Published 2026-09-25 · 10 min read

Washington Landlord-Tenant Law 2026: The Plain-English Guide

Washington rentals run under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act (RLTA), chapter 59.18 RCW, with possession actions — unlawful detainer — under chapter 59.12 RCW in superior court. Two recent enactments rewrote the numbers most summaries still get wrong, and this guide states the current text of each section it cites, checked against the official code at app.leg.wa.gov:

• The deposit return deadline is 30 days, not 21. House Bill 1074 (chapter 331, Laws of 2023) amended RCW 59.18.280 effective July 23, 2023, extending the old 21-day clock and adding documentation duties — copies of estimates or invoices, and, for work done by the landlord or an employee, the time spent and the hourly rate charged. Any guide that still says 21 days is pre-2023 law.
• Washington now has statewide rent stabilization. House Bill 1217 (chapter 209, Laws of 2025), effective May 7, 2025, added RCW 59.18.700–59.18.720: no rent increase at all during the first 12 months of a tenancy, and after that no increase in any 12-month period greater than 7 percent plus the consumer price index, or 10 percent, whichever is less — with exemptions in RCW 59.18.710, a 90-day increase notice under RCW 59.18.140, and a mandatory state notice form under RCW 59.18.720. The old statement that "state law preempts rent control" described the world before May 7, 2025; local rent control remains preempted (RCW 35.21.830), but the state itself now caps increases.
• Just cause is statewide, and has been since 2021. RCW 59.18.650 lists sixteen causes — and only those causes — for evicting a tenant, refusing to continue a tenancy, or ending a periodic tenancy, each with its own notice period. A bare 20-day no-cause notice no longer ends an RLTA tenancy.
• New in 2026: tenants generally may not be barred from installing portable cooling devices (RCW 59.18.740, effective June 11, 2026), and a flood-risk disclosure joins the landlord's duties for leases entered into after December 31, 2026 (RCW 59.18.060(13), added by 2026 chapter 234).

Our dedicated Washington security deposit law guide tracks RCW 59.18.260–59.18.285 in the same detail; the deposit rules below are stated from the same sections and agree with it.

Washington landlord-tenant law at a glance

Manufactured and mobile home tenancies sit under a separate act, chapter 59.20 RCW, and are covered here only where HB 1217 drew a different number for them — most importantly a flat 5 percent lot-rent cap and a one-month cap on combined move-in fees and deposits for agreements entered on or after May 7, 2025 (RCW 59.20.170(1)).

How much can a Washington landlord charge as a security deposit, and what return rules apply? (RCW 59.18.260 to 59.18.285)

Washington controls deposits through procedure rather than price. There is no statutory cap on the amount a landlord may charge — but a landlord who skips any step in the collection, holding, or return sequence can lose the deposit entirely, and more.

Before you collect: a written agreement and a signed checklist — RCW 59.18.260

If any money is paid as a deposit or as security for performance, the rental agreement shall be in writing and shall include the terms and conditions under which the deposit may be withheld; if any part may be withheld for damage, the written agreement must say so (RCW 59.18.260(1)).

The checklist rule is the one that ambushes new Washington landlords: "No deposit may be collected by a landlord unless the rental agreement is in writing and a written checklist or statement is provided by the landlord to the tenant at the commencement of the tenancy specifically describing the condition and cleanliness of or existing damages to the premises, fixtures, equipment, appliances, and furnishings," including walls (paint and wallpaper), carpets and other flooring, furniture, and appliances (RCW 59.18.260(2)). The checklist must be signed and dated by the landlord and the tenant, the tenant must receive a copy, and the tenant may request one free replacement copy (RCW 59.18.260(3)).

Two sanctions give the rule its teeth. No deposit may be withheld on account of wear resulting from ordinary use (RCW 59.18.260(4)). And a landlord who collects a deposit without providing the written checklist "is liable to the tenant for the amount of the deposit," with court costs and reasonable attorneys' fees to the prevailing party — a liability that arises at collection, before any move-out dispute exists (RCW 59.18.260(5)). Run every move-in through a move-in/move-out inspection checklist workflow and file the signed copy where you can find it in three years.

While you hold it: a Washington trust account — RCW 59.18.270

All deposit money "shall promptly be deposited by the landlord in a trust account, maintained by the landlord for the purpose of holding such security deposits for tenants of the landlord, in a financial institution … or licensed escrow agent located in Washington." The landlord must give the tenant a written receipt and written notice of the name and address and location of the depository, and update that notice if the account changes. Unless otherwise agreed in writing, the landlord is entitled to the interest on the account. On a transfer of the landlord's status mid-tenancy, the funds move simultaneously to the successor's equivalent trust account and the successor must promptly notify the tenant of the new depository. If the unit is foreclosed and the deposit is not transferred to the successor, the foreclosed-upon owner must refund the full deposit immediately after the sale or transfer — and is liable for up to two times the deposit if it neither refunds nor transfers. The tenant's claim to the deposit is prior to any creditor of the landlord, including a bankruptcy trustee, even if the money was commingled (RCW 59.18.270).

The 30-day return — and the documentation that must travel with it — RCW 59.18.280

Within 30 days after the termination of the rental agreement and vacation of the premises — or, if the tenant abandons, within 30 days after the landlord learns of the abandonment — the landlord must give "a full and specific statement of the basis for retaining any of the deposit," the documentation described below, and payment of any refund due. Personal delivery, or mailing first-class, properly addressed to the tenant's last known address with postage prepaid, within the 30 days complies (RCW 59.18.280(1)(a)).

The documentation duty is HB 1074's second change, and it is specific. With the statement, the landlord must include copies of estimates received or invoices paid to reasonably substantiate damage charges. Where the landlord or an employee did the work, a deduction for materials or supplies needs a copy of the bill, invoice, or receipt (a vendor price list or similar vendor document works for stock items), and the landlord must include a statement of the time spent performing repairs and the reasonable hourly rate charged (RCW 59.18.280(1)(b)).

Four withholding bars sit in RCW 59.18.280(1)(c). No portion of a deposit may be withheld:

1. for wear resulting from ordinary use of the premises;

2. for carpet cleaning, unless the landlord documents wear to the carpet beyond ordinary use;

3. for repair or replacement of fixtures, equipment, appliances, and furnishings whose condition was not reasonably documented in the § 59.18.260 checklist; or

4. in excess of the cost of repairing or replacing the damaged portion, where the damage does not encompass the item's entirety.

The penalty structure is graduated, and older summaries flatten it. A landlord who fails to give the statement, the documentation, and any refund due within the 30 days "shall be liable to the tenant for the full amount of the deposit," and is barred in the tenant's recovery action from asserting any claim or defense for retaining any of it — unless the landlord shows that circumstances beyond the landlord's control prevented timely compliance, or that the tenant abandoned the premises. On top of that, the court may award up to two times the amount of the deposit for the landlord's intentional refusal to give the statement, documentation, or refund, on the same exceptions. The prevailing party in a recovery action also recovers the cost of suit or arbitration, including reasonable attorneys' fees (RCW 59.18.280(2)).

