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60-Days Notice of Large Rent Increases
Please note: this information applies only to tenants who live inside the city limits of Seattle.
Landlords of Seattle tenants are now required to give a minimum of 60 days written notice when housing costs, including rent, are increased by 10% or more during a 12 month period.
How to assert your rights under the 60 days notice law
This new law (SMC 7.24.030) applies to all rental agreements in the City of Seattle. Landlords are required to give tenants written 60 days notice to increase housing costs or rent if those costs increase by more than 10% during a 12 month period. Increases in housing costs besides rent include only charges that were not in the original rental agreement, and could be things like garbage/recycling, water or sewage.
For example, if your rent is $600/month and you get a $60 rent increase, then you must be given 60 days written notice. If in December your rent increased by $30, then again by another $30 in February, the second thirty dollar rent increase would require a 60 day notice.
The 60 day notice must be in writing and coincide with the beginning of the rental period (usually the first day of the month, when rent is due for most of us).
If you do not receive proper notice, you are not responsible to pay the increased charges. You can write a letter informing your landlord of the ordinance and the lack of proper notice.
History of the ordinance
Under state law, landlords may increase rent with only a 30 day written notice, provided the tenant is on a month-to-month rental agreement. The Seattle City Council cannot pass laws restricting rents in any manner due to a statewide prohibition on rent control (RCW 35.21.830).
Rising rents and low vacancy rates within the City of Seattle make it increasingly difficult for tenants to find and keep affordable housing. Tenants need more time to make the decision about what to do when faced with rent increases and new housing costs.
Tenants fought hard to pass the 60 days notice law. While not a perfect solution, the 60 days notice law doubles the amount of time landlords must give their tenants when increasing tenants’ housing costs by 10% or more within a 12 month period.
Last Updated: 12/08/04
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The Tenants Union cannot act as your attorney, and its staff members are not attorneys. The Tenants Union makes no representations, expressed or implied, that the information contained in or linked to its web site can or will be used or interpreted in any particular way by any governmental agency or court. As legal advice must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case, and laws are constantly changing, nothing provided herein should be used as a substitute for the advice of competent counsel.