HOUSE BILL REPORT
SB 5825
As Reported by House Committee On:
Housing, Human Services & Veterans
Title: An act relating to establishing a rental and vacant property registration program work group.
Brief Description: Establishing a rental and vacant property registration program work group.
Sponsors: Senators Kuderer, Das, Lovelett, Nobles and Wilson, C..
Brief History:
Committee Activity:
Housing, Human Services & Veterans: 2/22/22, 2/24/22 [DPA].
Brief Summary of Bill
(As Amended By Committee)
  • Requires the Department of Commerce to convene a work group to make recommendations on creating a statewide rental and vacant property registration program. 
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HOUSING, HUMAN SERVICES & VETERANS
Majority Report: Do pass as amended.Signed by 6 members:Representatives Peterson, Chair; Taylor, Vice Chair; Bateman, Chopp, Donaghy and Leavitt.
Minority Report: Do not pass.Signed by 3 members:Representatives Gilday, Ranking Minority Member; Barkis, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Jacobsen.
Staff: Lena Langer (786-7192).
Background:

The Residential Landlord-Tenant Act (RLTA) regulates the creation of residential tenancies and the relationship between landlords and tenants of residential dwelling units.  Under the RLTA, local municipalities may require landlords to provide a certificate of inspection as a business license condition to operate as a landlord.  A local municipality does not need to have a business license or registration program to require that landlords provide a certificate of inspection.  A local municipality may only require a certificate of inspection on a rental property once every three years.  

 

Numerous local municipalities throughout the state have exercised this authority in establishing rental housing safety, inspection, or registration programs, with many having a goal to ensure that all rental housing units comply with specific life and safety standards and provide a safe place for tenants to live.  Some local municipalities have implemented a business license requirement for landlords.
Summary of Amended Bill:

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) must convene a work group to make recommendations on creating a statewide rental and vacant property registration program for inventorying tenant-occupied and potentially available rental housing.  The work group must include relevant stakeholders, including, but not limited to:

  • tenant representatives;
  • multifamily housing representatives;
  • housing developer representatives; and
  • representatives from cities and counties.

 

The work group must meet at least three times.  The work group must evaluate:

  • current local rental property registration and landlord licensing programs, and strategies to synthesize and collect registration information from such programs into a statewide database;
  • which property and landlord information should be collected and disclosed in a database;
  • the need to implement a rental and vacant property registration requirement;
  • the imposition of registration or licensing fees and fee amounts, use of revenue, and appropriate penalties;
  • which types of housing units should be exempted from a statewide registration requirement;
  • the use of a statewide registration program database to provide rental assistance program information to tenants and landlords;
  • the feasibility of requiring landlords to report rent rate data as part of a registration program; and
  • any other considerations discussed by the work group.

 

Commerce must issue a final report with any work group findings or recommendations to the Legislature by June 1, 2023.

 

The section requiring Commerce to convene a work group expires June 1, 2024.  
Amended Bill Compared to Original Bill:

The deadline by which Commerce must issue a final report, including any work group findings and recommendations, to the Legislature is changed from December 1, 2022, to June 1, 2023.  The section requiring Commerce to convene a work group to make recommendations on creating a statewide rental and vacant property registration program expires on June 1, 2024, rather than January 1, 2023.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Available.  New fiscal note requested on February 24, 2022.
Effective Date of Amended Bill: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.
Staff Summary of Public Testimony:

(In support) None.

 

(Opposed) None.
Persons Testifying: None.
Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: None.