Understanding Tenant's Rights in Washington State

June 10, 2006 by
Regina Paul  
Regina Paul
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Tenant Rights  |  Landlord Tenant Law  |  Eviction Notice
A Tenant’s Basic Rights

A tenant’s basic rights in the state of Washington are the right to a clean and sanitary domicile, a domicile that provides some form of heat and electricity, the right to hold the landlord liable for any damage created by the landlord being negligent, and the right to not be
Understanding Tenant's Rights in Washington State
 discriminated against by a landlord. In addition a tenant is protected from being locked out of their apartment or having their property seized by their landlord. A tenant also has the right to not have their utilities cut off if they can’t pay their rent, and to not be retaliated against by their landlord if they complain to governmental authorities about the domicile’s condition or the landlord.

Deposits vs Fees

Most places when a tenant moves in require a deposit. In Washington the landlord can only apply the term “deposit” to money which is refundable to the tenant upon the tenant moving out of the domicile. Also the landlord must provide the tenant with a receipt for each deposit. Additionally the tenant has the right to know which institution the deposits are being kept in, although unless otherwise in writing the landlord gets any interest accumulated on the account.

At the conclusion of the tenant’s lease or month to month agreement the landlord has 14 days to return the deposit or send a letter saying why it isn’t being returned. The landlord cannot keep the deposit to cover normal wear and tear to the domicile, nor to cover damages not created by the current tenant.

There are also non-refundable fees, and the tenant has the right to have it put in writing in the rental agreement what these fees are, and how much they are. Such fees might be screening, cleaning or holding fees. Holding fees must be applied either towards the security deposit or the first month’s rent.

Rental Agreements

Rental Agreements come in two forms, month to month or a lease. Month to month agreements the landlord can raise the rent or change rules with 30 days notice. With a lease a tenant has the right not to have the rent raised or the rules changed for the period of time the lease covers.

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Thank you very much for your quick response, Regina! I'll definitely be sending a certified letter with intent to vacate.
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Posted on 06/14/2009 at 10:06:51 AM

Hi Melinda, You need to get a copy of your lease, if you don't have one, and read it, it will have the any rules for how you need to give notice (it's usually 30 days before your lease is up). However, if you leave before your lease is up I don't believe they can make you pay any more than for the month of June. What I would do rather than giving it to them, because clearly they are trying to get more money out of you is to send them your notice by registered mail where they have to sign for it. That way you legally gave them notice. They may be able to charge you a fee for not giving them 30 days notice, but I don't believe that they can force you to pay July's rent plus an extra $170. Read your lease to be sure though, landlords have been known to put really screwy stuff into leases. Whatever the lease says goes. Make sure you keep your card that you get back after they sign for the notice because if they try to cause you problems later saying you owe them more money you'll need it
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Posted on 06/14/2009 at 1:06:32 AM

I should add that I spoke with my landlords today and turned in a written notice to vacate June 13th, but was told they could not accept it and I would have to pay more rent through the end of July when I will not even be living here.
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Posted on 06/13/2009 at 10:06:33 PM

Hello. My lease is up on June 30th. I went in to inquire whether I could go month to month without signing a lease as I was looking for a larger place. I was told I would have to pay rent for all of July since I did not give notice that I would not be renewing my lease. I was also told that I would have to pay $170 more on my rent for July. I am actually moving out June 23rd. I guess I'm ignorant because I thought you didn't have to give notice if your lease is ending and that you could just move. I've never received anything from the landlords saying my rent would be raised if I did not renew my lease. Can they do this?
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Posted on 06/13/2009 at 10:06:22 PM

I don't think there is much you can do Daniel. Until you actually own the home, and they stop getting a copy of your water bill, then you're kind of stuck. I would suggest that you send them an e-mail and say, "We have already worked this out with the utility company, no need to inform us about the bill any longer." or something to that effect. Hopefully, it will stop your landlords from e-mailing you.
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Posted on 06/02/2009 at 2:06:13 PM

My wife and I are leasing a home with the intent of a purchase this home after 4 years. The water and sewer untilities are now our responsibility, which we know. A copy of the bill goes the the owners home as well. what rights do we have when the owners of the home email mail us and inform us of paying the water bill. We have a daughter with medical issues which side track us in paying the utilities on time. we made plans to pay them, but yet we get this email to let us know of our obligations.... I want to know is this harrasment
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Posted on 06/02/2009 at 8:06:44 AM

Hi Gregg, what I would suggest is first talking to any of your neighbors or their neighbors to see if others have complained. If they have, then everyone needs to go to the manager and file a complaint which hopefully will get management moving. If not, if you are the only one affected then there really isn't much else you can do, unfortunately. Calling the police on them when it's just you isn't going to really do anything. As to moving before your lease is up with no penalties, nope, can't legally do it unfortunately.
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Posted on 05/17/2009 at 4:05:17 PM

I moved into my apartment in the middle of July last year and everything was great for the first several months. My apartment became unlivable in January of this year when I had neighbors move in upstairs. Ever since then on a daily basis the tenants have children stampede across the floor (which makes it my ceiling) and the adults themselves don't walk across the floor; they stomp across it. I have complained to my apartment manager who claims that they spoke to the people a couple of different times and there has been no change to the situation. It has gotten so bad that I decided to buy a condo and move out. My question is "Do I have any legal recourse I can undertake against the neighbors upstairs to get them to stop their activities at least until I move out?" Do I call the police and have them talk to them or is there nothing they can do about it and I have to endure? Also, could I break the lease and move out early because of the problem and not be penalized with an early
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Posted on 05/17/2009 at 10:05:42 AM

We signed a year lease the 1st of May last year. Our lease is up at the end of this month. We had problems with the toilet in the bathroom and the floor was raising. The landlords had to remove the toilet and replace the subflooring and Linolium. The toilet had been leaking for approx 1 to 1/2 years per the Landlord and the pipes for the septic tank were out of alignment. Anyway, we have this bad smell in our apartment that smells like sewage or cat litter box. We have had the land lady here 3 times and she keeps blaming our personal items for the smell. Ex: my husband pajamas, my husbands shoes. We have this bad smell in any room most of the time when it is wet and damp outside. and no we do not have pets. Anyway, we are looking for a new place to live. My question is this. Our lease is up at the end of this month. Are we required to give a 20 day notice or a 30 day notice as the lease states? It also states in the lease that they have 30 days to return our deposit, is t
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Posted on 05/05/2009 at 9:05:46 PM

Hi Ali, no worries, I may not have been clear enough. Yes, just ask her for a recommendation letter. No, there is no form that I'm aware of, she's trying to snowball you. Usually you just give the place you are looking at the phone number of your manager and then they call them. Instead, tell her that you are asking her to write you a recommendation letter that you can make copies of and hand out as needed. Since she is giving it to you, and not to anyone else this gets around her insisting on the form. Just tell her you're going to be looking at a lot of places and this will save her and you time. If she presses about the first place and needing a form, say you decided not to take that one, but that you are looking at others and writing you a letter will save time.
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Posted on 04/26/2009 at 6:04:04 PM

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