Council hears staff briefing on state rent‑stabilization law and impacts on Olympia code; manufactured‑home preservation options requested

Krista Lanson, senior housing program specialist, briefed the Olympia City Council on House Bill 1217 (referred to in the briefing as the rent‑stabilization bill) and its effects on both residential tenancies and manufactured‑home tenancies. Lanson said the city will hold two additional tenant‑protection study sessions: a review of the first year of rental‑registry implementation on Aug. 19 and a tenant‑screening briefing on Sept. 16.

Lanson summarized key state changes: for residential tenancies the law caps annual rent increases at “7% plus CPI up to 10%” during a 12‑month period (the July‑to‑July implementation is phased and the cap is set at 10% for 2025), extends rent‑increase notice to 90 days and requires a state rent‑increase notice form, prohibits increases in the first 12 months of tenancy, and requires the state Department of Commerce to create an online landlord resource center. Lanson noted the rent‑cap provisions for typical residential tenancies expire in July 2040.

For manufactured‑home tenancies (where residents own the home and rent…