In Seattle, a large enough rent increase can obligate you to help pay for a tenant's move if they leave because of it. This tool checks whether the increase you have in mind crosses that line.
EDRA (Economic Displacement Relocation Assistance) is a Seattle ordinance that kicks in when a landlord raises housing costs by 10% or more. When it applies, you must attach the city's EDRA notice to your 180-day rent-increase notice.
An income-eligible tenant household that moves out because of the increase can then claim relocation help worth three times the unit's average monthly housing cost over the past 12 months (or over the tenancy, if shorter), split between households if more than one shares the unit. In the common case of one household and steady rent, that is three months of the pre-increase cost. The city pays the tenant up front, then bills you, and you must pay the city back within 7 days, so an increase that trips EDRA can cost far more than the extra rent brings in.
The city runs the income test at 80% of area median income, with tables it updates every year. One oddity worth knowing: the code points to a definition the city repealed in 2023 and never replaced, so the city is still using the old 80% standard in practice. Check the current year's numbers on the city's EDRA application rather than guessing whether a tenant qualifies.
The 10% threshold is cumulative over any rolling 12-month period. Two smaller increases within a year are added together, so an increase that looks safe on its own can still trigger EDRA. This tool checks the single increase you enter; it can't see earlier increases you may have made.
Where this comes from
Just the before-and-after rent. The tool works out the percentage increase and compares it to the 10% threshold:
Current monthly rent. The tenant's housing cost today, before the increase.
Planned new monthly rent. What you intend to charge. The tool compares this against the current rent to find the percentage increase.
That's GiveProperNotice: it remembers every increase in the last 12 months, not just the one in front of you.
Outside Seattle? The relocation assistance checker covers Tacoma, Olympia, and Bellingham too.
Once you know EDRA applies, the notice deadline calculator shows when the 180-day notice (with the EDRA notice attached) must go out.
Raising housing costs by 10% or more. When it applies you must attach the city's EDRA notice to your 180-day rent-increase notice.
An income-eligible tenant household that moves out because of the increase can claim three times the unit's average monthly housing cost over the past 12 months, or over the tenancy if shorter, split between households sharing the unit. The city pays the tenant up front, then bills you, and you must repay the city within 7 days.
No, it is cumulative over any rolling 12-month period. Two smaller increases inside a year are added together, so an increase that looks safe on its own can still trigger EDRA. This tool checks the single increase you enter and cannot see earlier ones.
You do not decide it. The city runs the income test at 80% of area median income, using tables it updates every year. Check the current year's numbers on the city's EDRA application rather than guessing.
