Seattle landlords planning to demolish, substantially renovate, or change the use of a rental property now owe eligible low-income tenants $5,552 in relocation assistance, replacing the 2025 amount set under the previous rule.
The update, outlined in Director’s Rule 10-2026, reflects a 3.7% rise in the housing component of the Consumer Price Index for the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area in 2025. The new figure applies to any Tenant Relocation License application filed on or after May 15.
What triggers the payment
Seattle’s Tenant Relocation Assistance Ordinance has been on the books since 1990, requiring landlords to give advance notice to all tenants being displaced—and to pay eligible low-income households when they’re pushed out by demolition, substantial rehabilitation, a change of use, or removal of use restrictions.
The $5,552 figure is set by city code and adjusted each year using federal inflation data. Sam Steele, interim director of the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI), signed off on the annual update…