[{"_1":2,"_124":-5,"_125":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100,112],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6358093,"mediaKeyId","2212821-46e6db9955c56e78c0873d01dd8a8b1f","parentId",2212821,"title","Housing committee advances renter-protection bill and mobile-dwelling measure in executive session","audioSeconds",362,"startMs",3349000,"endMs",3711000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2212821-46e6db9955c56e78c0873d01dd8a8b1f&start=3349&end=3711","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2212821-46e6db9955c56e78c0873d01dd8a8b1f/thumbnail_3349000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6358093/Washington/Housing-committee-advances-renter-protection-bill-and-mobile-dwelling-measure-in-executive-session","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6358093-6019a7443460568880cb806eaf1e1ecb/orig.mp4?Expires=1770996390&Signature=ny7BKccgkXsnoFAFVmHu61C3L6C1G79GBGAgkmqerqtiPfB8Ryytn5IcE-D~9Ig2wZaxNmiKmtfS65JzypOCIWxMsWKzNu9XTGGmC9EsmKlBo6tTn~-QBFaedqLzEySRkt-Ou~IEEaLOU7xGOcokIoy~TWtD32t9IiN5qxrjJNdwTYu32p1YJ4nEHooFwKh6ieiBMyQcdAENZpn2xDPedVBkvR06xmKYqd5UbL9rX2iSe8r8xvR0~6uBBPzoUNw7wGZtKJnVcSofE3uLDulvakRzHJlUcjBUmHiMOZu6fKtKoAm2w306UNmftkWwd7JycRL~rZ-XX29hRgXf-3xbaA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Senate Housing","date","2025-01-31T00:00:00Z","article","In executive session Jan. 31 the Senate Housing Committee took formal action on two bills previously heard in public: SB 5313, which prohibits certain provisions in residential rental agreements, and the mobile‑dwelling‑unit bill (Senate Bill 5332 and its proposed substitute), which would require cities and counties planning under the Growth Management Act to allow at least one mobile dwelling unit per residential lot if certain conditions are met.

SB 5313: Vice Chair Alvarado moved that the committee recommend SB 5313 receive a \"due pass\" and be sent to the Rules Committee. The motion carried by voice vote. Committee staff summarized SB 5313 as adding a prohibition to rental agreements on clauses that would prevent tenants from suing a landlord, require nondisclosure agreements, mandate arbitration of all disputes, or force tenants to pay for nonessential services. A committee member who previously had concerns about specific services (valet trash) acknowledged the protection goals but urged continued work to avoid unintentionally barring some service providers.

SB 5332 (mobile dwelling units): The committee considered a proposed substitute (S1069.1, labeled B) and two in-line amendments offered by Senator Gaynor. The first amendment (B1), which adds \"tiny houses on wheels\" to the definition of mobile dwelling units, was adopted. A second amendment (B2), which would have removed a prohibition on common-interest communities creating new restrictions that would prevent mobile dwelling units on residential lots, failed on a voice vote. After debate the committee voted to roll the adopted amendment into a new proposed substitute and recommended the bill with a due-pass referral to the Ways and Means Committee for fiscal review and further consideration.

Committee discussion on SB 5332 addressed technical concerns and proposed clarifications in the substitute: certification of potable water when supplied through temporary hookups (hose bib/yard hydrant), requirement that mobile units be maintained so they can be moved at any time, inspection authority for storage tanks and on‑site sewer connections, and owner‑occupancy or plumbing access requirements where internal plumbing is absent. Staff also noted a companion House bill (House Bill 1443) and a partial fiscal note estimating Department of Commerce costs and possible one‑time local government costs for updating development regulations.

Both committee actions were passed “subject to signatures.” The committee adjourned after taking the votes.

