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Washington: two laws start Jan 1, 2027
Two signed laws start Jan 1, 2027, one of them in force since Jun 11, 2026 with Jan 1 the first day a lease can be caught, and the yearly cap figure for 2027 is 10%. Signed laws found as of Nov 6, 2026. City and county rules are not covered.
The laws
| Starts | The law | What changed | Who it reaches | The signed text |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| StartsJan 1, 2027.The act took effect Jun 11, 2026 (approved Mar 27, 2026); its application clause makes Jan 1, 2027 the first day a lease can be caught. | The lawLaws of 2026, ch. 234 (SSB 6237), RCW 59.18.060(13).#c-234 | What changedThe landlord’s duties list gains three disclosures: “That the property may be located in a special flood hazard area or an area of potential flooding”; that the landlord’s insurance does not cover the tenant’s possessions; and that hazard information is available from the county. No finding about the property’s flood status is asked for. | Who it reachesThe landlord, owner, lessor or sublessor; single-family houses and units of multiplexes count. No unit count, no owner-occupied line. Outside it: the living arrangements RCW 59.18.040 keeps out of the Act, and leases entered into on or before Dec 31, 2026 (13)(b). | The signed textLaws of 2026, ch. 234 (SSB 6237), session law read Nov 6, 2026; RCW 59.18.060 carries it at (13). |
| StartsJan 1, 2027.A date clause, section 5 of the act; approved Mar 16, 2026. | The lawLaws of 2026, ch. 55 (ESSB 5937), new RCW 59.18.750, .755 and .760.#c-55 | What changedThree new sections. On request, the landlord offers a key with no biometric data and no phone app: a fob, card, physical key or keypad (.750). The system’s written privacy policy is made available, plus the landlord’s own plain-language policy where it falls short (.755). Collection is limited to the minimum data necessary, from a list of eight (.760). | Who it reachesA smart access building: one with a dwelling unit entered through a system that gathers information to grant entry (an RFID card, a phone app, biometric data) (59.18.030). No unit count; a single-family rental fits. Outside the definition: entry that relies solely on a keypad code, and a plain key. The key section (.750) says “a landlord”; the other two say a landlord of a smart access building. | The signed textLaws of 2026, ch. 55 (ESSB 5937), session law read Nov 6, 2026; RCW 59.18.750, 59.18.755 and 59.18.760. |
The flood act’s title still promises disclosures of flooding history and flood risk. The text it enacts has no history in it.
Days to return the deposit, in eight states
Washington: 30 days, documented statement, or the full deposit is owed and defenses barred. Intentional refusal: up to twice the deposit. Loser pays fees.
Checked Nov 5, 2026, at each state’s own statute text.
Signed laws found as of Nov 6, 2026
We checked all 268 chapters of the 2026 session: each cover’s start date, and each full text searched for the landlord words we track, plus every RCW 59.18 section rewritten in 2026 and its history. Of the chapters dated into 2027, only ch. 55 reaches the landlord-tenant chapters, and ch. 234 joins by its application clause. Not checked: the 2025 session for delayed dates (our earlier read found none for this reader), regulations, court rules and forms, local ordinances. Through the Legislature’s file host as of Nov 5, 2026. Missed one? Write to hello@landlorddispatch.com.
One number
The RCW 59.18.700 cap for 2027: Commerce’s figure for an increase between Jan 1 and Dec 31, 2027 is 10%. The limit is “seven percent plus the consumer price index, or 10 percent, whichever is less” in any 12-month period of the tenancy (59.18.700(1)(a)); the June 2026 index over June 2025 gave 11.53%, so the ceiling set it (2026 was 9.683%, set by the formula). No increase at all in the first 12 months of a tenancy, and 90 days’ written notice before one (59.18.140(3)); a new tenancy starts at any rent (1)(b).
Outside the cap, among others: a unit whose first certificate of occupancy is 12 years old or less at the date of the notice; a single-family owner-occupied residence renting no more than two units or bedrooms; a duplex, triplex or fourplex where the owner lived in one unit at the start of the tenancy and still does; a tenancy sharing a bathroom or kitchen with an owner who lives there (59.18.710(1)). The three owner-on-site lines fail where the owner is a REIT, a corporation or an LLC with a corporate member (710(2)). An owner claiming one “must include facts supporting any claimed exemptions in the written notice of the rent increase” (700(2)).
The price tag: excess rent paid, up to three months of unlawful rent, fees or costs, and attorney’s fees (700(5)); the Attorney General may add a civil penalty of up to $7,500 a violation. Commerce’s 2027 figure; RCW 59.18.700; RCW 59.18.710. Commerce’s page says the exemptions are defined in 59.18.700; they are in 59.18.710.
A Washington rental? Each of these gets its Card in the Jan 1 wave issue.