Washington Landlord-tenant lawsBelow is a summary of rental laws in Washington. This article is researched and cited according to the Official Country Statute in Washington, however, it is very of import that every landlord and property manager review their state and local laws and speak with an attorney in their state for further guidance and clarification.

The Official Land Statutes and other reputable municipal sources were used to research this information. Resource links to the Official State of Washington Statutes in the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) on Landlord-Tenant Laws.

In Washington, at that place is not a governmental agency that has the power to arbitrate in a dispute between a landlord and tenant to strength one or the other party to comport in any detail mode. A landlord or tenant who cannot resolve a dispute on their own would need to utilise the courts, either directly or through a lawyer, to enforce their legal rights.

Rental laws are amended and updated past land legislation. Yous are advised to speak with a local housing authority and licensed attorney that specializes in landlord-tenant laws in Washington for a detailed estimation of the rental laws that affect you. This article is an educational reference and does not constitute legal advice.

Official State Resources for Landlord-Tenant Laws in Washington

  • Revised Lawmaking of Washington RCW   Title 59 – Landlord and Tenant
  • Revised Lawmaking of Washington RCW 59.04 – Tenancies
  • Revised Code of Washington RCW 59.eighteen – Residential Landlord-Tenant Act
  • Revised Lawmaking of Washington RCW 59.xviii.060 – Official Duties of a Landlord
  • Revised Code of Washington RCW 59.xviii.130 – Official Duties of a Tenant

Laws Almost Security Deposits

Max Security Eolith Amount: No state police force. Check with your local city and county laws for maximum security deposit amounts.

Additional Move-In Fees : Landlords may charge a fee or deposit to hold or secure a unit of measurement for the prospective tenant. They cannot charge a fee to place a tenant on a waiting list. One time the tenant moves into the unit, the holding deposit must use the fee or deposit as a credit towards the offset month's hire or the security deposit. ( RCW 59.18.253 )

Security Eolith Refund Timeline: 21 days ( RCW 59.18.280 )

Legal Use of Security Deposit Funds: A landlord must provide the tenant with written terms in which a security eolith may be withheld at the end of a charter. A landlord cannot collect a deposit unless the rental agreement is in writing and a written checklist of pre-existing weather condition and damages of the property is provided to the tenant. If a tenant does not receive this checklist at the start of tenancy, he is entitled to a full security eolith refund. ( RCW 59.18.260 )

Failure to Comply with Security Eolith Laws: If a landlord fails to refund a tenant inside 21-days, the renter is entitled to the full security deposit refund. Additionally, at the discretion of the courtroom, the landlord may have to award upward to two-times the amount of deposit for the intentional refusal of the landlord to give the statement or refund due to the tenant. ( RCW 59.18.280 )

Security Deposit Trust Account and Interest: The landlord must identify a tenant's security deposit in a trust account and provide the tenant with a written receipt for the deposit and written discover of the proper name, address and location of the deposit trust account. A landlord is entitled to collect interest earned on a security deposit, unless otherwise stated in a lease agreement. ( RCW 59.18.270 )

Boosted WA Security Deposit Laws: Upon termination and vacation, a tenant must restore the premises to their initial condition except for reasonable wearable and tear or conditions acquired by failure of the landlord to comply with his or her obligations under this chapter. The tenant shall not exist charged for normal cleaning if he or she has paid a nonrefundable cleaning fee. ( RCW 59.eighteen.130(10) )

Laws Almost Rental Applications

Application Fees: A landlord tin charge a prospective tenant an application fee to obtain a tenant screening written report merely if the prospective landlord provides the following information to a tenant:

  • What types of data will be accessed to behave the tenant screening
  • What criteria may result in a denial of the application
  • If a consumer report is used, the name and accost of the consumer reporting bureau and the prospective tenant's correct to obtain a free copy of the consumer written report in the result of a denial or other agin action, and to dispute the accurateness of information appearing in the consumer study
  • Whether or not the landlord will accept a comprehensive reusable tenant screening report made available to the landlord by a consumer reporting bureau.