Three further rules complete the section. The landlord keeps the right to sue for damage exceeding the deposit, with reasonable attorneys' fees (RCW 59.18.280(3)(a)) — but for agreements initiated on or after July 23, 2023, that suit must be commenced within three years of termination or abandonment (RCW 59.18.280(3)(c)). Damages for ordinary wear, or not substantiated by documentation equivalent to what subsection (1) requires, may not be charged to the tenant, reported to a consumer reporting agency, screening service, or prospective landlord, or submitted to a collection agency (RCW 59.18.280(3)(b)). And the checklist and documentation requirements do not apply to withholding for reasons unrelated to damage — rent or other charges owing (RCW 59.18.280(4)). Calendar the deadline with the Security Deposit Deadline Finder and build the statement from the deductions guide.

Deposit worked example. A tenancy terminates and the tenant vacates on Monday, March 2, 2026. The full and specific statement, the documentation, and any refund are due within 30 days: by Wednesday, April 1, 2026 (RCW 59.18.280(1)). The deposit is $1,800. Documented deductions total $390 — a $185 cleaning invoice, a $140 drywall repair invoice, and a $65 replacement blind receipt, each tied to checklist-documented condition — so the refund due with the statement is $1,410. Send the same package on April 10 instead, and the exposure is no longer $390: the landlord is liable for the full $1,800 and barred from defending the deductions, and an intentional refusal can add up to $3,600 (2× the deposit) plus the tenant's costs and fees (RCW 59.18.280(2)).

Nonrefundable fees — RCW 59.18.285

"No moneys paid to the landlord which are nonrefundable may be designated as a deposit or as part of any deposit." A nonrefundable fee requires a written rental agreement that clearly specifies the fee is nonrefundable. If the landlord fails to provide a written agreement at all, the landlord is liable for the amount of any fees collected as nonrefundable; if the written agreement fails to specify nonrefundability, the fee "must be treated as a refundable deposit" under RCW 59.18.260, 59.18.270, and 59.18.280 (RCW 59.18.285). A "nonrefundable cleaning deposit" is a contradiction the statute resolves against the landlord.

Move-in money in installments — RCW 59.18.610

On the tenant's written request, a landlord must permit the tenant to pay any deposits, nonrefundable fees, and last month's rent in installments — unless the total of the deposits and nonrefundable fees does not exceed 25 percent of the first full month's rent and last month's rent is not required at inception (RCW 59.18.610(1)). For a tenancy of three months or longer, the schedule is three consecutive, equal monthly installments beginning at inception; in all other cases, two (RCW 59.18.610(2)). The landlord may charge no fee, interest, or other cost for the election; installments are due when rent is due; and every schedule must be in writing and signed by both parties (RCW 59.18.610(3)). A holding deposit under RCW 59.18.253 is outside this section — and may not exceed 25 percent of the first month's rent (RCW 59.18.610(4)). Since January 1, 2021, a landlord who refuses a proper installment request is subject to a statutory penalty of one month's rent plus reasonable attorneys' fees (RCW 59.18.610(5)).

What must a Washington landlord disclose before screening an applicant? (RCW 59.18.257)

The pre-screening disclosures — RCW 59.18.257

Before a landlord obtains any information about a prospective tenant, the landlord must first notify the applicant in writing, or by posting, of four things: (i) what types of information will be accessed to conduct the screening; (ii) what criteria may result in denial; (iii) if a consumer report is used, the name and address of the consumer reporting agency and the applicant's rights to obtain a free copy of the report on a denial or other adverse action and to dispute its accuracy; and (iv) whether or not the landlord will accept a comprehensive reusable tenant screening report (RCW 59.18.257(1)(a)).

The fee rules hang on those disclosures. A landlord may charge for a screening report only if the subsection (1)(a) information was provided. A landlord who self-screens may charge actual costs only, capped at the customary cost charged by a screening service in the general area — actual costs include long-distance calls and time spent calling landlords, employers, and financial institutions (RCW 59.18.257(1)(b)). If the landlord accepts a reusable report, the landlord may still run its own report, but may not charge the applicant for it (RCW 59.18.257(1)(a)(iv), (2)).

An adverse action — a rejection, or approval with conditions such as an increased deposit, a guarantor, last month's rent, or increased rent — requires a written notice stating the reasons, in substantially the statutory form the section prints, identifying whether the action was based on a consumer report (with the agency's name, address, and phone number), insufficient credit information, rental history, criminal record, civil record, or employment verification (RCW 59.18.257(1)(c)). A landlord who maintains a website advertising the unit must state on the home page whether it accepts reusable screening reports (RCW 59.18.257(2)). Liability for violating subsection (1) is up to $100 per violation, plus court costs and reasonable attorneys' fees to the prevailing party (RCW 59.18.257(3)) — small per applicant, but the disclosure-first sequence is also what makes the screening fee lawful at all.

Source of income — RCW 59.18.255

A landlord may not, based on the source of income of an otherwise eligible prospective or current tenant, refuse to lease, expel, discriminate in price, terms, conditions, fees, or privileges, discourage rental, misrepresent availability, or otherwise deny a unit (RCW 59.18.255(1)). "Source of income" includes benefits and subsidy programs — housing assistance, public assistance, emergency rental assistance, veterans benefits, Social Security, Supplemental Security Income and other retirement programs, and other federal, state, local, or nonprofit programs; income derived illegally is excluded (RCW 59.18.255(5)). Advertising that indicates a preference or limitation based on source of income is separately barred (RCW 59.18.255(2)). One narrow exception exists where the income is conditioned on the property passing an inspection, the written estimate of improvements needed exceeds $1,500, and the landlord has not received landlord-mitigation-program money to make them (RCW 59.18.255(1)(a)).

The screening rule inside the section decides real applications: if the landlord requires a threshold income level, "any source of income in the form of a rent voucher or subsidy must be subtracted from the total of the monthly rent prior to calculating if the income criteria have been met" (RCW 59.18.255(3)). An applicant whose voucher covers $1,200 of a $1,800 rent is tested against the $600 balance, not the $1,800. A violator is liable in a civil action for up to four and one-half times the monthly rent, plus court costs and reasonable attorneys' fees (RCW 59.18.255(4)).

Fair housing — RCW 49.60.222 adds classes to the federal list

The Washington Law Against Discrimination makes it an unfair practice to refuse a real estate transaction, discriminate in terms or facilities, misrepresent availability, expel an occupant, or publish a discriminatory statement or application form "because of sex, marital status, sexual orientation, race, creed, color, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, families with children status, honorably discharged veteran or military status, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability" (RCW 49.60.222(1)). Measured against the seven federal Fair Housing Act classes, Washington adds marital status, sexual orientation (a defined term that includes gender identity), citizenship or immigration status, honorably discharged veteran or military status, and service-animal use — and, through RCW 59.18.255 above, source of income for rentals. Disability discrimination under the section expressly includes refusing reasonable modifications at the tenant's expense and refusing reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices, or services (RCW 49.60.222(2)). See our fair housing guide for landlords for the accommodation workflow.

How does HB 1217 limit Washington rent increases, and how much notice is required?

The cap — RCW 59.18.700

Except as authorized by an exemption under RCW 59.18.710, a landlord may not increase the rent for any type of tenancy — month-to-month or term, longer or shorter:

• during the first 12 months after the tenancy begins; or
• during any 12-month period of the tenancy, in an amount greater than seven percent plus the consumer price index, or 10 percent, whichever is less (RCW 59.18.700(1)(a)).

