The City Council is considering an ordinance that would strengthen protections for renters in the City of Tukwila and would like to hear feedback from the community. The proposal includes the following:
- Requiring landlords to provide written summaries of rights and obligations;
- Capping upfront costs over and above the first month’s rent at a total of one month rent, with a right to pay in installments over six months (or two months for leases shorter than six months);
- Prohibiting the collection of a security deposit by a landlord unless a rental agreement is in writing and a written checklist or statement describing the condition of the unit is provided to the tenant;
- Capping late fees at 1.5% of monthly rent;
- Allowing renters on fixed incomes to adjust the rent due date to better align with their payments; and
- Removing social security number requirements for the purpose of screening prospective tenants.
The complete text of the proposal is available here: Draft Ordinance
The accompanying staff report is available here: Information Memo revised 10/30/23
The original proposals submitted by the Transit Riders Union are available here: Tukwila Renter Protections Policy Proposals
To share your thoughts, email citycouncil@tukwilawa.gov, or call 206-491-2297.