A landlord is allowed to charge his or her bodily costs for obtaining groundwork information. The amount charged may not exceed the customary costs charged by screening service in the general area. The landlord's costs tin can too include time spent collecting and reviewing background screening data. ( RCW 59.18.257 )

Laws Well-nigh Rent

Increases: A landlord may increase the hire after 30 days written notice has been provided for a month-to-month tenancy or after a lease term is complete. ( RCW 59.18.140 )

Maximum charge: No official state statute, check your local laws.

Grace Menses : No official state statute, check your local laws.

Late Fees : No official state statute, bank check your local laws.

Laws About the Lease

Lease Terms: Almost lease agreements are month to month, merely may exist from period to menstruum on which rent is payable.

Copy of Charter: Landlords must provide a re-create of the lease to each tenant who signed the understanding. The tenant may request one free replacement re-create during tenancy. ( RCW 59.18.065 ).

Lease Violations: If a tenant violates a lease term or fails to come across country mandated tenant duties, the landlord may give the tenant written discover of noncompliance, and the tenant has 30 days to remedy the state of affairs, unless the violation is grounds for immediate eviction. (RCW 59.18.180 )

Charter Termination:

  • Month-to-Month : For month to month lease agreements, the charter shall be terminated with a written notice give twenty or more days earlier the last day of tenancy. This notice can be given by either party. ( RCW 59.eighteen.200 )
  • Term Leases (year-to-year) : A lease is considered over at the finish of the charter term. Non notice is required by either party to cease the lease agreement, unless otherwise stated in the rental understanding. ( RCW 59.eighteen.210 )

Termination Due to Failure to Brand Repairs: If a tenant provides a landlord with official written notice about a violation of required landlord duties and the landlord does non remedy the situation in the required timeline, the tenant may end the rental agreement. For this type of termination, the tenant is entitled to a prorated refund of whatsoever prepaid rent and shall receive a written statement of any security deposits deductions. ( RCW 59.18.090 )

Lease Termination by a Service Member: Whatever tenant who is a member of the armed forces may terminate his charter agreement with less than twenty days notice if he receives reassignment or deployment orders that exercise not allow a twenty-day find.  If the tenant is on a term lease agreement, he can terminate tenancy. ( RCW 59.eighteen.200 )

Lease Termination in cases of domestic violence: Termination of Lease: A tenant is allowed to stop a charter with proof of Domestic Violence status, however, the asking to terminate must happen within 90 days from the incident engagement. ( RCW 59.eighteen.575(1b) )

Evictions: A landlord may immediately proceed to an unlawful detainer action (eviction) if the tenant is involved in drug-related activeness on the premise or if the tenant is involved in gang-related activity. A landlord may evict a tenant if he fails to run across non-dangerous lease conditions and does remedy the state of affairs within the designated timeline after receiving official observe. ( RCW 59.18.180 )

Changes to the Belongings: Whenever a landlord plans to modify any apartment or apartments to a condominium form of buying, the landlord shall provide a written notice to a tenant at to the lowest degree one hundred twenty days before termination of the tenancy. ( RCW 59.18.200 )

Unapproved Tenants/Guests: If a tenant is living in the holding without permission of the possessor or manager, the unapproved tenant shall be deemed a tenant past sufferance, and shall be liable to pay reasonable rent for the actual time he or she occupies the premise.  He also must immediately vacate the holding upon asking by the owner. ( RCW 59.04.050 )

Laws About Landlord Responsibilities

Detect for Entry: A landlord must give a tenant a two day advanced notice about an intent to enter a rental, except in the case of an emergency. The notice must include the specific fourth dimension and engagement of planned entry, and requite the tenant a contact number to dispute the entry. ( RCW 59.18.150(6) )

The tenant shall not unreasonably withhold consent to the landlord to enter into the dwelling unit in order to inspect the bounds, make necessary or agreed repairs, alterations, or improvements, supply necessary or agreed services, or exhibit the dwelling unit to prospective or actual purchasers, mortgagees, tenants, workers, or contractors. ( RCW 59.xviii.150(one) )

The landlord may enter the dwelling unit of measurement without consent of the tenant in case of emergency or abandonment.( RCW 59.18.150(five) )