"Consumer price index" is fixed by the statute: the June 12-month percent change in the CPI for All Urban Consumers, all items, for the Seattle area, as published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — one statewide figure, whatever county the unit sits in. Beginning June 1, 2025, and annually thereafter, the Department of Commerce must calculate the maximum annual increase percentage for the following calendar year and publish it on its website and in a press release (RCW 59.18.700(1)(c)). The cap does not limit the rent set after a tenant vacates and the tenancy ends — turnover pricing is unrestricted (RCW 59.18.700(1)(b)). The statutory notice form also treats recurring and periodic charges identified in the agreement as part of the rental amount the cap governs (RCW 59.18.720(3)).

Rent-cap worked example. Rent is $1,800 a month and the tenancy is past its first 12 months. Suppose the applicable June CPI change is 2.683 percent. The statutory ceiling is the lesser of 7% + 2.683% = 9.683% and 10% — so 9.683%. The maximum lawful increase is $1,800 × 9.683% = $174.29, for a new rent of $1,974.29. Had the CPI component been 4.53 percent, 7% + 4.53% = 11.53% would be cut back to the 10% ceiling: $180.00, for a new rent of $1,980. Use the Department of Commerce's published figure for the calendar year of your increase, not an inflation number from a news report.

To check a planned increase against the cap that applies to your unit, run it through our free Rent Cap Checker before you send the notice.

An increase above the cap that is not exemption-authorized triggers a tenant cure mechanism before it triggers a lawsuit: the tenant must first offer the landlord an opportunity to cure by written demand to reduce the increase to a compliant amount. The tenant may also terminate the rental agreement at any time before the increase's effective date on at least 20 days' written notice, owes rent for the full month in which the tenant vacates, and may not be charged any fine or fee for terminating (RCW 59.18.700(3)). A landlord may not report the tenant to a screening service for failing to pay the unlawfully increased portion (RCW 59.18.700(7)).

Enforcement runs to the tenant or the Attorney General. On a violation of RCW 59.18.700, 59.18.710, 59.18.720, or 59.18.140, the court shall award the tenant (i) any excess rent, fees, or other costs paid; (ii) up to three months of the unlawful rent, fees, or costs charged; and (iii) reasonable attorneys' fees and costs. The Attorney General may sue without waiting for a tenant cure demand and may recover civil penalties of up to $7,500 per violation, with civil investigative demand authority (RCW 59.18.700(5)). Sections 59.18.700–59.18.720 expire July 1, 2040 — a sunset, not a reason to defer building the cap into your rent-roll process.

The exemptions — RCW 59.18.710

Rent increases are not limited by RCW 59.18.700 for:

• a unit whose first certificate of occupancy was issued 12 or fewer years before the date of the increase notice — the new-construction exemption is measured at the notice, so a building ages into coverage;
• a unit owned by a public housing authority, a public development authority, or a nonprofit organization (or a qualifying nonprofit entity) where maximum rents are regulated by other laws or affordable-housing program requirements;
• a qualified low-income housing development owned by one of those organizations, or one allocated federal low-income housing tax credits with an enforceable Housing Finance Commission regulatory agreement;
• a unit in which the tenant shares a bathroom or kitchen with an owner who maintains a principal residence at the property;
• a single-family owner-occupied residence in which the owner-occupant rents no more than two units or bedrooms, including an accessory dwelling unit; and
• a duplex, triplex, or fourplex in which the owner occupied one unit as a principal residence at the beginning of the tenancy and continues to occupy it (RCW 59.18.710(1)).

The three owner-occupied exemptions are unavailable where the owner is a real estate investment trust, a corporation, or an LLC with a corporate member (RCW 59.18.710(2)) — holding an owner-occupied duplex in a corporation-held LLC silently forfeits the exemption. And an exempt increase is not a formality-free increase: a landlord who increases above the cap under an exemption must include the facts supporting the exemption in the written notice (RCW 59.18.700(2)).

The notice — 90 days, on the state form, served like an eviction notice

HB 1217 also rewrote the notice clock. RCW 59.18.140(3)(a) now requires a minimum of 90 days' prior written notice of an increase in the amount of rent to each affected tenant, and an increase may not become effective before completion of the term of the rental agreement. For a subsidized tenancy whose rent is based on the tenant's income or household circumstances, the floor is 30 days, with effectiveness at term completion or sooner by mutual consent (RCW 59.18.140(3)(b)). The older 60-day figure in prior versions of this guide — and in most forms still circulating — is superseded. See how to raise rent legally for the cross-state workflow.

Increase-notice worked example. You serve a compliant increase notice on Monday, March 2, 2026. Ninety days later is Sunday, May 31, 2026 — the earliest effective date the notice supports, and if the current term runs past May 31, the increase still cannot take effect until the term completes (RCW 59.18.140(3)(a)). Serve on the statutory form, and keep the RCW 59.12.040 proof of service with the lease file.

The notice must be in a form substantially the same as the form RCW 59.18.720(3) prints — a "Rent and Fee Increase Notice to Tenants" that tells the tenant the cap, requires the landlord to state the percentage and dollar increase, the new total, and whether the increase is below the maximum, at the maximum, or exemption-authorized (with a certification section for exemptions) — and it must be served in accordance with RCW 59.12.040, the eviction-notice service statute (RCW 59.18.720(1)). The form requirement does not apply to the income-based subsidized tenancies RCW 59.18.720(2) carves out — but portable-voucher tenancies are expressly not within that carve-out.

Parity between lease types — RCW 59.18.700(4)

A landlord may not include payment terms or other material conditions more burdensome for a month-to-month agreement than for a term agreement, or vice versa, and must provide parity in the amount of rent charged for a specific unit: the rent for the same dwelling unit may not differ by more than 5 percent depending on the lease type offered — and the 5 percent differential may not itself push the rent past the § 59.18.700(1) cap (RCW 59.18.700(4)). A $150 "month-to-month surcharge" on a $1,800 unit is a parity violation before it is a cap problem: 5 percent of $1,800 is $90.

Late fees — a 5-day grace rule, and no RLTA cap in the current text

RCW 59.18.170(2) provides the whole statewide late-fee rule for RLTA tenancies: "The landlord may not charge a late fee for rent that is paid within five days following its due date. If rent is more than five days past due, the landlord may charge late fees commencing from the first day after the due date until paid." The same subsection expressly preserves the landlord's right to serve a pay-or-vacate notice at any time after rent becomes due — the grace rule delays the fee, not the notice.

Note what the section does not contain: a dollar or percentage cap. A 1.5-percent-of-rent late-fee cap appeared in House Bill 1217 as introduced (in a proposed amendment to this section), but the enrolled act — chapter 209, Laws of 2025, whose caption amends RCW 59.18.140 and adds the new sections — did not enact it, and the current text of RCW 59.18.170 has no cap. Guides that quote a statewide $75 or 1.5% RLTA late-fee cap are quoting a bill draft, not the code. The fee still has to be one the rental agreement provides for, and manufactured-home tenancies have their own fee scale under chapter 59.20 RCW. One more rule in the section matters for assistance-funded tenants: a tenant may propose shifting the rent due date (by no more than five days) where the tenant's primary income is a regular monthly source of governmental assistance received after the due date, and the landlord shall agree if the proposal is in writing and the tenant demonstrates the income timing (RCW 59.18.170(3)).

What happened to "no rent control"

The old version of this guide said Washington has no rent control because state law preempts it. Half of that survives. RCW 35.21.830 still provides that rent control "is of statewide significance and is preempted by the state," and bars cities and towns from regulating the amount of rent (publicly owned and regulated low-income housing excepted) — so no city may enact its own cap. But since May 7, 2025 the state has exercised that statewide authority itself, through RCW 59.18.700. "Preempted" now means: the only cap is the state's, and it is real.

