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SB 5661

Creating consistency in housing.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Mike Chapman and 2 co-sponsors

SB 5661 would preempt most local rent control and landlord-tenant rules, placing regulation under state law except for certain public or low-income housing exceptions.

Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Housing at 10:30 AM.
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Bill Summary · SB 5661

Summary: Senate Bill 5661 — Creating Consistency in Housing

Overview

SB 5661, introduced February 4, 2025, seeks to create statewide consistency in housing regulation by preempting local rent control and most landlord-tenant regulations. The bill amends key RCW provisions to centralize regulation under state law and limit conflicting local ordinances, with narrowly drawn exceptions for public ownership, public management, and certain low-income housing arrangements.

Purpose and Intent

  • Recognizes that local modifications to the residential landlord-tenant act have caused conflicts with state law and among jurisdictions.
  • Aims to prevent disjointed regulatory schemes that discourage investment in rental housing and complicate legal compliance for landlords and tenants.
  • Emphasizes maintaining a strong residential rental market to support housing supply and affordability efforts across Washington.

Key Provisions

Preemption of Rent Controls (Statewide rent regulation)

  • Amends RCW 35.21.830 and related 1981 amendments to require that:
    • The imposition of controls on rent (for single-family or multi-unit rentals) is of statewide significance and preempted by the state.
    • Cities cannot enact or enforce ordinances regulating rent amounts, except for properties:
    • In public ownership,
    • Under public management, or
    • Providing low-income rental housing under joint public-private financing/provision arrangements.
    • Cities may still enter into private agreements that regulate or control rent amounts.

Preemption of Landlord-Tenant Relationship Regulations

  • Also amends RCW 35.21.830 and RCW 36.01.130 to similarly preempt local regulations on the landlord-tenant relationship for single-family or multi-unit rentals, with the same exceptions noted above.
  • This language applies to regulations under chapters 59.18 (tenant remedies) and 59.20 (landlord-tenant relations) RCW, again allowing private agreements but restricting local rules in other contexts.

Findings and Jurisdictional Rationale (Sec. 1)

  • The legislature finds that the current landscape includes local regulations that conflict with and undermine the state act.
  • Asserts there is no room for concurrent jurisdiction and advocates for a coordinated regulatory scheme regulated solely by the act.

Who/What is Affected

  • Local Governments: Cities and counties would be broadly precluded from enacting or enforcing rent control or landlord-tenant provisions beyond the specified exceptions.
  • Landlords and Tenants: Primarily governed by state law; private rental agreements remain permissible and unaffected, subject to the exceptions.
  • Housing Market/Developers: Potentially clearer regulatory expectations and reduced local variation, which could influence investment decisions and housing supply dynamics.

Procedural and Timeline Aspects

  • Introduced: February 4, 2025
  • First Reading: February 4, 2025; referred to the Senate Committee on Housing
  • Public Hearing: February 14, 2025 at 10:30 AM (Senate Committee on Housing)

Potential Impacts to Watch

  • Shift toward uniform statewide standards may reduce local policy experimentation.
  • Could affect cities with aggressive rent-control or landlord-tenant restrictions (e.g., Seattle, King County, Kent, etc.).
  • Exempts private rent-control agreements and certain publicly financed housing programs, preserving some local flexibility in those contexts.

Overall, SB 5661 proposes a statewide framework to stabilize and standardize housing regulation, limiting local authority to regulate rent and landlord-tenant relationships outside narrowly defined circumstances.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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