Has anyone else noticed renting is getting stricter in certain cities?

I know the job market and cost of living are already rough right now, and a lot of people can’t afford to live on their own. But something else I’ve been noticing lately is how strict renting has gotten in certain cities, especially with new laws around tenant selection.

I was looking into moving somewhere new (Seattle was one of the places I considered), and I came across this rule where landlords basically have to offer the unit to the first qualified applicant.

At first I thought, “Okay, that sounds fair.” But the more I looked into it, the more it seems like it’s actually making things harder in a different way.

Because landlords can’t really “choose” anymore, it feels like they’re just raising their requirements across the board to protect themselves. I’m seeing:

•	Higher credit score minimums

•	Income requirements that feel kind of unrealistic

•	Just overall less flexibility

And the thing is, my credit isn’t bad, but it’s not perfect either. So it puts me in this weird spot where I’m responsible enough to rent, but not enough to meet these inflated standards.

It kind of feels like these policies are meant to make things more fair (which I get), but in practice they’re making it harder for people who are in that middle ground.

Has anyone else run into this when trying to move, especially in places like Seattle or other big cities with similar laws? Or am I just overthinking it?