When can a Washington landlord enter a rental unit? (RCW 59.18.150)

The tenant may not unreasonably withhold consent to entry for inspection, necessary or agreed repairs, alterations or improvements, agreed services, or showing to prospective or actual purchasers, mortgagees, tenants, workers, or contractors (RCW 59.18.150(1)). The landlord may enter without consent in case of emergency or abandonment (RCW 59.18.150(5)), and otherwise has no right of access except by court order, arbitrator, or the tenant's consent (RCW 59.18.150(7)).

Between those poles sits the notice rule — and the current text is more demanding than "48 hours." Except in an emergency or where impracticable, the landlord must give the tenant at least two days' written notice of intent to enter, and may enter only at reasonable times. The notice must state the exact time and date of entry, or a window on that date with the earliest and latest possible times, and must specify the telephone number to which the tenant may communicate an objection or a request to reschedule (RCW 59.18.150(6)). For showings, the tenant may not unreasonably withhold consent to entry at a specified time where the landlord has given at least one day's notice of intent to enter to exhibit the unit to prospective or actual purchasers or tenants — and a landlord may not unreasonably interfere with the tenant's enjoyment by excessively exhibiting the unit (RCW 59.18.150(6)).

The section carries its own small penalty: a landlord or tenant who continues to violate the other's access rights after being served with one written notification alleging the violations in good faith, listing dates and times, is liable for up to $100 for each violation after receipt of that notice, plus the prevailing party's costs and reasonable attorneys' fees (RCW 59.18.150(8)). Log every entry — notice date and method, the stated window, the purpose, and the time in and out — because the log is what converts "two days' notice" from an assertion into a record.

What must a Washington landlord maintain under RCW 59.18.060, and what remedies do tenants have?

The duties

The landlord must at all times during the tenancy keep the premises fit for human habitation, and in particular (RCW 59.18.060(1)–(16)): substantially comply with applicable codes, statutes, ordinances, and regulations whose violation endangers or impairs health or safety; maintain structural components — roofs, floors, walls, chimneys, fireplaces, foundations — in reasonably good repair; keep shared and common areas reasonably clean, sanitary, and safe from fire and accident hazards; provide a reasonable pest-control program at the start of the tenancy and, except in a single-family residence, control tenant-uncaused infestation during it; make the repairs and arrangements needed to keep the premises in the condition the law or agreement required at commencement (ordinary wear excepted); provide reasonably adequate locks and furnish keys, and safeguard master keys; maintain electrical, plumbing, heating, and other supplied facilities and appliances in reasonably good working order, and keep the unit reasonably weathertight; for non-single-family housing, provide common-area waste receptacles and arrange regular removal; provide facilities adequate to supply heat, water, and hot water as reasonably required — including the heat-alert rules that bar an involuntary termination of landlord-controlled electric or water service for nonpayment on a day covered by a National Weather Service heat alert, with a reconnection-on-request and capped repayment-plan mechanism; give the signed fire-safety and protection notice (smoke-detector status and, for non-single-family buildings, hard-wired vs. battery, sprinkler and alarm systems, smoking policy, and emergency plans) at signing; provide the Department of Health indoor-mold information to new tenants at signing; for leases entered into after December 31, 2026, make the new flood disclosures described below; and designate the landlord's name and address on the agreement or by a conspicuous posting, with an in-county agent for service where the designated person is out of state.

No duty to repair arises where the defective condition was caused by the tenant, the tenant's family, invitees, or others under the tenant's control, or where the tenant unreasonably fails to allow access for repair (RCW 59.18.060, closing paragraph).

Coming for 2027 leases — the flood disclosure. RCW 59.18.060(13) (added by 2026 chapter 234) requires the landlord to disclose (i) that the property may be located in a special flood hazard area or an area of potential flooding; (ii) that the landlord's insurance does not cover the tenant's personal possessions, and that the tenant should consider renter's insurance and flood insurance; and (iii) that hazard information, including flood risk, is available from the county government. By the section's own terms the duty applies only to leases entered into after December 31, 2026 (RCW 59.18.060(13)(b)) — put the clause into your 2027 lease forms now, not into a claim that it governs 2026 signings.

Portable cooling devices — RCW 59.18.740 (2026). Since June 11, 2026, a landlord generally may not prohibit or restrict a tenant from installing a portable cooling device (an air conditioner or portable heat pump, window-mounted or floor-standing) of the tenant's choosing, and may not charge a fee for its use, inspection, or installation — though charging for a device rented from the landlord, and for damage caused, remains permitted. Restrictions survive where the dwelling already has a permanently installed, fully operational heat pump, or installation would violate building codes or other law, violate the manufacturer's written safety guidelines, cause unreasonable damage or render the unit uninhabitable, or exceed the electrical supply. Window-mounted devices carry added rules: they may be barred where they block a necessary egress window, prevent locking an outside-accessible window, need damaging hardware, cannot be secured against falling, or are prohibited by the landlord's insurance policy on written evidence given to the tenant; the landlord may require drainage, post-installation inspection or servicing, and at least two days' notice from the tenant before a window-mounted installation, and must state the rights and any restrictions in the lease (RCW 59.18.740(1)–(8)).

The response clocks — RCW 59.18.070

The remedy ladder starts with the tenant's written notice specifying the premises, the owner's name if known, and the nature of the defective condition, delivered to the person designated under RCW 59.18.060 or to the person who collects the rent. On receipt, the landlord must commence remedial action as soon as possible and not later than:

• 24 hours, where the condition deprives the tenant of hot or cold water, heat, or electricity, or is imminently hazardous to life;
• 72 hours, where the condition deprives the tenant of the use of a refrigerator, range and oven, or a major plumbing fixture supplied by the landlord; and
• 10 days, in all other cases (RCW 59.18.070(1)–(3)).

The burden of prompt completion is the landlord's; delay is excused only by circumstances beyond the landlord's control, and then the condition must still be remedied as soon as possible (RCW 59.18.070, closing paragraph).

Repair-clock worked example. A tenant's written notice of a failed water heater is received on Monday, March 2, 2026. Loss of hot water is a 24-hour condition: remedial action must commence by Tuesday, March 3, 2026 (RCW 59.18.070(1)). A dead refrigerator reported the same day is a 72-hour condition — commence by Thursday, March 5, 2026 (RCW 59.18.070(2)). A dripping faucet is a 10-day condition — commence by Thursday, March 12, 2026 (RCW 59.18.070(3)). "Commence" is the statutory word: a dispatched contractor and a documented diagnosis start the defense; silence starts the remedies below.

If the landlord does not act — RCW 59.18.090 and repair-and-deduct under RCW 59.18.100

After the tenant's written notice and the expiration of the applicable § 59.18.070 period, if the landlord fails to remedy the condition within a reasonable time, the tenant may (1) terminate the rental agreement and quit on written notice, discharged from rent after the quitting date and entitled to a pro rata refund of prepaid rent and the § 59.18.280 deposit statement and refund; (2) sue (or arbitrate, if agreed) for any remedy under the chapter or other law; or (3) pursue the chapter's other remedies (RCW 59.18.090).

