{
	"id": "washington",
	"name": "Washington State",
	"schema_version": "1.0",
	"refreshed": "2026-04-24",
	"statute": {
		"short": "Washington Residential Rent Stabilization Act (HB 1217 / EHB 1217, 2025 Reg. Sess.)",
		"citation": "Engrossed House Bill 1217 (2025 Regular Session), codified at RCW 59.18.700 — 59.18.770 (residential tenancies under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act, RCW 59.18) and at RCW 59.20.120 — 59.20.125 (manufactured/mobile home park tenancies under the Manufactured/Mobile Home Landlord-Tenant Act, RCW 59.20). Signed by Governor Ferguson on May 7, 2025; effective May 7, 2025. Most residential provisions sunset July 1, 2040; the manufactured/mobile-home rent cap has no expiration.",
		"url": "https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary/?BillNumber=1217&Year=2025&Initiative=false"
	},
	"cpi_source": {
		"name": "BLS CPI-U, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metropolitan statistical area, all items, not seasonally adjusted — 12-month change measured June-to-June (published mid-July). The Washington State Department of Commerce uses this June reading to compute the maximum annual rent increase percentage for the next calendar year, published shortly after the BLS June release in early July.",
		"url": "https://www.commerce.wa.gov/housing-policy/hb1217-landlord-resource-center/"
	},
	"statewide": {
		"cap_pct": 9.683,
		"formula": "Two regimes by tenancy type. RESIDENTIAL (RCW 59.18.700-770): no increase permitted in the first 12 months of any tenancy; thereafter, max increase per any 12-month period = min(CPI-U Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue June-to-June + 7 percentage points, 10%). Calendar Year reset (Jan 1 to Dec 31). MANUFACTURED/MOBILE HOME PARK (RCW 59.20.120-125): flat 5% cap on annual rent increases per 12-month period regardless of CPI; no expiration. Both regimes require at least 90 calendar days written notice on the statutorily-prescribed Department of Commerce notice form (RCW 59.18.140 / 59.20.090).",
		"year": 2026,
		"rates_by_regime": [
			{
				"regime_id": "cy_2026",
				"label": "Calendar Year 2026 (January 1, 2026 — December 31, 2026)",
				"cap_pct": 9.683,
				"cap_formula": "min(CPI_Seattle_Jun2024_to_Jun2025 + 7, 10)",
				"cap_ceiling_pct": 10.0,
				"cpi_pct_used": 2.683,
				"effective_window_start": "2026-01-01",
				"effective_window_end": "2026-12-31",
				"notes": "Department of Commerce published the CY 2026 maximum annual rent-increase percentage at 9.683% in July 2025 from the BLS Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue CPI-U June 2024 (354.824) to June 2025 (364.344) reading: ((364.344 - 354.824) / 354.824) * 100 + 7.000 = 9.683%. Applies to any residential rent increase with an effective date in calendar year 2026. Manufactured/mobile-home park rent increases remain capped at the separate 5% statutory rate regardless of CPI."
			},
			{
				"regime_id": "cy_2027",
				"label": "Calendar Year 2027 (January 1, 2027 — December 31, 2027)",
				"cap_pct": 10.0,
				"cap_formula": "min(CPI_Seattle_Jun2025_to_Jun2026 + 7, 10)",
				"cap_ceiling_pct": 10.0,
				"cpi_pct_used": null,
				"effective_window_start": "2027-01-01",
				"effective_window_end": "2027-12-31",
				"notes": "The Department of Commerce publishes the CY 2027 maximum annual rent-increase percentage in July 2026 from the May/June 2026 CPI reading. The 10.0% shown here is the statutory hard ceiling; the actual published figure will be the lesser of (CPI + 7%) or 10%. Recompute with the published figure before serving any increase with an effective date on or after January 1, 2027. Manufactured/mobile-home park rents remain capped at 5% per 12 months regardless of the published residential figure."
