Seattle lawmakers approve six-month notice for rent increases

Seattle lawmakers approved two bills Monday, one requiring landlords to give a six-month notice for rent increases in the city. 

The bill, passed in a 7-1 vote, says landlords must give tenants a 180-day notice for rent increases.

Previously, landlords only had to give a 60-day notice, The Seattle Times reported. The only council member to vote “no” was Alex Pedersen, who thought landlords with a small number of properties should have been exempt. 

A second bill was passed by the council that requires landlords to pay three months of rent for low-income tenants who choose to leave following a 10 percent increase in rent. The bill was passed unanimously.

“These bills do nothing to address our housing shortage and are just the latest in a string of bad ideas that have made housing more expensive over the last seven years,” the Rental Housing Association of Washington and the Washington Multifamily Housing Association said Monday.

At the meeting, many voiced support for the bills, saying rent has been raised too quickly in the city for many, according to the local outlet. 

Seattle has already extended its eviction moratorium to January so residents are not kicked out of a property during the pandemic. 

“Seattle continues to show the nation how to protect small businesses and residents by establishing and continuing one of the first in the nation moratoriums on evictions to keep families safe. Our early actions have and continue to keep people safe and housed,” Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan (D) said after signing the executive action.