To require landlords of residential dwellings to disclose to tenants information or pamphlets provided by the department of health about the health hazards associated with exposure to indoor mold. The information must detail how tenants can control mold growth in their dwelling units to minimize the health risks associated with indoor mold. The information must be provided to new tenants at the time the lease or rental agreement is signed, and must be provided to current tenants no later than January 1, 2006.   Official Text and Analysis.

By Senator Kohl-Welles; John Roberts, League of Women Voters; Dan Morris, Healthy Buildings, Inc. and American Lung Association. They testified that mold is a persistent entity. We need to be very careful about mold because of our climate. Dust mites go with mold. Some believe that the Puget Sound area is the dust mite capitol of the nation, where excessive mold is found in 30 percent of the homes. Mold exposure can have the same health effects as exposure to second-hand smoke. Adverse health effects on children can be reduced by 50 percent by controlling mold. Frequently, tenants contribute unknowingly to the growth of mold. Therefore, education is an important idea behind the bill. It helps landlords to better ensure that tenants are not engaged in practices unknowingly, which in turn helps the tenants. A prudent landlord would explain the information to the tenant. Further, insurance coverage for apartment owners can be very costly and this could help lower premiums.

By Michael Nelson, who testified that things should be kept simple. Competition can keep renters' costs down. If the supply of rental housing is decreased, the costs will rise.

To establish that the information provided from the Department of Health to landlords must be available by request in paper form, in addition to electronically over the Internet. In addition to mold information "provided" by DOH, information that is "approved" by DOH may be used by landlords. In the event DOH develops or changes the information, landlord representatives must be involved in the process. S1342.1.

To require landlords of residential dwellings to disclose to tenants information about mold.

By the House Housing Committee, to provide landlords with the option of posting mold health risk and control information in a public, visible location at the dwelling unit property instead of distributing information to each tenant.

To concur in House amendments.

To require landlords of residential dwellings to disclose to tenants information about mold.