Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson proposes ban on rental junk fees, hidden landlord charges

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson is proposing a ban on many so-called “junk fees” charged by landlords, saying renters deserve to know the true cost of housing before signing a lease.

The Seattle Times reported that the proposal, sent to the Seattle City Council this week, would create a specific list of fees landlords are allowed to charge. Any fee not explicitly authorized would be prohibited.

Permitted charges would include security deposits, utility surcharges, late rent fees, key replacement, bounced checks, and parking. However, landlords would no longer be allowed to charge separate fees for pet rent, mail service, use of in-unit appliances, paying rent by check or money order, or access to common areas.

“When you go to rent an apartment, and you see the sticker price of your monthly rent, and then you sign your lease, and you find that in the fine print there are all kinds of obscure fees that you’re also on the hook for, that’s not a good feeling,” Wilson told The Seattle Times. “They add this layer of unpredictability, lack of transparency, and cost that renters are finding really challenging.”

Landlord groups criticized the proposal because it creates additional regulatory burdens for rental property owners.

“Polarized politics have limited both the viability and opportunity to provide rental housing due to steeply increased business risks, costs, complexity, and unpredictability,” One group, Seattle Grassroots Landlords, laid out on its website.

However, the battle between landlords and city regulations is not new. Three years ago, during a city council committee meeting, a group of landlords, including Marilyn Yim, spelled out the piled-on challenges they’ve faced in recent years.

At the time, Yim told council members she and others experienced an average of two new rental-related laws from 1973 to 2016. Then, she testified, that changed, and between 2017 and 2022, landlords faced 24 new laws.

“So, every three months on average, we have faced a change to the legal circumstances that we have to operate in,” Yim said. “Because of all these risks that really weigh on us heavily, we’re more likely to exit the residential rental market.”

Tenants advocate for more transparency

On the other side, tenant advocates said the newly proposed law is not only about ensuring landlords are transparent about their fees, but also helping ensure renters don’t enter into contracts they can’t afford.

“Renters really need to know up front how much we’re paying out of pocket before we get in over our heads,” Kate Rubin, co-executive director of the renter advocacy organization Be:Seattle and member of the Seattle Renter’s Commission, told The Seattle Times.

The proposed ordinance follows multiple lawsuits filed against the largest owner and manager of apartments in the country, Greystar, over misleading fees in Colorado, California, Nevada, and Massachusetts. The Seattle Times reported Greystar agreed to pay $24 million to resolve allegations that its advertised rents were misleading, and it denies the allegations and did not admit fault in the settlement.

Wilson’s law also follows Washington state’s 2025 law capping many residential rent increases. Tenant advocates are worried the cap could lead landlords to seek new fees to offset what they might claim are revenue losses. Wilson’s proposed ordinance, and others like it, might limit that ability to seek new fees.

At a public event in February, Wilson drew on personal experience.

“I’m a renter myself, so I have some first-hand experience in the city’s housing crisis, but I’m sure I’m not alone in this room,” Wilson shared. “I think everyone knows that home prices are out of control, and everyone knows that the rent is too high. Everyone knows that it is almost impossible to find stability or pursue your dreams when so much of your money and your time is going to pay for the basics.”

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