Junk fees are unfair and excessive fees or charges that disguise the true cost of housing, undermine fair competition between housing providers, or unnecessarily hurt vulnerable and at-risk young people, working families, and retirees.

Junk fees are a growing problem across industries, including manufactured home communities and residential rental markets all over our country.

Instead of playing whack-a-mole with ridiculous fees, when Ferndale voters adopt this Initiative, a short list of reasonable kinds of mandatory fees and all fair, optional fees will be permitted. All other costs will be required to be included within the monthly rent, upholding transparency and fair market norms.

Yes, voters in Ferndale are building on successes across Washington State and around our country, including in nearby Bellingham. To learn more, you can read reports from the National Consumer Law Center, National Low-Income Housing Coalition, the AARP (for manufactured homes) and American Economic Liberties Union.

This Initiative follows rules outlined by Washington State law, which allow us to gather signatures in-person, and place a proposed local law on your ballot to be voted on by the people.

Petitions from sites like Change.org are non-binding, and are meant to show mass support for a particular issue. They cannot change the law.

Yes! Initiatives are a people-driven way to change laws. We gathered signatures in the spring to get Initiative 25-01 on the ballot. Now that we met that benchmark, a simple majority (50% or more) of people voting in Ferndale in 2025 need to vote yes, and it automatically becomes law. No politicians needed!

First, check your voter registration status at VoteWa.gov. Sign up to vote if you aren’t registered already. If you are registered, make sure it’s at your current address! If you live within Ferndale city limits, Initiative 25-01 will be included on your general ballot, which will be sent by mail on October 15th. Just check yes next to 25-01, and return your ballot to one of these drop-box locations before November 4th. You can also return your ballot by mail using the included envelope, just make sure to send it a few days before election day! 

While launching the Ferndale Tenants Union, discussions with hundreds of renters and manufactured home owners over the course of almost a year made it clear that junk fees are a growing issue in our community.

Tenants, landlords, local non-profits, and policy experts in Ferndale and all over the country, all contributed to making sure this Initiative was strong, legally sound, and fair to both tenants and landlords. 

This campaign is powered by donations from people like you and so far, our largest financial supporter has been Community First Whatcom, a coalition of community and labor organizations in Whatcom County. 

You can also check out our endorsement page here and you can join the growing list of people contributing donations, big and small, here.

After voters like you adopt this initiative this November, there will be several clear and fair processes to resolve issues of non-compliance from landlords. Tenants will be able to address violations in small claims court or with the help of local low-bono attorneys or legal aid organizations. In some cases of extreme violations, tenants will be able to report violations to the city. The initiative also provides for strong protections against retaliation, so that Ferndale tenants can more confidently uphold their rights as consumers.

Yes! Supporting small landlords and protecting tenants from bad actors need to go hand in hand.

There is no evidence that the overall housing market trend toward corporate ownership  and property management is made worse by common-sense protections for renters. In fact, that trend toward corporate ownership and management is driving the spread of junk fees and normalizing unfair practices across the entire industry.

On top of that, junk fees make corporate landlords look more affordable than their more honest competitors. Housing providers should be competing on the basis of better quality and lower prices, not who is better at hiding the true cost of housing.

Yes. Builders need to demonstrate sufficient returns to access financing.  They can do this through transparently charging adequate rents, rather than junk fees.

When voters like you sign the petition and later adopt this measure, the benefits to the most vulnerable and at-risk young people, retirees, and working families in Ferndale will be immense. Cost-burdened tenants will have several fewer sources of financial strain, helping stem the increase of Ferndale residents, especially seniors, becoming homeless.  The rental market will be more fair and transparent, preserving honest competition in the housing market.

Not including county and statewide ballot measures, this will be the first time in Ferndale’s history that voters will adopt a Citizen’s Initiative at the ballot box!

There are tons of ways to help get this initiative passed! The most significant way to support 25-01 passing is to talk to your fellow Ferndale residents by door-to-door canvassing. We offer a ton of support and training to canvassers, and it is not something you need to do alone! Speaking to people in-person allows us to grow closer as a community, and support each other in fighting back against exploitation. Click here to register your interest in helping canvas!

Additionally, is always helpful to share info about the initiative to your network of local friends, as well as on social media. Click here for a list of posts to share/links to prefilled posts to put on your wall. 

Beyond that, talk to your friends and family! Let them know 25-01 is on the ballot, and encourage them to vote yes to help protect renters in Ferndale