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Page 4 of 15 Information for Tenants <br />THE RENTAL AGREEMENT REGULATION <br />ORDINANCE <br />The City of Seattle Rental Agreement Regulation <br />Ordinance (SMC Chapter 7.24) regulates certain <br />aspects of residential rental agreements. It requires <br />a landlord to provide sixty (60) days’ advance written <br />notice of an increase in housing costs of 10% or more <br />within a twelve (12) month period; prohibits month- <br />to-month rental agreements that require a tenant to <br />stay a minimum period greater than one (1) month or <br />be subject to the loss of deposits or other penalties; <br />limits the amount of security and pet damage depos- <br />its, and move-in fees that can be charged to a tenant <br />upon move in; allows a tenant to pay security and pet <br />damage deposits, move-fees, and last month’s rent <br />on installment plans; requires a landlord to take and <br />return a deposit pursuant to state law; and to distrib- <br />ute a summary of state and local landlord-tenant laws <br />prepared by the City of Seattle to each prospective <br />tenant, to each tenant upon move-in, and at the time a <br />rental agreement is renewed. A landlord cannot retali- <br />ate against a tenant or a prospective tenant for exercis- <br />ing or attempting to exercise the tenant’s rights under <br />this Ordinance. The Seattle Department of Construc- <br />tion and Inspections enforces this ordinance. For more <br />information call the Department’s Code Compliance <br />Division at (206) 615-0808 or follow this link: http:// <br />www.seattle.gov/dpd/codesrules/commonquestions/ <br />rentalhousingproblems/default.htm <br />Rent Increases <br />The City of Seattle does not regulate or control rent. <br />However, the Rental Agreement Regulation Ordinance <br />does require a landlord to provide at least sixty (60) <br />days’ advance written notice of any increase in hous- <br />ing costs of 10% or more in a twelve (12) month pe- <br />riod; increases of less than 10% require an advance <br />written notice of at least thirty (30) days consistent <br />with state law. These notices must include informa- <br />tion on how the tenant can access information on the <br />tenant’s rights and responsibilities. Housing costs <br />include rent, parking and storage fees, and other <br />periodic fees associated with a tenancy. Failure to <br />provide a required sixty (60) day notice is a violation <br />of SMC 7.24.030.A and SMC 22.206.180. <br />Prohibited Rental Agreement Provisions <br />Month-to-month rental agreements, whether verbal <br />or in writing, cannot require a tenant to stay beyond <br />the initial period of the agreement. A landlord cannot <br />withhold a deposit or impose other penalties solely <br />on the basis that a tenant moves out at the end of the <br />initial rental period. <br />However, a tenant who desires to terminate a month- <br />to-month tenancy must provide the landlord with a <br />written notice at least twenty (20) days in advance of <br />the end of a rental period. Landlords are not obligat- <br />ed to pro-rate rent when a tenant moves out after the <br />beginning of a rental period. <br />Security Deposits <br />If a landlord wishes to collect a security deposit, the <br />deposit and its amount must be identified in a writ- <br />ten rental agreement. The total amount of a security <br />deposit and move-in fees cannot exceed the amount <br />of the first full month’s rent. Additionally, the landlord <br />must prepare and provide a tenant with a written <br />checklist or statement describing the condition, clean- <br />liness, and existing damage of the tenant’s housing <br />unit at the commencement of the tenancy. This state- <br />ment must be signed and dated by the landlord and <br />the tenant. The landlord must provide a copy of the <br />checklist to the tenant for the tenant’s records, and, <br />upon request, one free replacement copy. <br />All security deposits must be placed in a trust account <br />and the landlord must provide the tenant with the <br />name, address, and location of the depository. The <br />landlord must inform the tenant of any subsequent <br />changes of the location of the deposit. <br />Security deposits must be returned in accordance <br />with RCW 59.18.280 at the end of a tenancy. <br />Pet Damage Deposits <br />A landlord can charge a pet damage deposit, but <br />it cannot exceed 25% of the first full month’s rent. <br />A pet damage deposit cannot be required for an <br />animal if it serves as an assistance animal to the <br />tenant. However, the tenant is responsible for any <br />damage created by the tenant’s assistance animal or <br />the assistance animal of a guest of the tenant. A pet <br />damage deposit may be charged in addition to any <br />security deposit. <br />An agreement to pay a pet damage deposit must be <br />included in a written rental agreement or in a written <br />addendum to the agreement, identify the amount of <br />the deposit, and allow the tenant to pay the deposit in <br />installments if requested by the tenant. <br />If the pet’s occupancy begins at the commencement <br />of the tenancy, the deposit must be identified in the <br />rental agreement. If the pet’s occupancy begins after <br />the commencement of the tenancy, the landlord must <br />provide a written addendum to the rental agreement. <br />A landlord may not retain any portion of a pet damage <br />deposit for damages not caused by the pet for which <br />the tenant is responsible. <br />Pet damage deposits must be returned in accordance <br />with RCW 59.18.280 at the end of a tenancy. <br />Pet Rent <br />The payment of rent to keep a pet is allowed.