			}
		],
		"regime_switch_date": "2027-01-01",
		"manufactured_cap_pct": 5.0
	},
	"prior_rent_control_year": null,
	"age_exemption_years": 12,
	"local_overrides": [],
	"scope": {
		"covered_buildings": "Most residential rental properties in Washington State subject to the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act (RCW 59.18) and most manufactured/mobile-home park tenancies under RCW 59.20. The 9.683% (2026) cap and the 90-day written notice requirement apply regardless of landlord form (natural person, LLC, REIT, corporation), with narrow statutory exemptions enumerated separately. Manufactured/mobile-home park rents are capped at the lower 5% rate by separate statute. City rules in Seattle and other jurisdictions (e.g. Seattle Just Cause Ordinance, Tukwila renter protections) overlay HB 1217 — the stricter of the two governs.",
		"excluded": "Residential dwelling units in buildings whose first certificate of occupancy was issued less than 12 years prior to the proposed increase effective date (rolling new-construction exemption); owner-occupied triplexes and fourplexes where the owner resides in one unit as a principal residence and is not a corporate owner; tenancies in single-family owner-occupied principal residences where the owner rents no more than two units or bedrooms (including an attached or detached accessory dwelling unit on the same lot); tenancies in dwellings where the tenant shares a bathroom or kitchen facility with the owner who resides on the property as a principal residence; qualified low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) properties under enforceable regulatory agreements with the Washington State Housing Finance Commission or successor agency; affordable rental housing owned and operated by nonprofit organizations under regulatory agreement; public-housing-authority units; transient lodging (hotels, motels, short-term rentals <30 days). The first 12 months of any tenancy are categorically protected from any increase regardless of coverage. The residential rent-cap provisions sunset July 1, 2040 (15 years); the manufactured/mobile-home 5% cap has no expiration.",
		"notice_form": "RCW 59.18.140 (residential) and RCW 59.20.090 (manufactured/mobile-home parks) require landlords to use the Department of Commerce-prescribed rent-increase notice form. The form requires landlord identification, tenant identification, current rent, proposed new rent, effective date, statement that the increase complies with HB 1217 (or claim of a specific statutory exemption with the citation), reference to the Department of Commerce maximum annual rent-increase percentage for the calendar year of the effective date, and tenant rights information. Notice must be delivered at least 90 calendar days before the effective date and served in the manner prescribed by RCW 59.12.040 (eviction-style service: personal delivery, or post-and-mail, or substituted service). A non-conforming notice is void."
	},
	"exemptions": [
		"Residential dwelling units in buildings whose first certificate of occupancy was issued less than 12 years prior to the proposed increase effective date — this exemption rolls forward by one calendar year each January 1, so a building first occupied on March 1, 2014 becomes covered on March 1, 2026 and remains covered thereafter.",
		"Tenancies in owner-occupied triplexes or fourplexes where the owner resides in one unit as a principal residence and is not a corporate owner (LLC, REIT, trust, or corporation).",
		"Tenancies in single-family owner-occupied principal residences where the owner rents no more than two units or bedrooms (including an attached or detached accessory dwelling unit on the same lot).",
		"Tenancies in dwellings where the tenant shares a bathroom or kitchen facility with the owner who resides on the property as a principal residence.",
		"Qualified low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) properties under an enforceable regulatory agreement with the Washington State Housing Finance Commission or a successor state-authorized tax credit allocating agency, for so long as the regulatory agreement is in force.",
		"Affordable rental housing owned and operated by a nonprofit organization under regulatory agreement that already restricts rent.",
		"Public-housing-authority owned-and-operated units where rent is set by separate federal or state public-housing rule.",
		"Transient accommodations — hotels, motels, bed-and-breakfasts, and short-term rentals of fewer than 30 consecutive days (not subject to RCW 59.18 in the first place).",
		"The first 12 months of any tenancy — categorically no rent increase permitted under RCW 59.18.700, regardless of any other coverage analysis."
	],
	"notice_periods": [
		{ "rule": "Residential tenancies (RCW 59.18.140) — Department of Commerce-prescribed written notice form. Rent increase cannot take effect until at least 90 calendar days after service, served in the manner of RCW 59.12.040.", "days": 90 },
		{ "rule": "Manufactured/mobile-home park tenancies (RCW 59.20.090) — same 90-day written notice on the Department of Commerce form, with the lower 5% cap applied.", "days": 90 }
	],
	"twelve_month_rule": {
		"summary": "A unit's rent may not be increased more than once in any rolling 12-month period, and no rent increase whatsoever is permitted during the first 12 months of any tenancy. The 12-month clock for subsequent increases is measured from the effective date of the most recent prior HB 1217 increase on the unit.",
		"citation": "RCW 59.18.700 — first-12-months protection and once-per-12-months rule (residential); RCW 59.20.120 — equivalent rule for manufactured/mobile-home parks at the 5% cap."