Speakers quoted or referenced in this article: Vice Chair Alvarado (motion mover), Bill Fosbury (staff counsel summary of SB 5313), Melissa Van Gorkam (staff summary of SB 5332 substitutes), Senator Keith Gaynor (offered amendments to SB 5332).","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Housing - 1/31/2025 10:30 AM","oneSentenceSummary","In executive session the Senate Housing Committee voted to give SB 5313 (tenant protections in rental agreements) a due-pass recommendation to Rules, and advanced a substitute for the mobile-dwelling-unit bill (SB 5332) with an amendment adding tiny houses on wheels; a proposed restriction on common-interest communities failed.","taxTitle","Housing, Senate, Legislative Sessions, Washington","taxId",20505,"location","Washington","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6358098,"Committee hears bill to authorize middle housing in unincorporated urban growth areas and limited rural 'lammers'",700,2071000,2771000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2212821-46e6db9955c56e78c0873d01dd8a8b1f&start=2071&end=2771","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2212821-46e6db9955c56e78c0873d01dd8a8b1f/thumbnail_2071000.jpg","/articles/6358098/Washington/Committee-hears-bill-to-authorize-middle-housing-in-unincorporated-urban-growth-areas-and-limited-rural-lammers","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6358098-2f471d93c1a516ca989e31ea02c5c4b2/orig.mp4?Expires=1770996390&Signature=f0-6ROZTbMt2~CLOtmnXyP2LN6rjwnL93V~lTUg6tN7rTmk4-GgvvmDp0TV8eDZAHLIQhj7YMBWB~cJkcVrT9E1mwRYlXFkbM3eBNlIG66weh3LKFB7WjNNBSEYMR~OqBAcRhcQsfpjiVpkL7sveYIYvSdaXq4u9paiHpFW7D9d0FuIfrf5o7sOmlY9K9QJ2-8-LqjubEFzUU6D1NSRDqn187n993njJM~oR6PjGvD~gr52xr9e3UDinsl7-q1DeyKFnqZNbSfpNEVRHwT~Zjz~sJaRNQnuFQJ6RHmtgF4N-zij0iTMwIKlMNpk-wKd6Q5uuO21VQ9-fwfzbhb6f-g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate Bill 5471, which would authorize middle housing in unincorporated urban growth areas (UGAs), limited areas of more intensive rural development (LAMERS) and fully contained communities, was subject to a Jan. 31 public hearing before the Senate Housing Committee.

Ben (staff) briefed the committee that middle housing includes duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, townhouses, stacked flats and cottage housing and that the bill would require counties planning under the Growth Management Act to authorize at least one middle‑housing unit on each parcel that permits single‑family residences in designated UGAs. “For the purposes of the GMA, middle housing is defined as buildings compatible in scale, form, and character with single family houses and contain two or more attached, stacked, or clustered homes,” staff said.

Sponsor Senator Keith Gaynor (12th District) said the measure expands housing opportunities in rural and unincorporated areas where housing supply is limited. County officials, builders and planning advocates testified in support, saying the bill provides tools to increase housing diversity near existing population centers and in small, unincorporated towns.

Brian Enslow of the Washington State Association of Counties and representatives of the Master Builders Association and FutureWise urged adjustments on appeal protections, sewer and water requirements, and drafting to ensure the bill’s UGA and LAMER provisions align with existing state water‑mitigation rules. “Counties want to help with the housing crisis,” Enslow said; FutureWise and others asked for targeted tweaks to ensure protections for forested resource lands and for metering/mitigation of new water demand.

Supporters said middle housing offers more housing choices and can be used to keep workers near jobs in resource and tourism economies. The committee took testimony and closed the hearing on SB 5471; no vote occurred at the Jan. 31 meeting.

