LandLord-Tenant Law
Exception for Members of Armed Forces:
Tenants who are members of the Armed Services
may terminate a month-to-month tenancy or a
lease with less than 20 days notice if they receive
assignment orders that do not allow for giving a
20-day notice. In the event of a lease, the tenant
must give 7 days notice to the landlord of the
reassignment or deployment order.
RCW 59.18.200
Return of Deposits
After a tenant moves out, a landlord has 14 days
to either return deposits, or give the tenant a
written statement of why all or part of the money
is being kept. It is advisable for the tenant to
leave a forwarding address with the landlord
when moving out.
Under the law, the rental unit must be restored to
the same condition as when the tenant moved in,
except for normal wear and tear. Deposits cannot
be used to cover normal “wear and tear,” or
damage that existed when the tenant moved in.
(Under the law, a damage checklist should have
been lled out when the tenant moved in.)
The landlord is in compliance with the law if
the required payment, statement, or both, are
deposited in the U.S. mail with rst-class postage
paid within 14 days. If the tenant takes the
landlord to court, and it is ruled that the landlord
intentionally did not give the statement or return
the money, the court can award the tenant up to
twice the amount of the deposit.
Evictions
When a landlord wants a tenant to move out,
certain procedures must be followed. This section
discusses why landlords can evict tenants, and
what methods must be used.
There are four types of evictions under the law,
each requiring a certain type of notice:
• For not paying rent: If the tenant is even
one day behind in rent, the landlord can issue
a three day notice to pay or move out. If the
tenant pays all the rent due within three days,
the landlord must accept it and cannot evict
the tenant. A landlord is not required to accept
a partial payment
• For not complying with the terms of the
rental agreement: If a tenant is not
complying with the rental agreement (for
example, keeping a cat when the agreement
species “no pets”), the landlord can give
a ten-day notice to comply or move out. If the
tenant remedies the situation within that
time, the landlord cannot continue the eviction
process.
• For creating a “waste or nuisance”: If
a tenant destroys the landlord’s property; uses
the premises for unlawful activity including
gang activities or drug-related activities;
damages the value of the property; interferes
with other tenants’ use of the property; the
landlord can issue a three-day notice to move
out. The tenant must move out after receiving
this type of notice. There is no option to stay
and correct the problem. A special exception is
made for federally assisted drug-free and
alcohol-free housing. A landlord of federally
assisted drug-free and alcohol-free housing
can evict a tenant if the tenant uses alcohol
Washington State Attorney General’s Office
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