	},
	"vacancy_rule": {
		"summary": "On a legal vacancy (tenant voluntarily moves out, lease expires without renewal, or tenant breaches lease for non-payment or material violation), the landlord may reset the rent for the next tenant at market. The 12-month one-increase clock and the first-12-months rule reset with the new tenancy. The first 12 months of the NEW tenancy are again categorically protected. Vacancies caused by retaliatory eviction, discrimination, or harassment do NOT qualify for the vacancy-reset and the cap still applies.",
		"citation": "RCW 59.18.700 — vacancy-reset provision; cross-references RCW 59.18.240 (retaliation prohibition) and RCW 59.18.255 (anti-harassment)."
	},
	"capital_improvement_surcharge": {
		"summary": "HB 1217 does not provide a capital-improvement-surcharge or fair-return petition mechanism for rent increases above the 9.683% (2026) statutory cap. Landlords seeking to recover capital costs must do so within the cap. Self-help surcharges — adding a line item above the cap or above the manufactured/mobile-home 5% rate without the appropriate exemption — are unlawful overcharges subject to the RCW 59.18.730 remedies (excess-rent damages, up to three months' unlawful rent, reasonable attorney fees, and civil penalties of up to $7,500 per violation).",
		"citation": "RCW 59.18.730 — penalties for noncompliance with rent-increase limit."
	},
	"faq": [
		{
			"q": "What is HB 1217 and who enforces it?",
			"a": "Engrossed House Bill 1217, passed by the Washington State Legislature in the 2025 Regular Session and signed by Governor Bob Ferguson on May 7, 2025, established the first statewide rent-stabilization regime in Washington. It is codified at RCW 59.18.700 — 59.18.770 for residential tenancies under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act and at RCW 59.20.120 — 59.20.125 for manufactured/mobile-home park tenancies. The Washington State Department of Commerce administers the law: it publishes the maximum annual rent-increase percentage each July from the prior June BLS CPI reading, hosts the HB 1217 Landlord Resource Center, and prescribes the statutory notice form. Enforcement is primarily through tenant-initiated civil suits under RCW 59.18.730 — excess-rent damages, up to three months' unlawful rent, reasonable attorney fees, and civil penalties of up to $7,500 per violation. The Office of the Attorney General also has parens patriae enforcement authority. Most residential provisions sunset on July 1, 2040; the manufactured/mobile-home 5% cap has no expiration."
		},
		{
			"q": "What is the 2026 Washington rent cap?",
			"a": "For residential tenancies subject to RCW 59.18, the maximum annual rent-increase percentage between January 1, 2026 and December 31, 2026 is 9.683%, calculated as ((364.344 − 354.824) ÷ 354.824) × 100 + 7.000 from the BLS CPI-U Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue June 2024 to June 2025 reading. For manufactured/mobile-home park tenancies under RCW 59.20, the cap is a flat 5% per 12-month period regardless of CPI. Both caps apply per 12-month period and require at least 90 calendar days written notice on the Department of Commerce-prescribed form. The Department of Commerce publishes the 2027 percentage in July 2026 from the May/June 2026 CPI reading; absent that publication, the statutory ceiling of 10% applies as a conservative assumption."
		},
		{
			"q": "Is my property covered by HB 1217?",
			"a": "Probably YES if you own a residential rental property in Washington State subject to the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act (RCW 59.18), regardless of city, and the building's first certificate of occupancy was issued at least 12 years before the proposed effective date. You are likely EXEMPT if: (a) your building's first certificate of occupancy was issued less than 12 years before the proposed effective date (rolling new-construction exemption); (b) you own an owner-occupied triplex or fourplex and you reside in one unit as your principal residence (not corporate ownership); (c) your single-family principal residence rents no more than two units or bedrooms including an ADU; (d) your tenant shares a bathroom or kitchen with you and the property is your principal residence; (e) the property is a LIHTC unit under an enforceable WSHFC regulatory agreement; (f) the property is nonprofit-owned affordable housing under regulatory agreement; (g) the property is a public-housing-authority unit; or (h) the unit is a manufactured/mobile-home park space (covered separately under RCW 59.20 at a 5% cap). Critically: ANY tenancy in its first 12 months is categorically protected from increases regardless of any other coverage analysis. Cities may impose stricter local rules (Seattle Just Cause, Tukwila Renters' Bill of Rights); the stricter rule controls."
