In 2021, the Washington State Legislature passed and Governor Inslee signed legislation,which required landlords to provide notice at least 14 days before initiating an eviction proceeding, and made changes to thenotice form that landlords must send to tenants if they fail to pay rent, utilities or another periodic charge that is agreed to in the lease. Lets explore the pros and cons of each option. 2023 Eller Law Firm PLLC Washington Landlord Attorney All rights reserved, Seattle Caps Residential Tenant Move-In Fees. #6345EN. If the landlord believes you have made unwanted sexual advances or sexually harassed the property owner, a manager, or another tenant, in violation of the lease, the landlord can give you a 20-Day Notice. ***king Seattle has no right to say when you can sell your property!!! After you move out, the landlord has 21 days to send you the deposit or a letter saying why they are keeping some or all of it. Follow the steps in this section to ask for repairs. When a landlord offers the tenant the choice of paying a fee in lieu of the security deposit, the landlord must disclose certain terms to the tenant in writing. Special laws cover people who live in government-funded (called "subsidized") housing programs or in mobile home parks where you own the mobile home. 59.28: Federally assisted housing. Small landlords are shouldering ever greater burdens. If you repair something badly, the landlord can hold you responsible. ): Yes. Make a list of major problems in the apartment. Make copies of them. Talk to a lawyer. It is for information purposes only, and any links provided are for the user's convenience. Lets the landlord take your things if you get behind in rent. Many Seattle landlords have had no rent in months (and some for two years) while the Seattle government has capped rent increases and continued the local eviction moratorium through February 28, 2022. First reading, referred to Housing, Human Services & Veterans. You should always get this list before moving in. If the landlord raises the rent or gives you an eviction notice within 90 days of a legal action you took against them, it may count as retaliation and be illegal. 2021 REGULAR SESSION. These cases can be tricky. Read Tenants' Rights: My Place has been condemned to learn more. The landlord can deduct the cost of fixing damages beyond normal wear and tear. You move out on July 6. The landlord must give you back the equivalent of the rent for the rest of the 25 days in July. Why did your landlord give you this notice? If the landlord is a management company, include the name of the unit's owner, if you know it. %PDF-1.5 % If you pay in any other form, the landlord must give you a receipt at your request. If you have a month-to-month agreement - RCW 59.18.200(1)(a). Include condition of walls, floors, windows, and other areas. And these important conversations with your tenants go a lot more smoothly when you consider not only what youre saying, but how youre saying it. Get the letter to the landlord no later than June 9. Retaliation may also be a defense to an eviction lawsuit. The Notice of Appearance form is simple. The Eviction Resolution Program Notice informs tenants of legal and other resources to help them try to reach an agreement with their landlord on a repayment plan for unpaid rent. The landlord can use it to cover any unpaid rent or damages. Here are some examples of possible retaliation: You reported a bedbug infestation to the city. The trademarks MLS, Multiple Listing Service and the associated logos are owned by CREA and identify the quality of services provided by real estate professionals who are members of CREA. You pay for a space for it. You should read Rent-to-Own in Washington State instead of this guide. See below. The landlord can start an eviction court case against you. Can I make as many repairs as I want? 59.24: Rental security deposit guarantee program. (RCW 59.18.140) Maximum charge: No official state statute, check your local laws. Here are some examples of damages the landlord can charge you for: broken windows, holes in the wall, leaving trash or other items that must be thrown away, leaving the unit so dirty that it is unhealthy or unsafe. Your landlord can serve you a 14-Day Notice to Pay Rent or Vacate. Can be in writing or a verbal agreement. Additionally, please check with your local Washington county or municipality for additional rules and protections for both landlords and tenants. Also, Washington state law prohibits landlords from retaliating against tenants who request repairs or report uninhabitable housing conditions to local enforcement authorities. If you will pay an electric bill, ask the electric company how much the unit's electricity cost for the past 12 months. House Bill 1388 would prohibit many landlords from raising rents by more than 7% per year. If the landlord believes you have broken ("violated") an important term or rule in a lease, the landlord can give you a 10-Day Notice to Comply or Vacate. >S|p@ @BPP@R@1 0 You should read this to understand your rights and responsibilities as a tenant. To that end, they are also legally required to do the following: Washington landlords can initiate and complete the eviction process in one to three months (or longer). Through the end of the moratorium, they would have to find a buyer willing to accept the property with tenants in it. Is Washington a Landlord Friendly State? Landlord-Tenant If you rent your home you are covered by the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act (RCW 59.18). You should also look up laws in your state regarding how much notice to vacate you are required to give. At your show cause hearing, ask the court to reschedule (continue) the hearing so you can get a lawyer appointed to your case. Here are the reasons a landlord can terminate a tenancy, and how much notice the landlord must give the tenant in each situation. The landlord (or their employee or another adult) can personally serve you at home by handing you the notice. Be careful about putting money down to "hold the apartment." All Rights Reserved. More Languages. In a 1985 decision, the Washington Supreme Court ruled that the Consumer Protection Act does not cover violations of theResidential Landlord-Tenant Act. Ask the Court to Waive Your Filing Fee. If you have gotten four or more written "10-Day" notices in the last 12 months, the landlord can give you a 60-Day Notice. Check your lease to make sure. Tenant Rights under the Manufactured / Mobile Home Landlord-Tenant Act. A Washington landlord may enter without permission in cases of emergency, however. We discuss these reasons and which tenants are protected by this law below. If you have a hard time getting it back, use our Letter to Landlord for Return of a Security Deposit Do-it-Yourself Forms interview or get our Getting your security deposit back packet. Example: Your monthly rent is $800. If either of these describes you, go to WashingtonLawHelp.org to learn more. If the home is unoccupied when you list it, you can accept the best offer without having to worry about timing. This does not automatically end a lease or month-to-month agreement. