Rental Registration and Inspection Ordinance
Overview
What Is It?
Registration:
- The Rental Registration and Inspection Ordinance requires landlords to register all rental housing units in Seattle, from single-family houses to large apartment buildings.
- Exceptions to the registration requirement include commercial lodging, state-licensed facilities such as adult family homes, and housing owned by government groups or by housing authorities such as Seattle Housing Authority.
- Landlords must register their properties according to the following schedule:
- By July 1, 2014, all properties with 10 or more rental housing units
- By December 31, 2014, all properties with five to nine rental housing units
- By December 31, 2016, all properties with one to four rental housing units
- Registrations must be renewed every five years.
Inspection:
- The ordinance requires that all registered rental properties be inspected within the first 10 years of the program.
- The owner must hire certified private inspectors to do the inspections.
- All rental properties that have had two Notices of Violation or an Emergency Order issued within the past two years will be inspected early in the program.
What It Isn't
This ordinance does not cover complaint-based enforcement of City housing standards. We will continue our complaint-based process for housing code violations. Our housing and zoning inspectors will continue to enforce all housing code standards and other applicable codes.
Read the Code
Read the text of the Rental Registration and Inspection Ordinance.
Proposed Changes
This is a new ordinance and we are still developing many of these procedures. If your building has more than four units, you will be able to register your rental units in 2014. Registration of smaller properties begins later.
Last Updated:
March 29, 2013
