Statewide Rent Cap for 2025
- Maximum Rent Increase: For the remainder of 2025, landlords in Washington cannot raise residential rents by more than 10% in a 12-month period. This cap is set by House Bill 1217, signed into law in May 2025, and applies statewide.
- Calculation Method: The law limits rent hikes to 7% plus inflation, or 10%, whichever is lower. For 2025, the official cap is 10%.
- Mobile/Manufactured Homes: Rent increases for mobile and manufactured homes are capped at 5% per year.
Additional Tenant Protections
- No Rent Increases in First Year: Landlords cannot increase rent during the first 12 months of a new tenancy.
- Notice Requirement: Landlords must provide at least 90 days’ written notice before a rent increase takes effect (up from 60 days under prior law). For leases ending between July 6 and August 4, 2025, 60 days’ notice is allowed; after August 5, 2025, 90 days’ notice is mandatory.
- Required Notice Format: Notices must follow a specific format as outlined in the new law.
Exemptions
Some properties are exempt from the rent cap, including:
- New construction (first certificate of occupancy issued within the last 12 years)
- Public housing, certain nonprofit and low-income regulated housing
- Owner-occupied duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes
- Single-family owner-occupied homes renting no more than two units/bedrooms
- Units where the tenant shares a bathroom or kitchen with the owner who lives on the property
Enforcement and Tenant Remedies
- If Rent Exceeds the Cap: Tenants must give the landlord a chance to correct the unlawful increase. If not corrected, tenants can terminate their lease with 20 days’ notice or pursue legal action. The state Attorney General can enforce compliance and seek penalties up to $7,500 per violation.
- Annual Updates: The Department of Commerce will announce the rent cap for each upcoming year, based on inflation data, by July.
Summary Table
| Rule/Requirement | 2025 Standard |
|---|---|
| Maximum annual rent increase | 10% (or 7% + inflation, lower of the two) |
| Rent increase notice | 90 days (60 days for some leases ending July/Aug 2025) |
| Rent increase in first year | Prohibited |
| Manufactured home rent increase | 5% cap |
| Exemptions | New construction, owner-occupied small properties, certain affordable housing |
| Enforcement | Tenant/AG can take action; up to $7,500 per violation |
For most Washington renters, landlords cannot raise rent by more than 10% in 2025, must provide 90 days’ notice, and cannot increase rent in the first year of tenancy. Several property types are exempt. Tenants have new rights and remedies if landlords violate these rules.
SOURCES
[1] https://www.commerce.wa.gov/commerce-announces-10-rent-cap-for-the-rest-of-2025/
[2] https://www.seattletimes.com/business/real-estate/washington-announces-new-cap-on-rent-hikes/
[3] https://www.opb.org/article/2025/05/07/washington-rent-cap-signed-into-law/
[4] https://www.multifamilynw.org/news/wa-state-house-bill-1217—limits-to-rent-increases-changes-to-notice-requirements-and-tenancy-rules
[5] https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/wa-now-has-rent-control-what-happens-now/TIRIFYV3QRAINKIAQSZ5CDV5IU/
