Landlords across Washington state can raise rents by up to 10% next year.

The Washington State Department of Commerce announced the annual cap Wednesday, the latest reflection of persistently high inflation in the Seattle area.

The cap stems from a state law passed last year limiting rent hikes at many properties to 7% plus inflation, up to a maximum of 10%. The cap for this year is a tick lower at 9.7%.

State lawmakers passed the limits after years of debate and testimony from tenants struggling with high costs in every corner of Washington. Hoping to avoid a chill on new housing construction, they included a carve-out for new construction.

Seattle-area inflation hit 4.5% in June. With prices rising faster here than nationwide, many people are making trade-offs to afford rising costs.

Washington renters whose landlords violate the cap must first make a written correction request to the landlord, then can file a complaint to the state attorney general.

In the first year of the new rental law, the state did not collect any penalties from landlords who violated the law, the Washington State Standard reported this spring. The Washington state attorney general did settle some cases, but landlords avoided penalties if they canceled illegal rent increases or issued refunds.

The limits on rent increases do not apply to rentals built in the last 12 years, subsidized affordable housing or certain rentals where the owner lives on-site. Landlords can raise rents without limits in between one tenant moving out and another moving in. For residents of manufactured housing, rent increases cannot exceed 5% per year, regardless of inflation.

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