Bellingham discusses these tougher limits on rent price hikes
Bellingham could set new limits on steep rent increases after a proposal advanced in a City Council committee session.
Councilwoman Hollie Huthman asked the city’s Planning and Community Development Department to draft an ordinance that would change the municipal code to require 120 days’ notice for rent increases above 5%.
Huthman’s proposal received unanimous consent in a Committee of the Whole session Monday afternoon, Jan. 23.
“We all know that it’s a tough rental market for tenants” with less than a 2% vacancy rate, Huthman said during the meeting.
Current Bellingham code requires 60 days’ notice for rent increases above 10%.
Her proposed ordinance closely mirrors part of a citywide initiative that failed by 333 votes, or about 1% of all ballots cast, in November 2021.
That initiative would have required 90 days’ notice before ending a rental agreement without cause or increasing rent by more than 5%, and require landlords to pay rental relocation assistance equal to three months of the current fair market rent in the Bellingham area when ending a lease without cause or raising rent more than 8%.
A measure working its way through the state Legislature would cap annual rent hikes at 3% to 7% annually.
Other Washington state cities have similar renter protections, Huthman said.
Huthman’s proposed measure could be ready for City Council consideration in about one month, said Blake Lyon, director of Planning and Community Development.
