SEATTLE — Washington landlords can no longer raise rents by more than 10% per year under landmark legislation Gov. Bob Ferguson signed into law Wednesday.

Effective immediately, House Bill 1217 caps residential rent hikes during a 12-month period at 7% plus inflation, or 10%, whichever is lower. The limit will last 15 years. The bill also restricts manufactured home rent increases to 5% with no expiration date.

“I’m confident that this legislation is going to work for everybody in our state,” Ferguson said Wednesday at Blake House, the first affordable high-rise apartment building constructed in Seattle in half a century, which opened in 2023. “Too many folks are getting priced out, and we can’t have that, right? That’s not an option.”

Rent increases are also prohibited for the first year of a tenancy under the new law. But when a renter moves in, landlords can set the initial rate however they please.

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