Washington also has a true repair-and-deduct remedy — two of them, in RCW 59.18.100, with different caps and different mechanics, and conflating them is the usual error:

• The contractor track — RCW 59.18.100(1)–(2). The tenant submits a good-faith estimate of the repair cost — by a licensed or registered person where licensing or registration applies to the work, otherwise by a responsible person capable of the repair — by first-class mail or in person; the estimate may accompany the § 59.18.070 notice itself. If the landlord fails to commence remedial action within the applicable § 59.18.070 period after receiving both the notice and the estimate, the tenant may contract with a licensed or registered person (or a responsible person where no license is required) to make the repair, and, on completion and an opportunity for the landlord to inspect, deduct the cost from rent up to two months' rent per repair. Two timing bars apply on the 10-day track: the tenant may not contract until 10 days after notice or 2 days after the landlord receives the estimate, whichever is later. Total deductions under this track in any 12-month period are capped at two months' rent. The deduction may vary from the estimate but may not exceed the cap.
• The self-repair track — RCW 59.18.100(3). Where the repair costs no more than one month's rent (materials and labor at the prevailing community rate), the work need not by law be performed only by licensed or registered persons, and the tenant has given § 59.18.070 notice — no estimate is required — the tenant may do the repair in a workmanlike manner and, after completion and an inspection opportunity, deduct the cost. This track reaches only defects within the leased premises, capped at one month's rent per repair and one month's rent in any 12-month period.

Repairs under either track must comply with applicable codes, and a landlord whose property is damaged by negligent repair work may recover actual damages from the tenant (RCW 59.18.100(5)). The parties may instead agree that the tenant undertakes repairs for cash or a rent reduction — without altering the landlord's statutory obligations (RCW 59.18.100(6)). A tenant who uses the contractor track for a lock repair must promptly give the landlord a key to any new or replaced locks (RCW 59.18.100(1)). For landlords, the operational reading is simple: the tenant's estimate in your inbox is a countdown, not a suggestion.

What counts as just cause to end a tenancy in Washington? (RCW 59.18.650)

The notice table

Every termination path in Washington starts with the right notice, in the right form, served the right way. The core set:

Two form rules apply across the table. The 14-day pay-or-vacate notice must be in substantially the form RCW 59.18.057 prints — itemizing rent, utilities, and other recurring charges by month, stating the total due, directing payment per the agreement or by nonelectronic means (cashier's check, money order, or other certified funds), and carrying the Attorney General's resource and right-to-counsel language. And every just-cause notice must identify the facts and circumstances supporting the cause "with enough specificity so as to enable the tenant to respond and prepare a defense," served in a manner consistent with RCW 59.12.040 (RCW 59.18.650(6)). A notice that names the cause but not the facts is the defect tenants' counsel look for first.

Nonpayment worked example. Rent is due Sunday, March 1, 2026, and is not paid. The landlord serves the RCW 59.18.057 14-day notice on Monday, March 2, 2026. The tenant has 14 days after service to pay the total stated or vacate — through Monday, March 16, 2026 (RCW 59.12.030(3)). The late fee, if the agreement provides one, cannot be charged at all if the rent is paid by Friday, March 6 (within five days after the due date); if it is still unpaid after that, the fee may run from Monday, March 2, the first day after the due date (RCW 59.18.170(2)).

Service and counting — RCW 59.12.040

A notice under chapter 59.12 RCW is served by (1) delivering a copy personally to the person entitled to it; or (2) if that person is absent from the premises, leaving a copy with a person of suitable age and discretion there and mailing a copy to the person at the person's residence; or (3) if the residence is unknown or no suitable person can be found, affixing a copy conspicuously on the premises, delivering a copy to a person residing there if one can be found, and mailing a copy addressed to the tenant at the premises. Proof of service may be made by affidavit, as with a summons. Two counting rules decide close cases: when a copy is sent through the mail, service is deemed complete when the copy is deposited in the U.S. mail from within Washington, properly addressed with postage prepaid — but five additional days must be allowed before commencing an action based on the notice. And a termination notice must specify the date by which the person must vacate or, if applicable, comply (RCW 59.12.040). The same service statute governs rent-increase notices under RCW 59.18.720 and just-cause notices under RCW 59.18.650(6)(a) — one service discipline for every paper you serve.

Just cause — the rule, the two no-cause doors, and the sixteen causes

RCW 59.18.650(1)(a) states the rule in one sentence: "A landlord may not evict a tenant, refuse to continue a tenancy, or end a periodic tenancy except for the causes enumerated in subsection (2) of this section." The familiar 20-day notice in RCW 59.12.030(2) still exists in the unlawful-detainer chapter, but for an RLTA tenancy it no longer supplies a no-cause path — § 59.18.650 is the gate, and RCW 59.12.030 opens "except as limited under RCW 59.18.650."

Two narrow no-cause doors survive, both drafted at the inception of the tenancy, and both requiring 60 days' advance written notice served under RCW 59.12.040:

• The initial-period door (RCW 59.18.650(1)(b)). Where the agreement provides for the tenancy to continue month-to-month after it expires, the landlord may end the tenancy at the end of the initial period without cause only if the original agreement was for six to 12 months and the 60-day notice is given before the initial period ends.
• The fixed-term door (RCW 59.18.650(1)(c)). Where the agreement does not continue month-to-month, the landlord may let the tenancy expire without cause only if the agreement was for 12 months or more (or the parties have continuously entered successive agreements of six months or more since inception), the 60-day notice states the tenancy will be deemed expired, and the tenancy has never been month-to-month or periodic at any point since inception.

Every other specified-period tenancy not covered by those doors may be ended only for cause, and at the end of the specified period it becomes a month-to-month tenancy (RCW 59.18.650(1)(d)). Landlord and tenant remain free to sign subsequent compliant agreements (RCW 59.18.650(1)(e)), and a tenant may end a specified-time tenancy on written notice at least 20 days before the ending date (RCW 59.18.650(1)(f)). Note also the guardrail in subsection (5): the owner-occupancy, sale, and demolition causes do not permit ending a fixed term early unless the parties mutually consent in writing and the tenant is afforded at least 60 days to vacate.

The sixteen causes in RCW 59.18.650(2) are summarized in the notice table above; the ones with internal machinery deserve the detail:

• Owner move-in — (2)(d). The owner must act in good faith, the owner or immediate family must intend the unit as a principal residence, and no substantially equivalent unit may be vacant and available in the same building. If the owner or family fails to occupy the unit as a principal residence for at least 60 consecutive days during the 90 days after the tenant vacates, bad faith is rebuttably presumed.
• Sale of a single-family residence — (2)(e). "Elects to sell" means making reasonable attempts to sell within 30 days after the tenant vacates, at minimum listing at a reasonable price with a realty agency or on the multiple listing service. Failing to list within 30 days, or withdrawing, re-renting, or otherwise showing no intent to sell within 90 days after vacating or listing (whichever is later), creates a rebuttable presumption the owner did not intend to sell.
• Other good cause — (2)(m). A legitimate economic or business reason not covered by, or related to, any enumerated basis, on 60 days' notice. If the court stays the writ of restitution on this cause — up to 60 additional days for good cause such as difficulty finding housing — the stay is conditioned on the tenant's continued payment of rent, with costs and fees as the chapter allows.
• The four-violations cause — (2)(n). Each of the four or more non-monetary violations in the preceding 12 months must have drawn a written warning notice at the time of the violation that specified the violation, offered an opportunity to cure, warned that four violations in 12 months could end the tenancy at term's end, and stated that curing the fourth is not a defense. The 60-day notice must be served with or after the fourth warning, state the ending date and the supporting facts, and include all the warning notices; each must concern a separate incident, and the landlord must still be able to prove each was a breach under (2)(b) had it not been cured.
• Remaining occupants — (2) is not the only list in the section. When a tenant permanently vacates for reasons other than the landlord ending the tenancy, the landlord must serve any occupant who coresided with the tenant for at least six months up to the vacating with a notice to apply to become a party or vacate within 30 days; the applicant may be held to the same screening, background, and financial criteria as any prospective tenant (subsidized housing excepted) (RCW 59.18.650(3)).