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Zillow Group is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for individuals with disabilities. If it takes a few months to prepare your home for sale, list, accept an offer, and close, youll be responsible for the full carrying costs. It depends. This browser is no longer supported. Seventeen translated notice forms can be found below. Los dooce formularios de notificacin traducidos se pueden encontrar a continuacin. If you are still living in the place after 90 days, the landlord may then start an eviction court case. We describe the method for this in detail in Tenants: If you need repairs. Payments must start at the start of your tenancy and will be due on the same day as rent. You do not have much time. If you intentionally lied on your rental application about something important, the landlord can give you a 30-Day Notice. If the landlord ends the tenancy with this type of notice, but then does not actually move into the rental, you may have a case for wrongful eviction. You should take timestamped pictures or video of damages if any of these are true: The landlord refused to put them on the list, You did not notice them until after you signed the check-in list, Landlord's Responsibilities - RCW 59.18.060, except where otherwise noted, Maintain the unit so it does not violate state and local laws in ways that endanger your health and safety, Keep shared or common areas reasonably clean and safe, Fix damage to chimney, roof, floors, or other structural parts of the living space, Maintain a reasonable program to control insect, rodent or other pest infestations, except when you caused the problem, Make repairs when something breaks in the unit, except if it is caused by normal wear and tear, Provide good locks for the unit and give you keys for them, Replace a lock or give you a new key, at your expense, if you ask for this after getting a court order granting you possession of a rental unit and excluding a former co-tenant. More information on it can be found here. I went by the place recently. In some cases, the landlord must agree to a new due date. If the new law does not protect you, your landlord does not have to give one of the "good reasons" listed below to stop renting to you or to evict you. Mostly, no. If the landlord agrees, you can go to mediation. The city of Seattle maintains a Rental Agreement Regulation Ordinance, which requires landlords to provide 180 days of advance notice before they implement an increase of housing cost. If your tenant really loves where they live, they might be interested in buying the home. Read our latest Newsletteror sign up to get a monthly update of what's new on the site. If you think the landlord rejected you unfairly, you can file a complaint. You may need for court. There are benefits and drawbacks to both options. Your monthly rent is $750. The end of the rental period is the day before rent is due. After February 28 Seattle landlords must take care to comply with both state and local law (and in some cases federal law as well). *The new law is complicated. Visit Northwest Justice Project to find out how to get legal help. En el 2019, la Asamblea Legislativa del Estado de Washington aprob y el Gobernador Inslee firm una ley que obligaba a los arrendadores a notificar al inquilino al menos 14 das antes de iniciar un proceso de desalojo, y elabor un nuevo formulario de notificacin que los arrendatarios deben enviar a los inquilinos en caso de que no paguen el alquiler, los servicios pblicos u otros cargos peridicos establecidos en el contrato de arrendamiento. Not engage in any illegal activity, gang-related activity, or drug-related activity on the premises. "Even under a month to month contract, the landlord must give the tenant 60 days notice." 4. Read My Landlord Just Threatened to Evict Me from my Manufactured/Mobile Home Park and talk to a lawyer right away. Also, Washington allows individual counties to raise or lower the aforementioned filing limits. Additionally, SB 5160 requires that landlords and tenants first participate in their local court Eviction Resolution Program before the landlord can file an eviction lawsuit against a tenant for non-payment of rent. Below is a list of common services that a Washington landlord may or may not be responsible (under state law) for providing and maintaining: Note:If a landlord provides an amenity not required by law, then they are generally responsible for maintaining it throughout tenancy. The landlord can also hand it to another adult or older teenager living with you. You live in a homeless shelter or an encampment. Housing Discrimination in Washington Protected groups. If they do not fix the issue, a Washington tenant has the right to take alternative action by hiring a licensed contractor and deducting the actual costs from future rent payments. Do not sign the list until it is right! This means you and the landlord have agreed to rent for a specific time, like 6 or 12 months. You must respond in writing by the deadline listed in the Summons, or you will lose the eviction court case automatically. . You can ask for one free replacement copy of the checklist if you lose yours. *Landlords can only give this type of notice after the eviction moratoria end. Please seek the services of a legal, accounting or real estate professional prior to any real estate transaction. During its term, the landlord can only change the rules if you agree. You can also start a Small Claims case against the landlord for the return of your things. The most important of these state laws is the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act ("RLTA"). Despite prohibiting localized rent control, the state does require landlords to make a significant number of informational disclosures to all tenants that effectively add to the process of signing new tenants. You give the landlord this fee to ensure that the landlord will not rent the unit to someone else before you move in. If you substantially break an important term of the rental agreement, the landlord can give you a 10-day notice. %%EOF Example: Your refrigerator breaks. If a storm, fire, or unknown person damages the unit, tell the landlord right away. Read Tenant Screening: Your Rights to learn more. You can hire a lawyer and go to court to force the landlord to make repairs.

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