Key Dates

On June 23, 2025, the Bellingham City Council voted to approve Ordinance 2025-06-10 and Ordinance 2025-06-11, which regulate unfair and excessive fees for residential rental units and manufactured/mobile home parks. At the time City Council Members voted to adopt the ordinances, they requested data collection about the impact of the new fee regulations, especially those dealing with pet policies. In the fall of 2025, City Council staff members conducted a landlord and property manager survey. It included questions focused on rental fees regulations, as well as the City’s Rental Registration and Safety Inspection Program. 

On April 13, 2026, after hearing a presentation of the results of the landlord and property manager survey, the City Council asked its legislative policy analyst to research a process to gather similar survey data on tenants. During the same meeting, the City Council also approved moving forward with a follow-up survey in 2026 for landlords and property managers. In June 2026, the legislative policy analyst sent the City Council an email with tenant engagement options and a recommendation to conduct an online survey with digital outreach.

On May, 11, 2026, the City Council passed a resolution, presented by the Mayor’s Office, forming a limited-term Landlord and Tenant Advisory Work Group. As part of that resolution, the City Council directed the administration to develop a plan for additional and ongoing data gathering and public engagement – focused on landlord and tenant needs, experiences, and education – for work group review and to inform decision-makers. 

On Aug. 24, 2026, the City Council directed City Council staff members to move forward with a renter survey in addition to the landlord and property manager survey.