Speakers quoted or referenced in this article: Ben (staff) (Senate committee staff); Senator Keith Gaynor (sponsor, 12th District); Brian Enslow (Washington State Association of Counties); Alex Herr (Master Builders Association); Bryce Yaden (FutureWise); Mindy Brooks (Lewis County).","Senate Bill 5471 would require counties planning under the Growth Management Act to allow middle‑housing types on lots zoned for single‑family housing within designated urban growth areas and certain limited rural areas; supporters said the bill expands housing options while proponents urged technical clarifications on appeals, water and sewer.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6358105,"Committee hears bill to authorize limited attached ADU development outside urban growth areas with safeguards",821,1062000,1883000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2212821-46e6db9955c56e78c0873d01dd8a8b1f&start=1062&end=1883","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2212821-46e6db9955c56e78c0873d01dd8a8b1f/thumbnail_1062000.jpg","/articles/6358105/Washington/Committee-hears-bill-to-authorize-limited-attached-ADU-development-outside-urban-growth-areas-with-safeguards","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6358105-e3f15f396f7d0b6157f2571743ac2a98/orig.mp4?Expires=1770996390&Signature=F86-1UiFo4KsWmArR5GXIGCneYWndzzEWRpcD3fZxXMp1otosNIQt6~mduS4-I2YkY59o5uZiIeg2Wl1eXq0kMmZyvSanbCbXQocwTYR3KGjdvoipscJRyML3o38DRpPZV8T7ITQY-1EZFSeq8D~uZTgG84kygthDgGag114wgm2MLpOlJlXRbxAyXkXrfmksl~ieUNiCJWa-IR03me2G23G7E7QYWWxzWIcbdEp13qXbxapvsEZSmPdU1KDstR4LU9cMymgR5CKkVrQhtI0uZvz5R2dxIWevjxnBZmwDgUsqD5-pSUcq~JsTk~yNQXuPaINhhFM9bWfxifBARfnFg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate Bill 5470, which would establish limitations on attached accessory dwelling units (ADUs) outside urban growth areas, was presented to the Senate Housing Committee on Jan. 31.

Ben Omdahl, staff to the committee, summarized the bill’s interaction with the Growth Management Act and explained its primary components: ADUs would be subject to statutory water-supply and groundwater-mitigation requirements; counties could require documentation that existing or proposed sewage or septic systems can handle added demand; no parcel may have more than one attached or detached ADU; and an attached ADU must be within 150 feet of the principal dwelling. “A full list can be found in the bill report,” Omdahl said in his staff briefing.

Sponsor Senator Keith Gaynor (12th District) said the bill is designed to help meet supply needs in rural counties while preserving protections for rural character. “This does provide an opportunity for us to just make a small step forward in creating more housing units,” Gaynor said.

Supporters from county government and industry praised the bill’s combination of authorization and limits. Brian Enslow of the Washington State Association of Counties said the bill threads a policy “needle” by pairing authorizations with safeguards, including water-supply and groundwater requirements. Bill Clark, representing realtors, said the measure provides a clearer legal path for counties that wish to authorize detached ADUs without creating broad proliferation. “By adopting this bill, you're specifically authorizing them like a lot of counties already authorized, but you're also limiting them,” Clark said.

Lewis County Director of Community Development Mindy Brooks described her county’s experience permitting ADUs and told the committee that ADUs have created modest new housing without materially increasing service burdens: “The ADUs are well dispersed across our county … therefore, there is negligible burden placed on services like fire and school districts,” Brooks said.

Witnesses suggested additional technical refinements — for example, to water‑mitigation language and short‑term rental registration — but supporters said the bill balances housing supply and environmental protections. The committee closed the hearing on SB 5470 with no immediate vote.

Speakers quoted or referenced in this article: Ben Omdahl (Senate committee staff); Senator Keith Gaynor (sponsor, 12th District); Brian Enslow (Washington State Association of Counties); Bill Clark (realtor association); Mindy Brooks (Lewis County Director of Community Development).","Senate Bill 5470 would allow counties to permit attached and, under conditions, detached accessory dwelling units (ADUs) outside urban growth areas with limits on number, water/septic requirements, proximity and reporting; county and industry witnesses said the bill provides clarity and safeguards while allowing modest rural housing increases.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6358109,"Committee hears bill to bar third-party rent-recommendation algorithms that coordinate landlords",269,649000,918000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2212821-46e6db9955c56e78c0873d01dd8a8b1f&start=649&end=918","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2212821-46e6db9955c56e78c0873d01dd8a8b1f/thumbnail_649000.jpg","/articles/6358109/Washington/Committee-hears-bill-to-bar-third-party-rent-recommendation-algorithms-that-coordinate-landlords","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6358109-f5102e5b41f807ec0f4bfd5ef7e2932f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770996390&Signature=T9YANYrGKIU~MAdz0tMy0VAeHNrj2KqhPq-Yd7RVB7L4akaoViN9PxYv59hmm~hPloXWelF8jI5JtOm5kibyyaCsiHKw7wbh9Zmmk2dxnh9dPMxqIaWIPhA~3FrLG3CKWfA1q1s3~iEZULK5TvpNxwKAb-fPGdhFzNX-cTWpF1zaZk3BmQx3EJvmbvGHD2sIFEVzvoz1kkgOKO39LzssVGOEGR0i1cW9rTm4mv3O9QGoe-EzPonnHMZICf7ffEZg3UNMMRy3lhZO2cW2NkToHWPoC5zLe7-TDY~x4yCMgD8VR9yN5M0Ycu3PrJRXhSv-Jltm4Xaaaeq77Toxp7nAxg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate Bill 5469, proposed to limit the use of algorithmic pricing tools in residential rental markets, was the subject of a public hearing Jan. 31 before the Senate Housing Committee.

