SPOKANE, Wash. – The Spokane City Council voted to require landlords to notify tenants of rent increases on Monday.
Council President Betsy Wilkerson touted the ordinance as a win for renters and those facing housing insecurity.
“It’s evident that the cost of housing has skyrocketed in the past years, especially after the pandemic…We’ve noticed a significant increase in homelessness due to sudden rent hikes…Ensuring housing stability is not a matter of being ‘overly generous’, but a necessity,” Wilkerson said.
According to the City of Spokane, the new rules require that renters receive notice of the percentage by which their rent will increase from landlords, the dollar amount of their new rent payments and the month the change will go into effect. The exact specifications of the ordinance were sent to media outlets late on Monday:
“Any rental agreement or renewal of a rental agreement entered after the effective date of this ordinance shall include, or shall be deemed to include, a provision requiring not less than:
120 days written notice for rent increases equal to or less than 3% or180 days written notice for rent increases greater than 3% percent.In a subsidized tenancy where the amount of rent is based on the tenant’s income or circumstances specific to the subsidized household, the rental agreement shall instead provide at least 30 days’ prior written notice of an increase in the amount of rent to each affected tenant.”
Council member Paul Dillon wrote the ordinance and took a victory lap after it passed.
“Renters should be able to afford to live in the same community where they work and enjoy their lives. This ordinance is a crucial tool that will provide ample time to secure new housing, especially considering the rapid rent increases in Spokane,” Dillon said.
The policy was approved on a 5-2 vote with council members Michael Cathcart opposing.
Spectrum Center Spokane and the Tenants Union of Washington both backed the new mandatory rent increase notice period ahead of the Monday night vote.
