Proposed Washington law would open up empty bedrooms to more roommates

Lots of people take on roommates, to save money in this tight housing market. But in some Washington cities, that’s illegal.

A proposed bill would change that.

There aren’t enough homes in Washington state for all the people who are moving here. Yet on most nights, about a third of the bedrooms in the state are empty.

That’s especially true in Des Moines, which has lots of empty nesters living in expansive homes. Yet it’s illegal there for more than three unrelated people to live together. That means two unmarried couples can’t share a home.

The bill would not change rules around how many people can live in a home, nor would it change how many people can occupy a bedroom. But some cities have different rules for how many people can live in a home depending on whether they're related or not, or married or not.

Senate Bill 6302 would make caps on unrelated roommates illegal in this state. It’ll get a hearing at a key committee today (Tuesday Feb. 25, 2020).