This bill creates a new section in chapter 59.18 RCW and amends RCW 59.20.070. The new section generally prohibits landlords from banning or restricting tenants from installing portable cooling devices (air conditioners and portable heat pumps, including windowand floor-mounted types) and sets rules about when landlords may lawfully restrict or prohibit installation. It bars landlords from charging fees for use, inspection, or installation of a tenant-installed device (but allows charging for a device the landlord rents and for damages caused by a tenant), requires tenants to give at least two days’ notice before installing a window-mounted device, allows landlords to require adequate drainage and post-installation inspection, and makes landlords immune from liability for damages, injury, or death caused by a tenant-installed device. The bill also requires lease notices if window-mounted devices are restricted and preserves landlords’ rights to retain security deposit amounts under RCW 59.18.280 and to provide reasonable accommodations under state or federal law. The bill also amends rules covering mobile home and manufactured home parks and tenants. It says landlords may not remove or exclude a tenant unless the chapter’s requirements are followed or there is an appropriate court order, and landlords may not exclude or require removal of a mobile home solely because of its age. It repeats that landlords may not prohibit a tenant from installing a portable cooling device in a mobile home or park lot except where installation would violate building codes or laws, violate the device manufacturer’s written safety guidelines, cause unreasonable damage, or require electrical supply the site cannot provide. It adds a requirement that if a tenant receives assistance payments after a repayment plan has been implemented, the tenant must contact the landlord to reformulate the plan. It also amends repayment-plan terms in RCW 59.20.070 so past-due utility balances must be repaid by the following May 15 (or as soon as possible after May 15 while keeping monthly payments at or below six percent of the tenant’s monthly income), and monthly payments may not exceed six percent of the tenant’s monthly income. The bill defines “portable cooling device,” “saddle-mounted portable cooling device,” and “window-mounted portable cooling device,” and identifies several specific bases for prohibiting window-mounted devices (for example, interference with required egress or locking, excessive use of brackets or hardware, inability to secure the unit, or an insurance policy prohibition with written proof). Missing from the provided excerpts are the bill’s full text for RCW 59.20.070 as amended, any effective date, the exact RCW subsection number assigned to the new section in chapter 59.18 RCW, and definitions or context for terms such as the “plan” and “assistance payments.”

If enacted, most renters and occupants of mobile or manufactured homes would generally be allowed to install portable air conditioners or portable heat pumps, including window and floor models, without landlords banning them or charging installation or inspection fees. Landlords could still stop installations for clear safety, building code, electrical capacity, egress, excessive damage, or documented insurance-policy reasons, and they can require adequate drainage and post-installation inspection or servicing; they may charge for devices they rent and for any damage caused by the tenant. Tenants must give at least two days' notice for window-mounted units, and landlords are shielded from liability for harm caused by tenant-installed devices and are not responsible for power interruptions those devices cause unless the landlord caused them. The people most affected are renters and mobile-home occupants, who will have more cooling options but may face upfront costs to buy or properly install devices, possible inspection or servicing requirements, and risk of paying for damages or having parts of security deposits kept. Landlords lose routine bans and fee revenue tied to installations but retain rights to prevent unsafe or code-violating installations and to charge for damages or rented units; they also gain liability protection for tenant-installed units. The bill also changes utility reconnection repayment plans to be designed to clear arrears by the following May 15 while keeping monthly payments at or below six percent of the tenant’s income, and requires tenants who later receive assistance payments to work with landlords to rewrite repayment plans. Some important details are missing from the provided text—such as precise definitions of “assistance payments,” the full “plan” language, exact chapter references, and any effective date—so implementation timing and some procedures remain uncertain.