Rental Registration & Inspection Code
See also: Rental Registration & Inspection, Renting in Seattle
What Is It?
The Rental Registration and Inspection Ordinance (RRIO) helps ensure that all rental housing in Seattle is safe and meets basic housing maintenance requirements. The program educates property owners, managers, and renters about City housing codes and their responsibilities; and requires owners to verify that their properties meet these standards when registering with the City.
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. See the ordinance for more detail.
- Landlords must register their properties as soon as they have a tenant in the rental space.
- Registrations must be renewed every 2 years.
Inspection:
- The ordinance requires that all registered rental properties be inspected at least once every 5-10 years.
- The owner must hire a qualified rental housing inspector or City inspector to do the inspections.
- Rental Registration and Inspection Ordinance - SMC Chapter 22.214
If you'd like to see more learn about the program, visit our About RRIO page.
What It Isn't
The Rental Registration and Inspection Ordinance does not cover complaint-based enforcement of City housing standards. The City's complaint-based process for housing code violations is covered under the Housing Building and Maintenance Code. More information on how to submit a housing and building complaint to the City of Seattle can be found on our Make a Property or Building Complaint page.
Read the Code
Read the Seattle Municipal Code section about the Rental Registration and Inspection Ordinance, SMC 22.214.
Proposed Changes
None