington state representatives celebrated the bill and the attorney general’s enforcement of it.

“I am glad that the Attorney General’s Office has been able to use the rent stabilization law to protect Washington tenants with reasonable resolutions. This is how the law was supposed to work,” Rep. Strom Peterson, D-Edmonds, stated. “The landlords made mistakes but were able to work with the Attorney General’s Office to make it right. This is one way we can start to turn the tide on the housing affordability crisis.”

“This important new law is already working to limit excessive rent hikes and bring relief to working families and seniors across the state,” Sen. Emily Alvarado, D-West Seattle, said. “Enforcement by the Attorney General’s Office is crucial in protecting the rights of renters and owners of manufactured homes and ensuring landlords understand and follow the law.”

However, other state representatives, such as Senate Republican Leader John Braun, argued that HB 1217 will have negative impacts while imposing price controls on rent.

“Price controls on rent have proven time and again to make the availability of affordable housing worse,” Braun stated.

Senator Keith Goehner, the lead Senate Republican on housing, claimed that rent increase caps reduce housing supply by discouraging developers from building new units, lead to housing deterioration due to a lack of available funds for landowners, and encourage black-market practices.

“Let’s call it what it is — House Bill 1217 is price control, plain and simple,” Goehner said. “And price control has a long, proven track record of failure.”

Tenants who believe they may have been subjected to a rent increase that violates the law may file a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office. Tenants may also take steps to protect their own rights, including by bringing a legal action to enforce the law.

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