House pauses residential-rental notice bill after detailed questioning on lease gaps

Representative Judkins presented HB 355 on Feb. 9, a proposal that would require landlords to notify residential tenants 60 days before raising rent in most lease-renewal situations.

"This bill requires a landlord to notify a tenant 60 days before they increase the rent on their rental," Judkins said, noting the change is intended to give tenants on fixed incomes or with special needs time to plan or find alternative housing.

Members asked detailed questions about how the 60-day notice interacts with fixed-term leases, statute exceptions, and month-to-month transitions. Representative Stenquist and Representative Walter explored whether landlords could circumvent the 60-day requirement by allowing a lease to lapse into month-to-month status and then increase rent with shorter notice, and Judkins acknowledged the scenario as a potential gap.

Following the back-and-forth, Representative Lisonbee moved to circle HB 355 to allow the sponsor and stakeholders to refine language and close unintended gaps. The motion to circle passed and the bill will be returned for further committee work.

Next steps: Sponsors and stakeholders will work on technical fixes; the bill is off the immediate calendar pending those changes.