Several years ago, a past client of ours decided to sell. We did what we always do first: ran the numbers on what the house would bring, then built the search parameters for their next home.
Somewhere in that process, they noticed something. They didn't have to sell the old house in order to buy the new one. The numbers worked either way. Which led to the question of whether to sell it at all. "Why don't we just keep it and rent it out?"
This happens a lot. That's how you become an accidental landlord: not an investor with a spreadsheet and a five-year plan, just a homeowner who found a nice new place and chose not to sell the previous one.
The Fine Print Arrives
Here's what tends to surprise accidental landlords and investors alike. Being a landlord in Tacoma now comes with a rulebook, and it's a thick one.
Local tenant protections have expanded in recent years. Two that come up often: an owner generally can't evict during the school year if children live in the home, and raising a tenant's rent by 5% or more can leave the owner on the hook for the tenant's moving expenses if they decide to leave. (The details matter here, so check the current Tacoma code or talk with a landlord-tenant attorney before relying on our summary.)
The state has weighed in too. Under HB 1217, signed in May 2025, annual rent increases are capped at 7% plus inflation or 10%, whichever is less, with 90 days' written notice. For 2026, the state published the cap at 9.683%. Tacoma's 5% trigger sits well below that, which means the local rule is the one that tends to bite first.
And in November, Tacoma voters will decide on a ballot measure that would add tenant union bargaining and a per-unit rental license fee. We'll leave the politics to others. But it's one more reminder that this rulebook is still being written.
Not Everyone Loves It
Nobody gets to say these rules don't have good intentions. Renters deserve stable housing, and the people who wrote these laws weren't doing it for sport.
But we've handled the sale for a good number of owners who simply decided the rules weren't for them. They felt the balance had tipped too far, or that the risk and paperwork weren't worth the rent check. Some had a bad experience. Others just read the fine print and did the math.
That's a legitimate conclusion. It's also worth saying that plenty of owners are doing fine as landlords. The right answer depends on the house, the tenant, the owner's patience, and how much surprise they can stomach.
The Takeaway
Renting out your old house isn't a free option. It's a business with its own rules, costs, and exposure, and the rules in Tacoma have changed a lot.
If you're weighing sell versus rent, price out the second one honestly: the rent increase limits, the notice periods, the relocation exposure, the seasonal restrictions on turnover, and your own appetite for a phone call at 9 p.m. in January. Then compare it against what the house would net you today and how those funds might fare if applied to different investments such as stocks or bonds. Pierce County is still a market where homes in good condition can sell quickly, so selling is a real alternative, not a consolation prize.
That's the point of running the numbers before the decision, not after.
