SEATTLE — The Seattle City Council has voted to ban some specific mandatory fees for renters on new leases, commonly referred to as “junk fees.”
The new law eliminates mandatory fees for items such as pet rent, access to common areas, and mail or package collection services.
It does not ban all move-in or property costs, though. Landlords are still permitted to charge some mandatory fees, including application screening fees, move-in fees, pet damage deposits and lockout fees.
Under the measure, any fees considered optional must also be clearly disclosed as optional in rental advertisements, listings and lease agreements.
Seattle Councilmember Dionne Foster said that it provides clearer pricing information for prospective tenants before they sign a lease.
“This legislation gives renters the ability to compare homes priced on their actual cost, not on an artificially low advertised price followed by a list of surprise charges,” Foster said.
To ensure compliance, the law establishes financial penalties for property owners who continue to charge prohibited fees. If a landlord violates the ban, the City Attorney’s Office can take legal action in court and recover three times the amount of the illegal fees collected.
Seattle renter Joshua Scott, who currently pays $50 a month for his dog, noted that eliminating monthly pet rent would provide noticeable financial relief that can be applied to other living expenses.
However, representatives for housing providers raised concerns about potential unintended consequences for the local market.
Kevin Schilling, Government Affairs Director for the Rental Housing Association of Washington, said that while his organization supports pricing transparency, banning certain fees could harm independent landlords.
“They’re either going to get out of the rental market entirely, they’re going to not offer a service because they can’t charge a fee for it, or they’re gonna bake it into the rent and rent is going to go up,” Schilling said.
Schilling added that the measure fails to address broader issues facing the regional market.
“Really this doesn’t do anything to solve the problems that are structural in place right now in the city of Seattle, which are that rents are too high, we’re not building enough housing and quality is going down,” Schilling said.
You can read the legislation here.