The City of Bellingham has launched a new online dashboard that allows anyone to look up rental properties across the city and see whether they are registered and when they last passed a safety inspection. The tool, available at cob.org/rentalregdashboard, is part of the city's rental registration program and gives tenants, prospective renters, and property owners a simple way to check compliance status for any registered unit in Bellingham.
What the Dashboard Shows
The rental registration dashboard displays a map of Bellingham with registered rental properties marked. Users can click on a property to see its registration status and the results of its most recent safety inspection. The city's rental registration program requires landlords to register their properties and submit to periodic inspections that verify basic habitability and safety standards.
Bellingham has operated a rental registration and inspection program for years as part of its housing code enforcement framework. The program covers a wide range of rental units across the city, from single-family homes converted to rentals in neighborhoods like Whatcom Falls and Sehome to larger apartment buildings in the Cordata and downtown areas. Inspections check for working smoke detectors, adequate heating, safe electrical systems, and other basic safety items required under city code.
The new map format makes it easier than ever to look up a specific address before signing a lease or to verify that a current landlord has kept the property in compliance. Previously, tenants seeking this information would have had to contact the city's code enforcement office directly.
Why It Matters for Renters
Bellingham's rental market has been under pressure for several years as the city's population grows and housing supply struggles to keep pace. Renters, who make up a significant share of Bellingham's residents particularly near Western Washington University and Bellingham Technical College, have historically had limited tools to verify the condition or compliance history of properties they are considering renting.
The dashboard addresses a transparency gap. A prospective renter can now check whether a property at a specific address is registered with the city, whether it has been inspected, and whether it passed that inspection before ever setting foot inside. This kind of information can help renters ask better questions of landlords and make more informed decisions.
The initiative also fits within a broader set of housing policy conversations happening in Bellingham. The city has been grappling with how to address housing affordability and safety simultaneously, and rental registration programs are one of the tools local governments use to hold landlords accountable while maintaining the housing stock available to residents.
How to Use It
To use the dashboard, visit cob.org/rentalregdashboard from any device. You can search by address or browse the map. Properties that appear on the map are registered with the city. If a property you are inquiring about does not appear, it may not be registered, which itself is useful information.
Residents with questions about the rental registration program or who want to report a property they believe should be registered can contact the City of Bellingham's planning and development services department at cob.org/services/planning. Property owners who need to register a rental unit can also find registration forms and fee schedules through the same portal.
The launch of the rental registration dashboard is one of several recent Bellingham housing-related actions. Earlier this summer, the city council was weighing new ordinances around mobile tiny homes and alternative housing types as part of a broader effort to expand housing options. For more on Bellingham's ongoing housing policy work, earlier coverage of the city's civic decision-making provides useful context on how local government has been approaching land use and community development questions this year.
