Facing the economic disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic and staggering levels of uncertainty among Washington’s homeowners and renters about their ability to retain housing, the Legislature was faced with the large task of addressing housing stability
in a meaningful way. AWC identified this as one of our key priorities as Washington was already facing a housing crisis and if the Legislature’s response were to be inadequate, cities feared a new tsunami of homelessness would overwhelm existing
response systems.
With the help of federal relief investments, the Legislature invested one billion dollars in rental and utility repayment assistance. They backed this up with a new dedicated funding source to support rental assistance and eviction prevention that will
raise nearly $300 million per biennium. This represents the first significant dedicated funding for ongoing rental assistance in our state—and could prove to be a key part of our approach to preventing homelessness.
On top of those investments, the state rededicated itself to the foreclosure prevention system that was created after the last housing bubble. In addition, it passed stronger tenant protections, including prohibiting no cause evictions—an effort
more than a decade in the making.
In total, the scope of investment and policy change is impressive. AWC appreciates the attention and action from the Legislature on this key priority.
Bill # | Description | Status |
|---|
HB 1108 | Maintaining funding and assistance for homeowners navigating the foreclosure process. | Law; various effective dates, including May 3, 2021 for some sections. |
HB 1166 | Expanding access to the homeless and foster care college students pilot program. | Law; effective July 25, 2021. |
HB 1236 | Just cause eviction. | Law; effective May 10, 2021. |
HB 1277 | Increasing the document recording fee to provide an additional revenue source for eviction prevention and housing stability services. | Law; July 25, 2021. |
HB 1410 | Protecting taxpayers from home foreclosure. | Law; effective January 1, 2022. |
HB 1482 | Foreclosure protections for homeowners in common interest communities. | Law; various effective dates, including May 10, 2021 for some sections. |
SB 5160 | Addressing landlord-tenant relations by providing certain tenant protections during the public health emergency, providing for legal representation in eviction cases, establishing an eviction resolution pilot program for nonpayment of
rent cases, and authorizing landlord access to certain rental assistance programs. | Law; effective April 22, 2021 |
SB 5408 | Homestead exemption in forced sale due to bankruptcy | Law; effective May 12, 2021. |
HB 1101 | Creating a grant program for converting unused public buildings to housing for homeless persons. | Did not pass |
HB 1228 | Addressing residential landlord-tenant requirements in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. | Did not pass. |
HB 1441 | Prohibiting discrimination against prospective tenants for unpaid rent or eviction during the COVID-19 pandemic. | Did not pass. |
SB 5107 | Requiring certain cities to operate homeless shelters with services and police presence. | Did not pass. |
SB 5139 | Limiting rent increases after expiration of the governor's eviction moratorium. | Did not pass. |
SB 5428 | Exempting temporary shelters and transitional encampments from SEPA under declared state of emergency for homelessness. | Did not pass. |