Section 59.18.650 orders no relocation payment of its own. Payment duties, where they exist, come from elsewhere — local relocation-assistance programs of the kind RCW 59.18.440 authorizes (the demolition/rehabilitation notice rule in RCW 59.18.200(2)(c) steps aside for jurisdictions that run such a program with 120 days' notice) and from city ordinances, Seattle's included. Check the city before pricing a (2)(f) project.

The penalty for getting cause wrong is in subsection (4): a landlord who removes a tenant, or causes a tenant to be removed, in violation of the section is liable for wrongful eviction, and the prevailing tenant recovers the greater of the tenant's economic and noneconomic damages or three times the monthly rent, plus reasonable attorneys' fees and court costs. On a $1,800 unit, the statutory floor alone is $5,400 — before fees.

Eviction — unlawful detainer in superior court, and the self-help ban

Washington possession cases are unlawful detainer actions under chapter 59.12 RCW, heard in superior court — there is no small-claims-style possession track. The procedural clock the statute actually states is the show-cause mechanism of RCW 59.18.370: on filing the complaint, the landlord may apply for an order directing the tenant to appear and show cause why a writ of restitution should not issue, and the court sets the hearing not less than seven nor more than thirty days from the date of service of the order on the tenant, who must be served with the order, summons, and complaint. Beyond that statutory window, this guide states no timeline: contested cases, continuances, and county practice vary, and the earlier version's flat "6–10 weeks" figure was unsourced and has been removed. Full walkthrough: how to evict a tenant.

Two structural features of the Washington process belong in every landlord's planning. First, an indigent tenant in an unlawful detainer proceeding is entitled to a court-appointed attorney at state expense, subject to appropriation, under RCW 59.18.640 — expect represented opposition. Second, possession changes hands only through the court and the sheriff's execution of a writ of restitution.

That is because self-help is flatly banned. "It is unlawful for the landlord to remove or exclude from the premises the tenant thereof except under a court order so authorizing." A tenant removed or excluded in violation of RCW 59.18.290(1) may recover possession or terminate the agreement, and in either case recover actual damages, with costs of suit or arbitration and reasonable attorneys' fees to the prevailing party. Lock changes, utility shutoffs, and door-bar removals are not shortcuts around § 59.18.650; they are independent violations stacked on top of the failed termination.

Retaliation — RCW 59.18.240 and the 90-day presumption in RCW 59.18.250

So long as the tenant is in compliance with the chapter, the landlord may not take or threaten reprisals or retaliatory action because of the tenant's good-faith and lawful (1) complaints or reports to a governmental authority about the landlord's failure to substantially comply with a code, statute, ordinance, or regulation governing maintenance or operation, where the condition may endanger or impair health or safety; or (2) assertion or enforcement of the tenant's rights and remedies under the chapter. "Reprisal or retaliatory action" includes eviction, increasing the rent, reducing services, and increasing the tenant's obligations, where the action is intended primarily to retaliate (RCW 59.18.240).

RCW 59.18.250 supplies the proof rule: initiation of any listed action within 90 days after the tenant's protected act — or within 90 days after a resulting governmental inspection or proceeding — creates a rebuttable presumption that the action is retaliatory. The provisos cut in both directions, and landlord files should be built with them in view: if the tenant is in arrears or in breach when the termination notice is given, a rebuttable presumption runs the other way — that the landlord's action is not retaliatory; a complaint made within 90 days after notice of a proposed rent increase or other good-faith landlord action is presumed not made in good faith; no presumption arises against a rent increase whose notice specifies reasonable grounds (the statute's example is a substantial market-value increase due to remedial action); and the eviction presumption may be rebutted by showing repairs cannot practicably be made with the tenant in occupancy. A tenant who prevails on a retaliation claim or defense recovers costs and reasonable attorneys' fees — and so, notably, does a landlord who prevails (RCW 59.18.250). The compliance habit that answers the presumption is the same one that answers everything else in this chapter: date the repair record, state the grounds in the increase notice, and keep the two files separate.

Seattle — the local layer (brief, and separately tracked)

Seattle landlords run two codes at once. The items below are the city's best-documented additions; treat them as a separate compliance track and confirm the current Seattle Municipal Code (SMC) text before acting, because the city amends this layer often.

• Seattle just-cause ordinance — SMC 22.206.160.C. Seattle has its own closed list of just causes for eviction, which the owner must be able to prove in court; the state and city lists overlap heavily but are not identical, and a termination must satisfy both. Seattle also bars eviction from a unit that is not registered with the Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections where registration is required — registration must be in place before the termination notice issues.
• First-in-time — SMC 14.08.050. A Seattle landlord must offer the unit to the first qualified applicant who meets the landlord's published screening criteria, applied in the order applications are received. Publish the criteria before advertising; the state disclosure duties in RCW 59.18.257 run alongside, not instead.
• Winter eviction defense — SMC 22.206.160.C.8. It is a defense to eviction — not a blanket moratorium — where the eviction would require the tenant to vacate between December 1 and March 1, the household is a moderate-income household (the city applies an 80-percent-of-AMI threshold), and the owner owns more than four rental housing units in Seattle. The defense carries exceptions, including owner or family move-in, sale of a single-family home, discontinuation of an unpermitted or unsafe unit, and 3-day notices for criminal activity, waste, or nuisance. Seattle recognizes a separate school-year defense for households with school-age children and education workers; both defenses are fact-specific, so calendar any Seattle filing against them.
• Move-in money. Seattle separately caps combined move-in charges and extends installment schedules under SMC chapter 7.24 — stricter than the state floor in RCW 59.18.610. Price Seattle move-ins from the city code, not from this guide's state sections.

What changed in 2023–2026 — and what did not

• July 23, 2023 — HB 1074 (2023 chapter 331). Deposit statement and refund deadline extended from 21 to 30 days; documentation duties added (estimates, invoices, and time-and-rate statements for landlord-performed work); the withholding bars in RCW 59.18.280(1)(c) and the three-year window for excess-damage suits date from this act.
• May 7, 2025 — HB 1217 (2025 chapter 209), emergency clause, effective immediately. Added RCW 59.18.700 (the cap and parity), 59.18.710 (exemptions), and 59.18.720 (the mandatory notice form); raised the RCW 59.18.140 increase notice to 90 days; for manufactured/mobile home lots, added a flat 5 percent cap and, in RCW 59.20.170(1), capped combined move-in fees and deposits at one month's rent (two with pets) for agreements entered on or after that date. The cap sections expire July 1, 2040.
• June 11, 2026 — portable cooling (2026 chapter 184). RCW 59.18.740 bars most prohibitions and fees on tenant-installed portable cooling devices, with the code, safety, damage, electrical-capacity, and egress exceptions stated above.
• Leases after December 31, 2026 — flood disclosure (2026 chapter 234). RCW 59.18.060(13)'s three-part flood and insurance disclosure applies by its terms only to leases entered into after that date.
• Checked and NOT enacted: an RLTA late-fee cap. The 1.5-percent cap circulated in summaries of HB 1217 appeared in the bill as introduced; the enrolled act did not amend RCW 59.18.170, and the current section contains no cap. Likewise, no 2023–2026 enactment created a state cap on RLTA deposit amounts, shortened the 14-day nonpayment notice, or disturbed the § 59.18.650 cause list's structure. (RCW 59.18.650 and 59.18.200 as published carry future-dated versions effective January 1, 2028 that adjust condominium-conversion cross-references between chapters 64.34 and 64.90 RCW; the operative cause list and notice periods are the ones stated in this guide.)

