Excessive Fees: A Growing Issue for Washington Renters

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What are junk fees?

Washington State renters often subjected to "junk fees," which are extra charges that landlords may impose in addition to rent. These fees can include application fees, late payment fees, move-in fees, and charges for things like maintenance, utilities, or amenities that are not clearly outlined in the lease agreement.

Washington State has laws in place to regulate some of these fees, particularly around transparency. For instance, landlords are required to provide a breakdown of all fees in the lease agreement, and they cannot charge fees that are not disclosed upfront. Additionally, the state limits how much landlords can charge for late fees.

However, there is growing concern that some landlords may still impose excessive or unnecessary fees that could be considered "junk fees." This issue has gained attention nationwide, with advocates pushing for more regulation to protect renters from these kinds of charges.

One family was charged $125 for their landlord to place a notice on their door not to mention another $125 in junk fees for not maintaining there lawn.

Many of these fees are contributing to our states homelessness and as landlords continue to extort fees upon their tenants the problem only compounds.

There are other considerations for junk fees in unexplained charges and even late fees. For many, when the landlord begins starting to charge junk fees, the writing is on the wall. It’s only a matter of time until they are homeless.

How can Washington State work toward a resolution of charging junk fees?

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