Rent control rules in Kennewick, WA — also known as rent stabilization or rent cap ordinances — limit annual rent increases and protect tenants from displacement.
Kennewick has no rent-control ordinance and is barred from adopting one. RCW 35.21.830 expressly preempts cities, towns, and counties from regulating the amount of rent charged for the rental of private residential property statewide.
The City of Kennewick has not adopted rent control, and Washington law forecloses doing so. RCW 35.21.830 provides that the imposition of controls on rent is of statewide significance and is preempted by the state, prohibiting any city, town, county, or municipal corporation from enacting any law that regulates the amount of rent charged for residential rental property. The narrow statutory carveout permits regulation of housing the local government owns or directly subsidizes, but does not authorize a market-wide rent cap. Within Kennewick, rent amounts and increases are set by the lease, subject to Washington's Residential Landlord-Tenant Act at RCW 59.18 and federal fair-housing law. For month-to-month tenancies, RCW 59.18.140 requires at least 60 days' written notice before any rent increase takes effect. The Washington Attorney General has periodically been asked to revisit RCW 35.21.830, but legislative attempts to repeal preemption have not become law.
Because rent control is preempted, no local penalties apply to rent amounts. Tenant disputes proceed under RCW 59.18 (improper notice, retaliation, habitability) in Benton County District or Superior Court, with discrimination complaints to the Washington State Human Rights Commission or HUD.
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See how Kennewick's rent control rules stack up against other locations.
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