Committee staff Bill Fosbury explained that SB 5469 would prohibit service providers from coordinating two or more landlords to share rent, occupancy, supply, or renewal data and then analyze that data through an automated process to provide price recommendations across landlords. The bill would also prohibit a landlord from contracting for those services and authorize the state attorney general to enforce violations under the Washington Consumer Protection Act. “In summary, the bill does three things,” Fosbury said during the staff briefing.

Senator Solomon (sponsor) told the committee he introduced the bill to help keep rental housing competitive and fair, citing a Department of Justice lawsuit alleging landlords nationally shared sensitive price and renewal data via software. “This information shared allegedly included renewal rates, how often they accept an algorithm's price recommendation, the use of concessions, such as offering one month of free rent, and even their approach to pricing for the next quarter,” Solomon said.

Michelle Thomas of the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance testified in favor of the bill, telling the committee that tools like RealPage have enabled “price gouging” of renter households. “Renter households across the state are forced to choose between paying their rent increases and paying for their medication, their childcare, or heat,” Thomas said. She argued that the software also encourages landlords to keep units vacant, undermining state efforts to increase supply.

Joe Kunstler offered separate pro testimony, saying the bill would protect renters from “radical algorithms doing crazy things.” Several signed-in opponents were not present for in-person or remote testimony; the committee reported those absences when it closed the hearing.

A fiscal note noted estimated costs to the attorney general’s office, which expects increased operating costs of $746,000 for the 2025–27 biennium and $364,000 for 2027–29. The committee closed the hearing on SB 5469 with no immediate vote.

Speakers quoted or referenced in this article: Bill Fosbury (Senate committee staff); Senator Solomon (sponsor); Michelle Thomas (Washington Low Income Housing Alliance); Joe Kunstler (commenter).","Senate Bill 5469 would prohibit service providers from using automated processes to provide rental-price recommendations based on pooled landlord data and would bar landlords from contracting with them; proponents said software such as RealPage enables price fixing, while limited remote sign-ins meant fewer opposing speakers were present.",{"_33":113,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":114,"_41":115,"_43":116,"_45":117,"_47":118,"_49":119,"_51":120,"_53":121,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":122,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":123,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6358113,"Committee hears bill to move smoke-detector enforcement to state patrol after families say 2019 law went unenforced",377,61000,438000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2212821-46e6db9955c56e78c0873d01dd8a8b1f&start=61&end=438","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2212821-46e6db9955c56e78c0873d01dd8a8b1f/thumbnail_61000.jpg","/articles/6358113/Washington/Committee-hears-bill-to-move-smoke-detector-enforcement-to-state-patrol-after-families-say-2019-law-went-unenforced","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6358113-d66d477c90c5ab21c1310a927e218927/orig.mp4?Expires=1770996390&Signature=HKEuajh1SVx0aSDgimsMrKz~rKUaqJhV5xR4eiV4kvJgnXp9-7nMWoVaQ4ZfbgNoMUAWZ27jVw3xuhkPpbhRyx7g5nrHWufpKEAYsx~RdwUmN0Keqd4vRbkLWiKUoxLfjqC~2r1r60M~2B943Lwby1aaBPX9DvvS6q77TCIYJMVz~-F16beH~sF1ivOuDcrHe-cubj37Lbdyw4dxBnj7XSX0Yx-txiw0Fty6mABUDsV8Ve6TDZXKcxF1mJ~eLerFSTO~2AUSZd-f4jAiVulAStd3isWGsgUaB-ev5GafeLgHi5l3nKlMimvnYNaRdR8BKS0iGskjFchhLnHlUweP3g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate Bill 5329, which would make the Washington State Patrol solely responsible for enforcing state requirements on the installation of smoke-detection devices, received a staff briefing and public testimony at the Senate Housing Committee hearing on Jan. 31.

