Bellingham passes new laws to limit ‘junk fees’ for renters

Bellingham passes new laws to limit ‘junk fees’ for renters

Two new laws in Bellingham aim to end excessive and unreasonable “junk fees” from being charged to renters in apartments, houses and manufactured home parks. A $750 “new roommate fee.” A $270 application fee. A $50 “move-out cleaning” fee. A $200 “lease transfer fee.” These are the types of charges that tenant advocates call “junk fees,” which can refer to anything from monthly pet fees to parking fees. They argue that the use of these fees has …