Renting in Washington? How much of that is really rent?

Are you renting in Washington state? You don't have to tell me, but I'm going to ask you how much you are paying and how much of that is actually for rent? It was several years ago that Jimmy McMillan said, “the rent is too damn high.” I have to agree. 

For a lot of people in Washington state that are renting it's not Even so much that the rent is too high, it's all the different expenses that are tacked on to your rent bill. 

According to invw.com,
‘In the midst of a summer heat wave in July 2023, Vancouver resident ShaWayne Hodges walked out to her porch and saw a notice posted on her front door. She owed $125 to the property management company, Zenith Properties NW, for noncompliance with her lease. She owed another $125 to Zenith for taping the piece of paper on her front door. 

As of early August, she owes a total of more than $3000 just in fees. And the scary thing is that this is all legal. Now, there are other parts of the Northwest where this is not possible. Just a few miles south in Oregon severely limits the kinds of fees that landlords can tack on to their rent, and Seattle has eliminated fees for posting notices. But she lives in Vancouver, WA. where there is no limit on fees charged to renters. 

Invw.com says,
The Biden administration announced a national crackdown on rental housing “junk fees” last year, calling on states to take legislative action against fees for applications, online payments, trash collection and other mandatory services. But Washington’s state and local efforts to cap fees have faced strong opposition from landlord and rental associations that argue regulations will increase costs for housing providers,’   

Junk fees for Washington State renters needs to stop. 

How do we make that happen? 

WA renters say unregulated ‘junk fees’ are being used to retaliate, discriminate - InvestigateWest (invw.org)
‘These are predatory fees. There’s no question about that’: ‘Junk fees’ burden renters in Clark County - The Columbian