Olympia City Council passed an ordinance (OMC 5.82) on August 16, 2022 that provides additional protections for Olympia renters.
The ordinance includes the following provisions:
- Limits pet deposits to 25% of one month’s rent and allows tenants the ability to pay the deposit over 3 consecutive monthly payments (Effective September 20, 2022)
- Limits move-in costs to one month’s worth of rent (move in costs can include a security deposit or last month’s rent) (Effective September 20, 2022)
- Requires 120 days’ notice for rent increases over 5% (Effective December 19, 2022)
- Requires 180 days’ notice for rent increases over 10% (Effective February 17, 2023)
Note that these provisions do not apply to subsidized housing properties where the amount of rent is calculated based on tenant income, but do apply to landlords who rent to tenants who use a Section 8 Housing Choice voucher. Please review the ordinance or the FAQs below for more information.
For additional information on this ordinance, please see the following link:
Tenant Protections (olympiawa.gov)
This blog post does NOT constitute as legal advice.
The Landlord-Tenant Laws in Washington State are always changing. It is advisable to consult your attorney to verify your compliance with your industry requirements as well as local, state, and federal law.