Important Washington Landlord - Tenant Laws

Abandoned Property in WA

Depending on the length of the tenancy, the tenant is liable to pay for rent owed upon the landlord finding the property abandoned.

Personal property Left Behind in WA:

If any personal property is left at the property after tenant moves out and the tenant has no intentions of moving it, the landlord can sell or dispose of the stuff left behind including personal documents and pictures.

Lease Notary in WA

Per RCW § 59.04.010, your lease must be notarized if the lease term is longer than one year.

Terminating lease

Washington lease can be terminated by mutual agreement of both parties or by a tenant’s notice 30 days prior to lease expiration. Landlords are allowed to end the lease prematurely if the the tenant fails to comply or lies about personal facts on the rental application. Tenants can also terminate the lease early if the property is not maintained according to the code within reasonable time making the property inhabitable, the armed forces tenant receives a reassignment or deployment orders, or the tenant was threatened by other tenants living on the premisses or the landlord.

Landlord’s right to enter property in WA

In case of emergency, landlords in Washington can access the rental property at any time. In any other non-emergency cases, the landlord must provide at least two days’ notice to the tenant. In case of sale of the property, the landlord must give one day notice.

Rental maintenance responsibilities

Both landlords and tenants in Washington have a long list of responsibilities when it comes to maintenance. Tenants are required to provide a written notice of any defects in the property or manage the repairs and deduct the cost from the rent.

Mold and Fire Safety - Washington Addendum

It is a requirement in Washington to provide tenants with information approved by the department of health about the hazards of living with mold exposure. LeaseRunner’s Mold Addendum for Washington state includes the web address and link to the Washington State Department of Health for mold information. Smoke detectors are also the requirement in each rental property.

Out of state Washington landlords

For landlords who do not reside in Washington state but who have rental units there, an in-state property manager must be designated to handle certain aspects of managing the property. In LeaseRunner’s Washington State Residential Lease Agreement this requirement is written in bold font and underlined with reference to the statute.

Adverse Action Notice in Washington

Washington state has some specific adverse action requirements that can be found in “LeaseRunner’s Support Center”.

Security deposits for Washington rentals

At the beginning of tenancy, landlord must provide the tenant a written inspection checklist in order to request security deposit. This checklist must be signed and provided to the tenant at move-in. Once collected, the funds have to be deposited into a trust account and provide the tenant with a written receipt. At return of the deposit (if any), landlord has to provide itemized statement describing the basis for keeping a part or full security deposit.