Environment
No direct effect
Neutral — no direct effect identified.
Benefits
- No material direct effect identified.
Risks
- No material direct effect identified.
StateWashingtonIntroduced
SB 6237: Concerning rental property disclosures of flooding history and flood risk.
Jess Bateman
SB 6237 status: Introduced — Effective date 6/11/2026 (updated Mar 27, 2026).
Source
OpenStates
Confidence
Low
Analysis basis
OpenStates summary
01
What this bill does
Official summary alongside an AI-generated read on where it stands and why.
Overall Score
68OUT OF 100
Score:68/100 civic fit
Risk:Low Risk
Impact:Moderate Impact 55/100
Constitutionality90%
Bipartisan50%
Public opinion85%
Bill summary
What changes
Landlords are now required to disclose both past flooding events and future flood risks to potential tenants.
Who is affected
Residential landlords and prospective tenants across Washington state.
Requirements and enforcement
Landlords must provide accurate information regarding the flood history and risk status of a rental property.
Costs and funding
Implied administrative and compliance costs for landlords to obtain and document flood risk data.
When it takes effect
The abstract lists an effective date of 6/11/2026.
Potential benefits
Increases transparency for renters, helps mitigate property loss risks for individuals, and supports informed housing choices.
Risks and tradeoffs
Potential for increased rental costs, lack of clarity on how to define 'high risk', and administrative challenges for small-scale landlords.
What is still unknown
The specific data sources or standards required to certify 'future flood risk' are not defined in the summary.
02
Impact analysis
✦ AI analysisModeled effects across six domains, estimated from bill text and comparable legislation.
Economy
Positive outlook
60%
Benefits
- Informed market pricing for rental properties
- Reduction in economic surprises for tenants
- Increased landlord accountability for property maintenance
Risks
- Increased administrative burden for property owners
- Potential for higher rental prices to offset compliance costs
- Liability risks for landlords regarding historical data accuracy
Society
Positive outlook
70%
Benefits
- Empowers tenants with critical safety information
- Reduces risk of property loss for vulnerable populations
- Improves quality of life through informed housing selection
Risks
- Potential for decreased availability of low-cost housing units
- Risk of discrimination based on disclosed risk levels
- Limited efficacy if property history records are incomplete
Technology Industry
No direct effect
Neutral — no direct effect identified.
Benefits
- No material direct effect identified.
Risks
- No material direct effect identified.
Civic Accountability
Positive outlook
70%
Benefits
- Increases transparency in the real estate market
- Ensures information parity between landlords and tenants
- Strengthens consumer protection standards
Risks
- Creation of new regulatory requirements for compliance
- Requires monitoring of disclosure enforcement
- Ambiguity in how future flood risk is determined
Public Health & Safety
Positive outlook
70%
Benefits
- Warns tenants of potential physical health hazards like mold
- Reduces exposure to emergency evacuation situations
- Allows tenants to choose safer living environments
Risks
- Does not force structural remediation of flooding
- Disclosure does not guarantee a safe housing environment
- Risk of reliance on disclosures rather than physical inspection
03
How trustworthy & consequential it is
Sourcing already shown above, this is what the analysis found worth flagging.
Source
OpenStates
Official bill text or data from OpenStates.
Confidence
Low
Information is limited or incomplete.
Analysis basis
OpenStates summary
Source used for this bill's analysis.
Source note
LegiScan returned a PDF-only document. PDF extraction is not enabled in this build, so the pipeline used a safer fallback.
Analysis scope
Source material is limited to a brief legislative abstract.
04
Where it stands
Official record- IntroducedCurrent
- CommitteeUpcoming
- Chamber votesUpcoming
- Final agreementUpcoming
- GovernorUpcoming
- EnactedUpcoming
05
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06
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