		},
		{
			"q": "What notice do I give the tenant, and what form do I use?",
			"a": "You MUST use the rent-increase notice form prescribed by the Washington State Department of Commerce; non-conforming notices are void. The form requires: landlord identification, tenant identification, current rent, proposed new rent, effective date, a statement that the increase complies with HB 1217 (or claim of a specific statutory exemption with citation), reference to the Department of Commerce maximum annual rent-increase percentage for the calendar year of the effective date, and tenant rights information. The notice must be delivered at least 90 calendar days before the effective date, regardless of whether the tenancy is month-to-month or fixed-term. Service must be in the manner prescribed by RCW 59.12.040 — personal delivery, or post-and-mail, or substituted service after good-faith attempts. The form and instructions are available at commerce.wa.gov in the HB 1217 Landlord Resource Center. The 90-day rule for residential tenancies under RCW 59.18.140 and for manufactured/mobile-home parks under RCW 59.20.090 are identical in length; the underlying cap differs (9.683% in 2026 for residential, flat 5% for manufactured)."
		},
		{
			"q": "Can I raise rent in the first year of a tenancy?",
			"a": "No. RCW 59.18.700 provides a categorical first-12-months protection: a landlord may not increase the rent during the first 12 months after a tenancy begins, regardless of any other coverage analysis or exemption claim. The protection runs from the tenancy start date — the first day the tenant has the right to occupy the unit under the lease — and resets on every legal new tenancy. After the first 12 months pass, rent may be increased at most once per 12-month period at up to the calendar-year cap (9.683% for 2026 residential; flat 5% for manufactured/mobile-home parks)."
		},
		{
			"q": "How is the maximum annual rent-increase percentage computed each year?",
			"a": "The Washington State Department of Commerce takes the 12-month change in the BLS CPI-U series for the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metropolitan statistical area, all items, not seasonally adjusted, measured June to June. It adds 7 percentage points. It takes the lesser of that number and 10%. The resulting figure is the maximum annual rent-increase percentage for the calendar year following publication. The Department publishes the figure shortly after the BLS June CPI release, typically in early July. For calendar year 2026, the published figure is 9.683% (CPI June 2024 = 354.824, June 2025 = 364.344, → ((364.344−354.824)÷354.824)×100 + 7 = 9.683%). The manufactured/mobile-home park cap is set by separate statute at a flat 5% per 12-month period and is not CPI-indexed."
		},
		{
			"q": "What happens on vacancy?",
			"a": "A legal vacancy lets the landlord reset the rent for the next tenant at market — the 9.683% cap applies to the next tenancy starting from the new rent, not from the old one. The 12-month one-increase clock AND the first-12-months categorical protection both reset with the new tenancy. A legal vacancy means the tenant voluntarily moved out, the lease expired without renewal, the tenant breached the lease for non-payment or material violation, or the tenant accepted a lawful relocation payment. Vacancies caused by retaliatory eviction (RCW 59.18.240) or discrimination (RCW 49.60) do NOT qualify for the vacancy-reset — the cap still applies and the displaced tenant may have additional remedies."
		},
		{
			"q": "What happens if I overshoot the cap or use the wrong notice form?",
			"a": "RCW 59.18.730 makes a landlord who collects rent above the maximum annual rent-increase percentage liable to the tenant for: (a) the excess rent collected, (b) damages of up to three months' unlawful rent, (c) reasonable attorney fees and costs, and (d) civil penalties of up to $7,500 per violation. A non-conforming notice (wrong form, less than 90 days, missing statutory disclosures) is void — the landlord may not collect any increased rent under it and remains subject to penalties for any increase that took effect under it. The Office of the Attorney General has parens patriae enforcement authority. Tenants may also raise the overcharge or notice defect as a defense in unlawful-detainer (eviction) proceedings for non-payment of the unlawful portion."
		},
		{
			"q": "Does HB 1217 expire?",
			"a": "Most residential provisions of HB 1217 — including the 9.683% (2026) residential cap, the 90-day notice form requirement, and the once-per-12-months rule — sunset on July 1, 2040 (15 years from enactment). The Legislature is expected to revisit the regime before sunset; absent action, the residential cap dissolves on that date. The separate 5% rent cap on manufactured/mobile-home park spaces under RCW 59.20.120 has no expiration date and remains in force indefinitely. Local-government rent-control authority (Seattle Just Cause Ordinance, Tukwila Renters' Bill of Rights, etc.) is unaffected by the HB 1217 sunset."
		}
	]
}