The bill would transfer enforcement authority from local fire officials to the state patrol and require the patrol to develop and share education materials with county fire marshals and other local officials, Bill Fosbury, Senate committee staff, told the committee. “Before you is Senate Bill 5329 related to the enforcement of laws regulating the installation of smoke detection devices,” Fosbury said in his summary.

The bill’s sponsor, Senator Mark O’Lia (21st District), said the measure responds to a 2016 house fire that killed his classmate, Greg Gibson, and to what he described as a failure to enforce a 2019 law requiring property sellers to leave at least one smoke detector in units when they sell. “In 2019, we passed legislation that requires property sellers to provide at least a smoke detector, before a buyer moves in,” O’Lia said. He told the committee that, in practice, “this law is not being enforced” and that local fire marshals often do not realize the fine structure exists.

Jerry and Bonnie Gibson, parents of the fire victim and founders of the nonprofit Gibbyhole Fire Prevention, testified in support. Jerry Gibson said repeated outreach to the State Patrol and the State Fire Marshal’s Office yielded little enforcement. “We’ve met with the state patrol, written to them, the state fire marshal’s office. And in each instance, they say it’s their responsibility at the local level to handle this. The local level says we haven’t gotten any guidelines,” he said. Bonnie Gibson pressed for a change in mandatory language, pointing out that the earlier statute used “may” and saying the bill’s use of “shall” should require action: “When you say may, that doesn’t really mean you need to do it. So in this bill, it is shall,” she said.

The Gibsons described their nonprofit’s work installing nearly 7,000 free smoke alarms and cited a statistic from the State Fire Marshal’s 2024 State Fire Fatalities Report: “71% of fire fatalities in dwellings did not have smoke alarms or working smoke alarms,” Jerry Gibson said.

Fosbury noted a fiscal note was released “right before the committee” and had not yet been reviewed by financial staff. No formal committee action was taken on SB 5329 at the hearing; the item remained in the public-hearing phase.

The testimony supplied several points the committee may weigh if it advances the bill: (1) whether a statewide enforcement lead would increase the number of fines levied under the 2019 statute and thereby generate education funds, (2) whether statewide guidance and materials developed by the patrol would reach local fire marshals who currently say they lack awareness, and (3) the scale of known fire fatalities tied to missing or nonworking alarms described in the state report. The committee closed the hearing on SB 5329 and moved on to other bills on the agenda.

Looking ahead, if the committee advances SB 5329 it would likely need to resolve fiscal and operational questions about the State Patrol’s new enforcement role and the mechanism for generating and directing education funding raised by fines.

Speakers quoted or referenced in this article: Bill Fosbury (Senate committee staff); Senator Mark O’Lia (sponsor, 21st District); Jerry Gibson (co-founder, Gibbyhole Fire Prevention); Bonnie Gibson (co-founder, Gibbyhole Fire Prevention).","Senate Bill 5329 would make the Washington State Patrol solely responsible for enforcing a 2019 law requiring sellers to provide smoke detectors; family members of a 2016 fire victim and a nonprofit that installs alarms urged the committee to pass it, saying local officials have not enforced the earlier statute.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Housing committee advances renter-protection bill and mobile-dwelling measure in executive session

Committee hears bill to authorize middle housing in unincorporated urban growth areas and limited rural 'lammers'

Committee hears bill to authorize limited attached ADU development outside urban growth areas with safeguards

Committee hears bill to bar third-party rent-recommendation algorithms that coordinate landlords

Committee hears bill to move smoke-detector enforcement to state patrol after families say 2019 law went unenforced