On August 24, Bellingham City Council gave final approval for the latest updates to Bellingham’s Rental Registration and Safety Inspection program that are designed to improve safety inspection quality and create more effective enforcement options. City Council also approved a proposal that clarifies requirements for 120-day rent increase notices. These changes will go into effect September 7, 2026.
Summary of changes
These changes to BMC Title 6:
- Define when and how the safety inspection checklist should be used for inspections.
- Create an audit process for inspectors who conduct rental inspections for the program.
- Improve the rental safety code compliance process.
- Change the appeal process for the program to limit to one appeal opportunity.
- Update requirements, exemptions and penalties for 120-day rent increase notices.
“These changes are a continuation of our efforts to improve our Rental Registration program,” said Julia Burns, Rental Protection Program Specialist. “We will be able to collect data in a consistent way which will help us see common issues. The changes will also help us to bring rentals with safety issues into compliance more quickly, and ensure that rental safety standards are being applied fairly and meticulously by all of inspectors.”
Why is support of consistency in inspections needed?
Rental safety inspections are performed by both the City’s dedicated rental inspector as well as the larger City inspector pool that also performs inspections on residential rental projects. In addition, state law requires that cities provide homeowners with the option to hire private inspectors to perform rental inspections. Because there are numerous inspectors doing inspections for the City’s Rental Registration program and because private inspectors do not get the benefit of extensive training from the City’s Building Official, it is important to ensure that all inspectors are knowledgeable about program requirements and are applying consistent standards to rental inspections.
Defining when and how the safety inspection checklist should be used for inspections
Private inspectors will be required to use the City’s rental safety inspection checklist to identify deficiencies and inspection results will be submitted in a manner consistent with the City’s checklist, allowing for greater consistency and data review.
Creating an audit process for inspectors conducting rental inspections for the program
We already had a process to become an approved rental inspector with the City’s Rental Registration program. Now there are additional requirements for all inspectors (City and private), including a ride along with the City’s Building Official, and a new audit process. Additionally, private inspectors will need to re-apply to be approved as inspectors every two years.
Improving the code compliance process
This change decreases the number of steps and City staff required to handle rental safety code compliance complaints. It authorizes the director of Planning and Community Development to hire code compliance officers that have the authority to issue citations for non-criminal offenses relating to the program.
Changing the appeal process for the program to limit to one appeal opportunity
State law requires that municipalities allow an opportunity for the rental property owner to appeal the decision of an inspection if they disagree with the findings. Prior to the August 24 changes, the City of Bellingham also allowed for an appeal of final determinations. This change reduces the number of appeal opportunities to one by removing the option to appeal a final determination. By removing the second appeal opportunity, the City is decreasing the time needed to take licenses that are out of compliance through the compliance process.
Updating requirements, exemptions and penalties for 120-day rent increase notices
In 2023, Bellingham City Council approved ordinance 2023-03-007 requiring 120 days advance notice before any rent increases for residential units can occur. The ordinance is designed to provide renters more time to plan for rent increases or explore different housing options.
However, in practice, some property management companies commonly require tenants to respond to 120-day notices within 30 days saying whether they would like to continue the tenancy or end it at the end of the rental period. State law requires tenants to give 20 days’ notice. This means that tenants are being asked to give 90 day’s notice instead of the 20 days required by state law.
And, in some cases, if the tenant does not respond within the 30-day window allotted by the property management company and later decides that they would like to continue the tenancy, they are required to reapply and pay the prevailing market rate for rent. Pursuant to state law, rent increases during a tenancy are capped at 7 percent plus CPI, and per BMC 6.14, any increase in rent by 8 percent or more requires a landlord to offer rental relocation assistance. However, if a tenancy ends and a tenant must reapply for their unit, the landlord can raise the rate without these restrictions.
The updates approved August 24, 2026, prohibit any requirement to respond to the notice prior to 20 days of the effective date of the increase. It is the intent of these changes to allow a tenant, once they have been notified of a rent increase, to have a full 100 days to assess their finances, look at housing offerings and decide if they would like to continue their tenancy before giving their required 20-day notice.
Read the full ordinance with these changes, learn more about housing laws, and rental protections and requirements and about the Rental Registration and Safety Program on our website.