A step-by-step Washington compliance checklist

1. Before screening: publish one written criteria set that satisfies RCW 49.60.222 and RCW 59.18.255 (voucher income tested against the rent net of the subsidy); give the RCW 59.18.257(1)(a) disclosures — information types, denial criteria, consumer-reporting agency and free-copy/dispute rights, reusable-report policy — before obtaining any information, because the screening fee is lawful only if you did; in Seattle, publish the criteria first and process applicants first-in-time.

2. At lease signing: use a written agreement that states the deposit-withholding terms (RCW 59.18.260(1)), labels every nonrefundable fee as nonrefundable or not at all (RCW 59.18.285), delivers the fire-safety notice and mold information (RCW 59.18.060), designates the landlord's name and address, and — for leases from 2027 — carries the RCW 59.18.060(13) flood disclosure; strip any window-cooling prohibition that RCW 59.18.740 no longer permits.

3. At move-in: complete the condition checklist room by room, sign and date it with the tenant, and hand over a copy before collecting any deposit (RCW 59.18.260(2)–(3)); offer the RCW 59.18.610 installment schedule on written request (3 installments for terms of 3+ months, otherwise 2) with a signed written schedule.

4. Holding the money: deposit promptly into a trust account at a Washington institution or licensed escrow agent; give the written receipt and the depository's name, address, and location, and update it on any change (RCW 59.18.270); on a sale, transfer the funds to the successor's trust account and confirm the successor's tenant notice.

5. During the tenancy: date-stamp every repair report and run the RCW 59.18.070 clocks — commence within 24 hours, 72 hours, or 10 days by condition class; enter only on consent, emergency, abandonment, court order, or RCW 59.18.150 notice (two days, with the time window and contact number; one day for showings), and log each entry.

6. For an increase: check the Department of Commerce's published maximum for the year and the RCW 59.18.710 exemptions before setting the figure; respect the first-12-months bar and lease-type parity; serve the RCW 59.18.720 form — with exemption facts, if claimed — at least 90 days ahead under RCW 59.12.040 service, effective no earlier than term completion.

7. For a late fee: charge nothing if rent arrives within five days after the due date; if the agreement provides a fee and rent is more than five days late, run it from the first day after the due date — and do not import a cap (or a fee) from a bill summary (RCW 59.18.170(2)).

8. For a default: choose the notice that matches the facts — 14-day RCW 59.18.057 form for money, 10-day comply-or-vacate for a curable material breach, 3-day quit for waste or nuisance — serve it under RCW 59.12.040, add the five mail days before filing, and attach the fact-specific statement RCW 59.18.650(6) requires for cause notices.

9. For an ending without a default: identify the § 59.18.650(2) cause first, then calendar its period (90 days owner move-in or single-family sale, 120 days demolition/rehab/change of use, 60 days other good cause or the four-violations track, 30 days condemnation, transitional housing, or application fraud; 20 days shared housing or harassment) — or confirm the tenancy qualifies for one of the two 60-day no-cause doors in § 59.18.650(1)(b)–(c); in Seattle, check registration, the city just-cause list, and the winter and school-year defenses before serving anything.

10. At move-out: deliver the full and specific deposit statement, the invoices/estimates and time-and-rate documentation, and the refund within 30 days of termination-plus-vacating (RCW 59.18.280(1)); withhold nothing for ordinary wear, nothing for undocumented fixtures, and nothing beyond the damaged portion; keep the checklist, the statement, and the proof of mailing together for at least the three-year excess-damages window.

The bottom line

Washington in late 2026 is a documentation state with a new price rule: no deposit cap, but no deposit at all without a written agreement and a signed checklist, a Washington trust account, and a 30-day documented return whose penalty runs from full-deposit liability to an additional 2× for intentional refusal; rent stabilization since May 7, 2025 — no increase in year one, then the lesser of 7% + Seattle CPI or 10%, on 90 days' notice on the state form, with exemptions that must be pled in the notice itself; no RLTA late-fee cap, only a five-day grace rule; two-day entry notice with a stated window and a callback number; repair clocks of 24 hours, 72 hours, and 10 days feeding a two-track repair-and-deduct remedy capped at two months' and one month's rent; and just cause for every ending, from a statewide list of sixteen, with wrongful eviction priced at the greater of actual damages or three months' rent. The landlords who do fine here are the ones whose files — checklist, trust receipt, service proofs, dated repair logs, Commerce's published cap figure — can prove each of those sentences without reconstruction.

Comparing states before you invest? Washington's 60-day rent-increase notices, 48-hour entry notices, and superior court evictions are one state's system — every state is different. The 50-State Landlord Law Dataset (CSV + JSON) puts all 50 states' deposit caps, return deadlines, and notice periods in one spreadsheet-ready dataset ($29, one-time purchase).

Official sources

• RCW 59.18.060 — Landlord duties
• RCW 59.18.070 — Tenant notice of defective condition; landlord's commencement periods
• RCW 59.18.090 — Tenant remedies on landlord's failure to remedy
• RCW 59.18.100 — Repair and deduct
• RCW 59.18.140 — Reasonable obligations; 90-day rent increase notice
• RCW 59.18.150 — Landlord's access to dwelling unit
• RCW 59.18.170 — Notice of tenant's failure; late fees
• RCW 59.18.200 — Periodic tenancy; demolition, substantial rehabilitation, conversion notices
• RCW 59.18.240 — Retaliatory action by landlord prohibited
• RCW 59.18.250 — Retaliation presumption (90 days)
• RCW 59.18.255 — Source of income discrimination prohibited
• RCW 59.18.257 — Tenant screening disclosures, fees, adverse action
• RCW 59.18.260 — Deposits; written agreement and checklist
• RCW 59.18.270 — Deposit trust account
• RCW 59.18.280 — Deposit statement and refund; 30 days; penalties
• RCW 59.18.285 — Nonrefundable fees
• RCW 59.18.290 — Removal or exclusion except under court order
• RCW 59.18.057 — Form of the 14-day notice to pay rent or vacate
• RCW 59.18.610 — Installment payment of deposits, fees, and last month's rent
• RCW 59.18.640 — Court-appointed attorney for indigent tenants
• RCW 59.18.650 — Just cause required to end a tenancy
• RCW 59.18.700 — Rent increase limit (HB 1217)
• RCW 59.18.710 — Rent-cap exemptions
• RCW 59.18.720 — Rent increase notice form
• RCW 59.18.740 — Portable cooling devices
• RCW 59.20.170 — Manufactured/mobile home move-in fee and deposit cap; trust account
• RCW 59.12.030 — Unlawful detainer grounds and notice periods
• RCW 59.12.040 — Service of notices
• RCW 49.60.222 — Unfair practices in real estate transactions
• RCW 35.21.830 — Local rent control preempted
• Enrolled House Bill 1217 (2025), chapter 209, Laws of 2025
• Washington Attorney General — Landlord-Tenant

Frequently asked questions

How long does a Washington landlord have to return a security deposit?

