House committee hears Rep. Cyndy Jacobsen’s bill setting limits on HOAs
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House committee hears Rep. Cyndy Jacobsen’s bill setting limits on HOAs
On Tuesday, the House Housing Committee held a public hearing on legislation introduced by Rep. Cyndy Jacobsen, R-Puyallup, to prevent homeowner associations from enforcing new, stricter rules against existing property owners.
Jacobsen said she introduced the bill in response to hearing from constituents who were frustrated by unexpected rule changes that restrict how they use their properties.
“Power is very one-sided between HOAs and property owners,” said Jacobsen. “A person may have made decisions that affect their finances and enjoyment of their home based on the rules that were in place, only to have the rug pulled out from under them.”
“If the owner purchases property in an area that allows them to have chickens in their backyard or allows them to rent out their basement to provide more housing, it could be a big deal if that changes.”
House Bill 2118 would prohibit common interest community owners’ associations, such as HOAs and condo associations, from enforcing restrictions on a person’s property that are more stringent than those that were in place when the owner bought their home or unit.
Instead, the existing owner would be exempted from the new, stricter rule. New property owners would be subject to the higher restriction, including when a current owner sells their property to another party.
The bill would not apply to restrictions that are in place to comply with federal, state, or local laws.
Jacobsen also said that increasingly onerous restrictions make people reluctant to buy into a community with an HOA.
“Fundamentally, this is a fairness issue,” Jacobsen added.
The committee has until February 4 to act on the bill.
The 60-day 2026 legislative session is scheduled to conclude on March 12.
