Seattle Housing Committee Approves Rental Junk Fee Ban on August 3, 2026
Seattle Housing Committee Approves Rental Junk Fee Ban on August 3, 2026
The Housing, Arts, and Civil Rights Committee of the Seattle City Council held a special meeting on August 3, 2026, at 2:02 PM in Council Chamber, City Hall, to consider Council Bill 121254, which would regulate rental fees, require disclosure, prohibit certain fees, and establish new enforcement mechanisms. After over an hour of public testimony and discussion of four amendments, the committee voted unanimously (5-0) to recommend adoption of the bill as amended to the full council.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Supporters (tenants, advocates, animal welfare): Over 30 speakers registered, each given one minute. Many renters and coalition members (e.g., Seattle Humane, Transit Riders Union, Stay House Stay Healthy Coalition, Tenants Union, Seattle Renters Commission) expressed strong support for the ban on junk fees, citing personal experiences with hidden fees (pet rent, renewal fees, utility fees) that cause housing instability and evictions. Supporters urged passage with amendments 1 and 2, while expressing concerns that amendments 3 and 4 need further refinement to prevent landlord misuse.
- Opponents (housing providers, developers): Representatives from the Rental Housing Association, Commercial Real Estate Development Association (CREETA), and small landlords argued the bill goes beyond transparency, will increase base rents, and lacks sufficient stakeholder engagement. They urged a disclosure standard instead of a fee ban, scaled requirements for small providers, and a curing period for violations.
- Other testimony: One speaker (Clive Hayward) raised concerns about free speech zones on the waterfront unrelated to the bill but within committee purview. Another (Heidi Deandrade) shared a personal story of her son's suicide linked to eviction and junk fees.
Discussion Items
- Amendment 1 (Councilmember Rink): Requires that when optional fees are bundled, each component must also be available separately. Adopted 5-0.
- Amendment 2 (Chair Foster): Clarifies disclosure requirements for estimated utility costs, time-limited discounts, and optional fees not included in total monthly cost. Adopted 5-0.
- Amendment 3 (Chair Foster): Codifies existing discretion of Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) to seek voluntary compliance, specifying that full reimbursement to tenants plus interest is a minimum requirement. Adopted 5-0.
- Amendment 4 (Vice Chair Lynn): Provides tenants a path to reimbursement and damages (double the amount plus interest) for prohibited fee and security deposit violations without filing a private right of action, if the landlord cures within 30 days. Adopted 5-0.
Key Outcomes
- All four amendments were adopted unanimously (5-0).
- The committee then voted 5-0 to recommend adoption of Council Bill 121254 as amended.
- The bill will be transmitted to the full City Council for consideration at the August 11, 2026 meeting.
- The ordinance would ban rental junk fees, require upfront disclosure of total monthly costs, prohibit pet rent and other itemized fees, and strengthen enforcement through SDCI and private rights of action. Three additional FTEs for enforcement are expected to be funded in the upcoming budget.
Meeting Transcript
Hello. Okay, there we go. All right, good afternoon. The August 3rd, 2026 meeting of the Housing Arts and Civil Rights Committee will come to order. It is 2 02 PM. I'm Dion Foster, Chair of the Housing Arts and Civil Rights Committee. Will the committee clerk please call the roll? Council President Hollingsworth. Here. Councilmember Juarez. Here. Councilmember Rink. Here. Vice Chair Lynn. Here. Chair Foster. Here. Chair, there are five members present. Great. If there is no objection, the agenda will be adopted. Hearing no objection, the agenda is adopted. We will now open the hybrid public comment period. Public comments should relate to items on today's agenda or within the purview of this committee. Clerk, how many speakers are signed up today? Currently, we have 17 speakers in person and seven uh 19 remote. Okay, great. Um, so that is more than 30 people, so each speaker will have one minute. Um we will start with in-person speakers first. Clerk, can you please read the public comment instructions? The public comment period is up to 60 minutes. Speakers will be called in the order in which they are registered. We will begin with in-person speakers and then move to remote speakers. Speakers will chime here a chime when 10 seconds are left of their time. Speakers might so we mute if they do not end their comments within the allotted time to allow us to call on the next speaker. The public comment period is now open, and we will begin with the first speaker on the list. First speaker is Jesse Swisher Spears. I'll be followed by Howard Gale. Hello. Um Council members, thank you so much for the opportunities to speak today. My name is Jesse Swisher Spiers, and I'm the executive director at Seattle Humane. We are part of an animal welfare coalition in support of CB121254, especially as it relates to the prohibition of pet fees beyond a reasonable refundable pet damage deposit. Housing instability is already one of the top reasons that pets are surrendered to shelters. At Seattle Humane, 15% of pet surrenders are directly tied to housing related barriers, meaning that these costs are not abstract. They are separating families from their animals. Fees that are not connected to actual damage created unintended con create unintended consequences. They push renters into impossible choices, increase surrender pressures on shelters, and shift private housing costs onto already strained animal welfare systems. We ask you to act affirmatively on the junk fees ordinance so fewer renters are forced to choose between a roof over their heads and keeping a beloved pet. Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker is Howard Gale, followed by Hannah Ziff.
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