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A. It is a deceptive and fraudulent business practice for any landlord or third party billing agent to bill tenants separately for utility services except as permitted in this chapter.

B. It is a deceptive and fraudulent business practice for a landlord to engage, retain, or authorize a third party billing agent who does not comply with the requirements of this chapter, and a landlord shall be liable for the actions engaging, retaining, or authorizing a third party billing agent who does not comply with the requirements of this chapter.

C. As of the effective date of the ordinance codified in this chapter, no landlord may disclose to a third party billing agent a tenant’s personally identifiable information under any circumstances; provided, however, that nothing in this chapter shall prevent a landlord from disclosing a tenant’s name and address to a third party billing agent for the purpose of engaging in permitted billing practices.

D. A third party billing agent who, prior to the effective date of the ordinance codified in this chapter, has obtained any tenant’s personally identifiable information (other than name and address) shall not use, sell, convey, or otherwise disclose that personally identifiable information to any other person, except as expressly permitted in this chapter, and must destroy all such information upon a tenant’s request, when the tenancy terminates and the account is paid, or when the landlord terminates the third party billing agency relationship.

E. No third party billing agent may inform a credit reporting agency of a claim against a tenant except as expressly permitted in Chapter 19.16 RCW, regardless of whether the third party billing agent is licensed by the state pursuant to that chapter. (Ord. 6084 § 1, 2007.)