Sen. David Frockt, D-Seattle, and Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle, are co-sponsoring legislation that would support tenants’ rights and make housing more affordable to renters in Washington. If enacted, SB 6291 would streamline the process of tenant screenings by potential landlords by allowing a prospective tenant to obtain a single standardized comprehensive screening report and use it when applying to rent housing for up to 30 days without being charged a tenant screening fee by the landlord. The comprehensive report would include consumer, criminal and eviction history. If a landlord wished to use a different report, the landlord would have to pay the expense themselves. SB 6292 would require notice of rent increases 90 days prior, up from 30 days currently, as well as provide tenant relocation assistance to a broader base of renters.
