Tumwater moves to adopt a rental housing code

Seeks to improve protections for tenants

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Tumwater city council agreed to put forward an ordinance adding a rental housing chapter into the city’s municipal code during its meeting on Tuesday, November 22.

The new chapter contains measures aiming to improve tenant protection and household stability amid rising rental costs in Tumwater. Many of the provisions are similar to those that are in place in Olympia now. 

“The rental housing situation, I think, in our city was dire,” councilmember Michael Althauser said. “I think that was made even starker as a result of the pandemic.”

“I think where we focused now is essentially trying to provide an enhanced mode of stability for tenants so that if they're facing a rental increase, they have more time to figure it out,” Althauser continued, “and so that if a landlord does feel the need to increase rent, that tenants are able to either get a higher paying job, locate more resources, or perhaps even change their housing situation.”

Tumwater planning manager Brad Medrud outlined various measures as part of the new chapter.

Before a landlord increases rent, they would be required to give the tenant a set number of days as notice.

The new provisions would also increase the number of days for notice depending on how large the increase in the rent is. For an increase in rent between five to 10 percent, landlords would be required to provide a 120-day notice. For an increase in rent above ten percent, the period is 180 days.

Medrud explained that under state law, landlords must provide only a minimum of 60 days as notice before any rent increase. This would remain the same for rent increases of less than five percent.

Tumwater's new code would require that a landlord seeking to terminate a tenancy for no cause  require them to allow their tenants to continue staying for 90 days from just 60 days.

The provision was an addition made by the general government committee last month. Althauser, who is part of the General Government Committee, said that 90 days will provide more flexibility for tenants to adapt to their new situation.

The new chapter would also provide provisions requiring landlords to provide their tenants with housing-related resources, such as the landlord’s written rental criteria and the tenant’s rights and responsibilities.

Tumwater would also publish a website containing house-related information, which landlords will direct their tenants to.

The new regulations would require that recurring fees and one-time deposits be put into written agreements, indicating if payment is recurring and non-refundable. Failure to provide a written agreement renders the landlord liable to the tenant for the fees collected, while failure to indicate that a payment is non-refundable means that a fee can be treated as refundable.

No part of any rental agreement should call for the waiving of city rental requirements, according to the new regulations.

The City council is also moving forward with another ordinance containing minor adjustments to a chapter in the municipal code about unfair housing practices.

The council placed the ordinance as a consent item for a meeting on December 6.

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