At the June 23, 2025, Bellingham City Council Meeting, the Council approved two ordinances that regulate fees for rental units and for manufactured/mobile home lots.
The laws, which go into effect on Aug. 1, 2025, list allowed rental fees, limit amounts for some rental fees, and promote fee transparency. They also allow tenants and prospective tenants to take civil legal action against landlords who violate the ordinances.
“Last year, I brought forward draft ordinances as a result of conversations with renters and manufactured homeowners, held at their doors and in community meetings,” Council Member At-Large Jace Cotton said. “Their stories of the impacts of unfair and excessive fees moved us to action. Over the last 18 months, feedback from landlords, property managers, tenants, legal aid organizations, housing service non-profits, City staff, and Council Members all contributed to strong final products.”
Council Member Cotton introduced drafts of the ordinances at the Sept. 30, 2024, Committee of the Whole meeting. Council subsequently discussed and amended the ordinances at 13 public meetings and conducted focus groups and a survey to gather information about the issue. Council approved each final ordinance by a vote of 7-0.
“As we work to address the housing shortage by building many more affordable homes, these protections will immediately help the young people, working families, and retirees struggling to access and afford housing,” Council Member Cotton said.
Bellingham community members shared their experiences with rental fees via public comment, email, focus group feedback, and survey responses. Nearly all survey respondents supported more transparency, and the new rules mandate upfront disclosure of all fees. Ads, listings, and application forms for rental units must now list the rent amount, the utilities tenants are responsible for or that are included in rent, and the amounts of all fees. The first pages of rental agreements must also list all fees and utility charges.
About unfair and excessive fees
Unfair and excessive fees, also known as “junk fees,” cost Americans an estimated $90 billion annually, according to the White House Council of Economic Advisors (CEA). In response to the proliferation of these fees, federal agencies, state governments, and local governments have enacted policies that promote fairness and transparency. Bellingham joins a growing number of state and local governments that regulate rental fees, including the Washington cities of Aberdeen, Auburn, Burien, Kenmore, Kirkland, Olympia, Redmond, SeaTac, Seattle, Shoreline, and Tacoma.
Bellingham’s rental fee regulations are in addition to new state restrictions on rental fees in the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act.
Visit the City’s webpage for more information about the ordinances.
