OLYMPIA—An attempt to impose a cap on rent increases elicited intense debate from both sides of the issue March 19 in the Senate Committee on Housing.
“Washington cannot afford to take steps that risk straining the housing economy any further,” said Carter Nelson, public affairs manager for Washington Multi-Family Housing Association in opposition to the cap.
People in favor of the cap, however, said something must be done to rein in the quickly escalating cost of housing. A rent cap will help residents remain safe in their homes instead of adding to a growing homeless population, supporters said.
“It is wrong that low-income seniors are forced to prioritize higher rent in lieu of food, doctor appointments and vital medication,” said Tina Hammond, who rents the lot where her mobile home sits and experienced rent increases monthly.
The “Residential Landlord-Tenant Act” would cap rent increases during any 12-month period of tenancy at 7% but does not prohibit a landlord from adjusting the rent by any amount after a tenant vacates the dwelling unit and a tenancy ends.
Opponents said they fear rent stabilization will harm Washington’s housing market. The state is already affected by high interest rates and construction costs and rent control could push developers out of the state, said Carl Shorett, senior director of AvalonBay Communities, a real estate trust company that invests in apartments across the U.S.
However, Madeleine Foutch, legislative and campaigns director for Service Employees International Union 775, said caregivers in Washington and the elderly clients they serve face rising housing instability. There is already a workforce shortage and one in five caregivers say they are thinking of leaving the profession due to increased living costs.
And Sarah Cherin, chief of staff for United Food and Commercial Workers 3000, added grocery workers are being priced out of their communities by high rents.
The Washington State Apartment Market Report showed a 1.6% growth in apartment rates in the last quarter alone. This brought the median rent to $1,829, which makes Washington the sixth most expensive state for renting.
HB 1217, sponsored by Senator Emily Alvarado and Representative Nicole Macri, passed the House of Representatives, before it was sent to the Senate for review. The bill has an estimated operating cost of $7 million It also calls for an independent third party to conduct an assessment of rent stabilization impacts by June 2028.
Source: Author is Mary Feusner with the Washington State Journal is a nonprofit news website operated by the WNPA Foundation. To learn more, go to wastatejournal.org.
Author: Washington State Journal
