Shoreline City Council passes tenant protections

On December 11, 2023, the Shoreline City Council approved Ordinance No. 966, which establishes additional protections for Shoreline tenants, above those already provided under the Washington State Residential Landlord-Tenant Act (RLTA, RCW, 59.18).

Below is a summary of the adopted protections. 

• It adds additional notice requirements for base rent increases. For base rent increases greater than three percent but less than 10%, landlords are required to provide 120-day notice. For base rent increases of 10% or greater, landlords must give at least 180 days notice.
• All move in fees and security deposits cannot exceed a combined one month’s rent. Tenants have the right to pay these fees in installments. The number of installments depends upon the length of the lease.
• Late fees cannot exceed 1.5% of the tenant’s monthly rent.
• A tenant may propose, in writing, that the landlord change the due date for rent in the rental agreement to a different day of the month if the tenant’s primary source of income is a regular, monthly source of government assistance.
• A landlord may request, but can’t require, a prospective tenant to provide a social security number or other type of tax identification number for screening purposes.
• Fees 
• All fees must be listed in the rental agreement.
• A landlord may not charge a fee for a tenant’s access to common areas and/or a prorate share of utilities for such areas or for the performance of any landlord duty required by the RLTA.
• A landlord may not charge a fee associated with the issuance of a notice to a tenant, even if the notice is required by state law, including but not limited to a fee for preparing and delivering a notice regarding late payment of rent, a notice to pay or vacate, or a notice of noncompliance with a rental agreement.
• Tenants have the right to sue their landlord for violation of the code.

Ordinance 996 will add a new chapter to the Shoreline Municipal Code (Chapter 9.35 – Residential Tenant Protections).