Implied Warranty of Habitability:

The landlord will at all times during the tenancy keep the premises fit for homo habitation, and shall in particular:

  • (1) Maintain the bounds to substantially comply with whatever applicative code, statute, ordinance, or regulation governing their maintenance or operation, which the legislative body enacting the applicable lawmaking, statute, ordinance or regulation could enforce as to the premises rented if such status endangers or impairs the health or safety of the tenant;
  • (two) Maintain the structural components including, but non express to, the roofs, floors, walls, chimneys, fireplaces, foundations, and all other structural components, in reasonably good repair so as to exist usable;
  • (iii) Keep any shared or common areas reasonably make clean, sanitary, and safe from defects increasing the hazards of fire or blow;
  • (iv) Provide a reasonable program for the control of infestation by insects, rodents, and other pests at the initiation of the tenancy and, except in the case of a single-family residence, control infestation during tenancy except where such infestation is caused by the tenant;
  • nine) Maintain the dwelling unit of measurement in reasonably weathertight condition;
    ( RCW 59.18.060 )

Required Amenities: Landlords must maintain all electrical, plumbing, heating, and other facilities and appliances supplied past him or her in reasonably good working order ( RCW 59.18.060 (8)).

Estrus/Water Requirements: Landlords must provide facilities adequate to supply heat and water and hot water as reasonably required past the tenant ( RCW 59.18.060 (11)).

Certificate of Inspection: Local municipalities may require that landlords provide a certificate of inspection. ( RCW 59.18.125 )

Security and Locks: Landlords must provide adequate locks and gives keys to the tenants.  Landlords must also safeguard any master key or indistinguishable keys to the residence. ( RCW 59.18.060 (6))

Retaliatory Actions by the Landlord: A landlord cannot retaliate against a tenant if the tenant makes whatsoever complaints or reports to an authority regarding a landlords failure to meet his landlord duties. Retaliatory actions include but are not express too: evictions, increasing the rent, reduction of services to the tenant, and increasing the obligations of the tenant. ( RCW 59.18.240 )

Laws About Property Maintenance and Repairs

Landlord Maintenance Responsibilities : Except where the condition is attributable to normal article of clothing and tear, landlords must make repairs and arrangements necessary to put and keep the premises in as adept status as information technology by law or rental understanding should have been, at the commencement of the tenancy ( RCW 59.eighteen.060 (5)).

Crave Maintenance Timeline: If a tenant submits an official written find to the landlord for requested repair, a landlord must remedy the situation every bit soon as possible only no afterwards than the post-obit timelines (except where circumstances are beyond the landlord's control):

  • Non more than than 20-4 hours, where the lacking condition deprives the tenant of hot or cold h2o, heat, or electricity, or is imminently hazardous to life;
  • Non more than than seventy-ii hours, where the defective condition deprives the tenant of the use of a refrigerator, range and oven, or a major plumbing fixture supplied past the landlord; and
  • Not more than ten days in all other cases.
    ( RCW 59.18.070 )

Tenant Maintenance Responsibilities : Tenants are required to:

  • keep their premise clean and sanitary as possible, properly dispose of all garbage and waste;
  • properly employ and operate all electrical, gas, heating, plumbing, and appliances supplied by the landlord;
  • Not intentionally damage or remove any structure or role of the property (including common areas and equipment);
  • Not engage in drug-related activeness at the rental premise;
  • Maintain a fume detection device;
  • Not engage in whatever activity that endangers the physical condom of other persons on the premise, including assaulting another person or unlawful employ of a firearm or mortiferous weapon;
  • Not engage in gang-related activeness
    ( RCW 59.eighteen.130 )

Tenant Caused Impairment : If a tenant, tenant family member, guest or invitee, cause property impairment that makes the belongings uninhabitable, the landlord is non responsible for repairing the damage. ( RCW 59.xviii.060 )

Diminished Rental Value: If a landlord fails to remedy a defective holding condition and the court or arbitrator determines the diminution in rental value, the landlord may receive a judgement for the rent paid in excess of the diminished rental value to brand the funds available to the tenant. ( RCW 59.18.110 )

Repair and Deduct: If a tenant provides official written notice about maintenance requests that fall under a landlord's legal responsibi lities AND the landlord fails to remedy the situation, the tenant tin can deduct the rep air cost from his hire. However, the deduction cannot be more than the equivalent of ii months' rent in a 12-month period.