Thirty days after the termination of the rental agreement and the tenant's vacation of the premises — or, after an abandonment, within 30 days after the landlord learns of it. Within that window the landlord must deliver a full and specific statement of the basis for retaining any of the deposit, the supporting documentation (estimates or invoices; for landlord-performed work, the time spent and hourly rate), and any refund due (RCW 59.18.280(1)). The deadline was 21 days until HB 1074 extended it effective July 23, 2023; guides stating 21 days are out of date.

What happens if a Washington landlord misses the 30-day deposit deadline?

The landlord is liable to the tenant for the full amount of the deposit and is barred from asserting any claim or defense for retaining any of it, unless the landlord shows circumstances beyond the landlord's control prevented timely compliance or the tenant abandoned the premises. If the failure was an intentional refusal, the court may award up to two times the amount of the deposit in addition, and the prevailing party recovers court costs and reasonable attorneys' fees (RCW 59.18.280(2)).

Is there a cap on security deposits in Washington?

No state cap on the amount. Washington regulates deposits procedurally instead: no deposit may be collected at all unless the rental agreement is in writing and a written condition checklist, signed and dated by both parties with a copy to the tenant, is provided at the start of the tenancy; the money must be held in a trust account at a Washington financial institution or licensed escrow agent; and the tenant may elect to pay deposits, nonrefundable fees, and last month's rent in installments on written request (RCW 59.18.260, 59.18.270, 59.18.610). Some cities add their own rules, and manufactured-home tenancies have a combined move-in cap under RCW 59.20.170(1). Check a planned deposit against Washington's no-cap rule with the Security Deposit Max Checker, which returns a compliant or over-the-limit verdict for the amount and state you enter.

Does Washington have rent control?

It has statewide rent stabilization, since May 7, 2025. Under RCW 59.18.700 a landlord may not increase rent during the first 12 months of a tenancy, and may not increase it in any 12-month period by more than the lesser of 7 percent plus the Seattle-area consumer price index or 10 percent. Exemptions in RCW 59.18.710 cover, among others, units whose first certificate of occupancy issued 12 or fewer years before the increase notice, regulated affordable housing, and qualifying owner-occupied small properties. Cities and towns remain preempted from enacting their own rent regulation (RCW 35.21.830). The state cap sections expire July 1, 2040.

How much notice is required for a rent increase in Washington?

At least 90 days' prior written notice to each affected tenant, and the increase cannot take effect before the term of the rental agreement completes (RCW 59.18.140(3)(a)). The notice must be in substantially the statutory form in RCW 59.18.720 — identifying the increase in percent and dollars and any exemption claimed, with supporting facts — and served as RCW 59.12.040 requires. Income-based subsidized tenancies get a 30-day floor instead (RCW 59.18.140(3)(b)).

What is the maximum late fee in Washington?

There is no statewide dollar or percentage cap for RLTA tenancies in the current code. RCW 59.18.170(2) provides only a timing rule: no late fee may be charged for rent paid within five days after its due date, and if rent is more than five days past due, late fees may be charged from the first day after the due date until paid — and only as the rental agreement provides. A 1.5-percent cap appeared in HB 1217 as introduced in 2025 but was not in the enrolled act; do not rely on summaries that state it as law.

How much notice must a Washington landlord give to enter a rental unit?

At least two days' written notice, stating the exact time and date or a window with the earliest and latest possible times, plus a telephone number the tenant can use to object or reschedule, with entry only at reasonable times (RCW 59.18.150(6)). For showings to prospective purchasers or tenants, one day's notice suffices for the tenant's consent duty. Entry without consent is allowed only in an emergency or on abandonment, or under a court order or the tenant's consent (RCW 59.18.150(5), (7)).

Can a Washington landlord end a month-to-month tenancy with a 20-day notice?

Not without cause. Since 2021, RCW 59.18.650(1)(a) bars a landlord from evicting a tenant, refusing to continue a tenancy, or ending a periodic tenancy except for the sixteen causes in RCW 59.18.650(2) — nonpayment, material breach, waste or nuisance, owner move-in, sale of a single-family home, demolition or substantial rehabilitation, condemnation, and the other listed grounds, each with its own notice period of 3 to 120 days. The only no-cause routes are the two 60-day doors in RCW 59.18.650(1)(b)–(c) for tenancies structured that way at inception. The 20-day figure survives as the tenant's own notice period for ending a specified-term tenancy (RCW 59.18.650(1)(f)) and inside RCW 59.12.030(2), which is expressly limited by § 59.18.650.

Can a Washington tenant repair a problem and deduct the cost from rent?

Yes, under RCW 59.18.100, after written notice under RCW 59.18.070 and the landlord's failure to commence repairs within the applicable 24-hour, 72-hour, or 10-day period. The contractor track requires a good-faith estimate and a licensed or registered contractor where licensing applies, and caps the deduction at two months' rent per repair and per 12-month period. The self-repair track needs no estimate but is limited to defects inside the unit costing no more than one month's rent, capped at one month's rent per repair and per 12 months. The tenant may instead terminate, sue, or pursue other remedies under RCW 59.18.090.

How long does a Washington eviction take?

The only timeline the statute fixes is the show-cause hearing: not less than seven nor more than thirty days from service of the order to show cause (RCW 59.18.370), after the predicate notice has run — 14 days for nonpayment, 10 days for a curable breach, 3 days for waste or nuisance, plus five additional days before filing when the notice was served by mail (RCW 59.12.040). Total elapsed time depends on the county, contest, and court calendar; possession is delivered only by the sheriff under a writ of restitution, and self-help removal outside a court order is unlawful (RCW 59.18.290(1)). To run these same dates for your own case — the predicate notice period, the five mail days, and the 7-to-30-day show-cause window — use the Eviction Timeline Calculator.

Can a Washington landlord refuse a tenant who pays with a housing voucher?

No. Source-of-income discrimination is prohibited by RCW 59.18.255, and where the landlord applies an income threshold, the voucher or subsidy amount must be subtracted from the monthly rent before the threshold is tested. A violation carries liability of up to four and one-half times the monthly rent plus court costs and attorneys' fees (RCW 59.18.255(3)–(4)). The only statutory exception is narrow — an inspection-conditioned source, a written improvement estimate over $1,500, and no landlord-mitigation-program funding (RCW 59.18.255(1)(a)).

What are the penalties for a wrongful eviction in Washington?

Under RCW 59.18.650(4), a landlord who removes a tenant, or causes a tenant to be removed, in violation of the just-cause section is liable for wrongful eviction, and the prevailing tenant recovers the greater of the tenant's economic and noneconomic damages or three times the monthly rent, plus reasonable attorneys' fees and court costs. Removing or excluding a tenant without a court order is separately unlawful under RCW 59.18.290(1), with actual damages and fees.

More landlord-tenant law guides

• Landlord-tenant law by state
• Virginia landlord-tenant law
• West Virginia landlord-tenant law
• Vermont landlord-tenant law
• Wisconsin landlord-tenant law

This is general information, not legal advice. Seattle and several other Washington cities have extensive local rules — consult a Washington landlord-tenant attorney for specific situations.