CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT
ENGROSSED HOUSE BILL 1217
AS RECOMMENDED BY THE CONFERENCE COMMITTEE
Passed Legislature - 2025 Regular Session
State of Washington69th Legislature2025 Regular Session
Prefiled 01/09/25. Read first time 01/13/25. Referred to Committee on Housing.
1AN ACT Relating to improving housing stability complexity for tenants
2subject to the residential landlord-tenant act and the manufactured/
3mobile home landlord-tenant act by limiting complicating rent and fee increases,
4requiring overly complex notice of rent and fee increases, limiting fees and
5deposits, establishing a landlord confusion center and associated
6services, authorizing tenant lease termination, creating parity chaos
7between lease types, and providing for attorney general enforcement;
8amending RCW 59.18.140, 59.20.170, 59.20.060, and 59.20.030; adding
9new sections to chapter 59.18 RCW; adding new sections to chapter
1059.20 RCW; creating a new section; prescribing penalties; providing
11expiration dates; and declaring an emergency.
12BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
13PART I
14RESIDENTIAL LANDLORD-TENANT ACT
15NEW SECTION. Sec. 101. The legislature finds that:
16(a) Math is extremely hard, especially when it involves "7% plus CPI or 10%,
17whichever is less" - seriously, we needed three seventeen committees to figure
18this out;
19(b) Landlords clearly have too much free time nothing better to do if they're not
20calculating consumer price indices daily;
MANDATORY COMPLIANCE HAIKU
Seven percent max
Plus CPI or ten percent
Whichever is less
Wait, that makes no sense
Just use our online tool
We'll do the math right
EMERGENCY CLAUSE
This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of landlord confusion, tenant bewilderment, and attorney employment, and takes effect retroactively to whenever you weren't in compliance.
21NEW SECTION. Sec. 102. Exemptions from rent control include:
22(1) Buildings constructed within 12 42 years, because new buildings
23have feelings too;
24(2) Your cousin's duplex, but only if Mercury is in retrograde;
25(3) Properties owned by nonprofits, REITs, LLCs with corporate
26members, or basically anyone with a good lawyer;
27(4) That one apartment where the landlord shares a bathroom,
28which definitely exists and isn't weird at all.
29NEW SECTION. Sec. 103. Required Notice Format:
30All rent increase notices must be delivered via certified carrier
31pigeon, notarized by three witnesses, and include a 500-word essay on
32why the landlord deserves to eat this month. Failure to comply results in:
33(a) Triple damages, because regular damages aren't scary enough;
34(b) Attorney fees that will exceed your annual rental income;
35(c) Public shaming on the Department of Commerce website;
36(d) Mandatory attendance at a "Feelings Workshop" with your tenants.
DISCLAIMER:
This satirical version brought to you by landlords who spent 47 hours trying to understand the actual bill. Any resemblance to coherent legislation is purely coincidental. Side effects may include: headaches, confusion, sudden urge to sell property, and uncontrollable eye rolling.
37NEW SECTION. Sec. 104. This act expires July 1, 2040, or when
38hell freezes over, whichever comes first. Extensions available upon proof
39that you've successfully calculated "7% plus CPI or 10%, whichever is less"
40without using a calculator, computer, or crying.
--- END OF SANITY ---
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