Stay tuned for a possible state-wide effort to ban junk fees for all Washington renters.
We have a victory to celebrate! Thanks to everyone who wrote letters, testified, told your friends, made awesome signs (including Alison’s new baby chicken) and spoke up in other ways, the Seattle City Council unanimously* banned rental junk fees including pet rent, effective July 1 2027!
Hats off to the Stay Housed Stay Healthy Coalition for leading the charge on this effort! The Coalition on Homelessness is a proud member of SHSH.
Please join me to send a quick note of thanks to Mayor Wilson and our City Councilmembers. Electeds are people too and thanking them makes it more likely they will support our goals in the future. Scroll down for an easy email template and a more detailed description of what this junk fee ban means for renters.
Join our September 17 Membership Meeting to learn more about this and a possible state-wide effort to ban junk fees, and stay tuned for budget legislation in the Fall to enforce this law and make sure that landlords who break the law are held accountable.
*Councilmember Rivera is a landlord and City ethics rules disqualified her from voting due to a conflict of interest
What Does This Mean?
For rental agreements beginning on July 1, 2027 or later, landlords cannot charge junk fees in the city of Seattle. They must also disclose any mandatory and optional fees and amounts clearly in the rental listing.
Banned junk fees include:
- Pet rent
- Lease signing, lease renewal, re-application, or other administrative fees
- Month-to-month fee
- Valet garbage fee
- Package or mail storage fee
- Fees for the use or cleaning of common areas (including gyms, rooftops, etc.)
- Fees for in-unit appliances
- Fees to add or remove another tenant to the lease
- Anything other than the allowed fees described in section 7.24.040 of the legislation (summarized below)
Landlords ARE still allowed to charge:
- Move-in fees (application and screening fee, refundable security deposit and pet deposit)
- Utility fees including ratio utility billing systems (RUBS)
- Late fees
- Parking fees
- Fees for damages caused by the tenant
- Fees for dishonored checks, key replacements, and lock-outs
- Fees for breaking a lease or abandoning a unit
- Fees for temporary private rentals of a space (i.e., a clubhouse)
- Optional fees for additional, optional goods and services (including landlord-provided insurance, portable A/C). These require tenant to opt in.
Easy, Quick, Copy/Paste Thank You Email
For Seattle residents/workers
Thanking elected officials is important! It makes it more likely they will support similar efforts in the future. If you have time, it’s always great to customize this message and say why you care about junk fees. Otherwise, just copy and hit send! Numbers matter.
To: council@seattle.gov; mayor.wilson@seattle.gov
Subject: Thank you for protecting renters!
Dear Mayor Wilson and Seattle City Councilmembers,
Thank you for banning junk fees and pet rent! As a Seattle resident, I am glad my elected officials are standing up to protect renters from unfair and excessive fees, especially when affordable homes are out of reach for so many people in our city.
By banning junk fees and requiring more fairness and transparency from landlords, you’re helping renters to be able to afford and stay in their homes.
I look forward to building on this success and supporting other efforts to make sure all Seattle residents have an affordable, safe, and healthy place to call home.
Sincerely,