If the tenant is able to perform the repair himself, he cannot deduct a reasonable amount for the fourth dimension/cost for repair from his hire, not exceed an amount equivalent to ane month'due south rent.( RCW 59.xviii.100 )

Relocation Help: If a landlord fails to meet the required maintenance duties and knowingly rents the property but the holding is declared condemned or unfit for occupancy, the landlord will be required to pay relocation assistance to the displaced tenants.

Relocation aid shall exist the greater amount of 2 g dollars per habitation unit or three times the monthly rent. In addition to relocation assist, the landlord shall be required to pay to the displaced tenants the entire corporeality of whatsoever deposit prepaid by the tenant and all prepaid hire.  It must be paid inside vii days of receiving observe from a government agency.

Landlords are not required to pay relocation assistance if the damage was caused past the tenant or a 3rd party, is the result of a natural disaster, or if the holding is caused by eminent domain.

( RCW 59.18.085 )

Right to Inspection of Dangerous Atmospheric condition: If the tenant is living in substandard or unsafe conditions, which subsequently receiving proper written notice of the conditions and the landlords fails to remedy, the tenant is entitled to request an official inspection by the local government, for the purposes of deciding if the tenant tin receive a refund of all rent paid while living in unsafe conditions. ( RCW 59.eighteen.115 )

Legal Disclosure Requirements

Ownership: Landlords must requite the tenant the name and accost of the person who is the landlord. You can do this by providing the data in the rental agreement or posting information technology in a conspicuous place on the premise. Tenants should be notified immediately if in that location is whatever modify to the buying status. ( RCW 59.18.060 (15))

Agents : If the rental owner lives out of state, they shall designate a person who lives in the canton who is authorized to human activity every bit an amanuensis of the owner for the purpose of service notices and process. If no person is designated, then the person whom the rental payments are addressed to shall exist considered the amanuensis. (( RCW 59.18.060 (five)).

Mold: Landlords must give tenants information provided by the department of wellness about the health hazards associated with exposure to indoor mold and how tenants can control mold growth in their homes. The information tin be given to each tenant or posted in a visible, public location on the property. ( RCW 59.xviii.060 (13) )

Atomic number 82 Paint: Federal Police force requires all landlords to include a "Lead Alert Argument" in their lease for buildings built earlier 1978 almost lead-based paint and/or potential hazards.  Additionally, landlords are required to provide renters with an EPA-approved data pamphlet about lead-based pigment and lead-based paint hazards. ( Residential Lead-Based Pigment Hazard Reduction Deed, Title Ten )

Exemptions

The land of Washington has special laws for people who alive in:

  • Subsidized housing programs
  • Mobile home parks where the landlord does not own the mobile dwelling and
  • Employer-provided housing.

The rental housing laws outlined in this guide may not apply to yous if yous live in the above type of housing.

Resources

Your Rights as a Tenant in Washington State handbook

EPA Approved Pb Disclosure Information on Atomic number 82-Based Paint/Hazards – SAMPLE

Section 8 Housing Guide

Laws governing rental backdrop, landlords and tenants are primarily found in the official code of Washington, the Revised Code of Washington (RCW).

Washington statutes are found in i of three published codes. The official code for the State of Washington is the Revised Lawmaking of Washington (RCW) published past the Statute Law Committee and the Lawmaking Reviser . In that location are ii codes published by private vendors: West's Revised Lawmaking of Washington Annotated (RCWA) and Annotated Revised Lawmaking of Washington (ARCW) published by LexisNexis.

This summary of landlord-tenant laws is provided to you lot by Rentec Direct, LLC and is thought to be true and accurate at the time of publication. It not intended to exist used every bit legal communication for your particular problem. Please note that changes may occur and this publication may non reflect the nigh recent updates to the law.

Please consult an attorney familiar with landlord-tenant police in your state for any legal advice.