Rent control rules in Whatcom County, WA — also known as rent stabilization or rent cap ordinances — limit annual rent increases and protect tenants from displacement.
Washington no longer leaves rent to the open market. Since HB 1217 took effect in May 2025, annual residential rent increases are capped statewide. For 2026 the ceiling is 9.683%, and it applies from Bellingham to Lynden, Ferndale, and unincorporated Whatcom County.
Whatcom County landlords once set rent increases freely, but HB 1217, signed in May 2025 and codified at RCW 59.18.700, changed that. Annual increases on covered units are capped at the lesser of 7% plus the Consumer Price Index or 10%, which works out to 9.683% for 2026 per the Department of Commerce. Landlords must give at least 90 days' written notice, cannot raise rent during the first 12 months of a tenancy, and face a lower 5% cap on manufactured and mobile-home lots. Buildings certified as newer than 12 years are exempt. This weighs heavily in Bellingham, where Western Washington University students fill much of the rental stock.
A rent increase above the cap, or with less than 90 days' notice, is unenforceable, and a tenant can recover damages. Washington's Attorney General enforces HB 1217.
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