Seattle Requires 6 Months' Notice For Rent Increases

SEATTLE — The Seattle City Council on Monday overwhelmingly passed two pieces of legislation to boost tenant protections, including a new rule requiring landlords to provide at least six months' notice before increasing rent. A second bill requires landlords to pay low-income tenants the equivalent of three months' rent if they are forced to relocate due to price hikes of 10 percent or more.

Both bills were introduced by Councilmember Kshama Sawant, with the six-month rule passing 7-1 and the latter passing unanimously. Previously, Seattle law required landlords to provide 60 days' notice for rent hikes.

"Today's victories demonstrate the growing momentum of our renters rights struggle," Sawant said in a statement Monday. "They are a huge step forward in our movement's demand for a full Renters' Bill of Rights."

Sawant's office pointed to data from ApartmentList, showing Seattle landlords raised rents by more than 25 percent since January, with medical rent prices soaring to $1,847 a month, and have surpassed their pre-pandemic levels.

"These shocking hikes show once again that the for-profit housing market simply does not work for renters," Sawant said. "They also show that corporate landlords have no shame. The new law will stop these outrageous hikes in the future."

According to the Associated Press, some landlords argued both pieces of legislation were "excessive" and equivalent to rent control and warned they could push smaller landlords out of the city.