This bill amends the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act in Washington State to establish regulations for the use of smart access systems in residential properties. It introduces new definitions such as "smart access building," "smart access system," "authentication data," and "biometric identifier information." Landlords are required to offer tenants alternative access methods that do not depend on biometric data or mobile applications, such as key fobs or physical keys. Additionally, landlords must disclose privacy policies related to these systems, detailing the data collected, retention schedules, and protocols for data protection and unauthorized access.

The legislation also outlines landlords' responsibilities regarding data collection practices associated with smart access systems. They must provide a written policy that includes information on the types of data collected, safeguards for protecting this data, and guidelines for its destruction or anonymization. The bill specifies that landlords or third parties may only collect the minimum necessary authentication and reference data for access purposes. If a landlord does not retain or sell any information from the smart access system, they can meet privacy requirements by providing the privacy policy of the system's developer. The act is set to take effect on January 1, 2027.