. If any moneys are paid to the landlord as a nonrefundable fee, the rental agreement shall be in writing and shall clearly specify that the fee is nonrefundable. 14- 12 . Harassment is the use of aggressive methods by the landlord in an attempt to pressure or intimidate a tenant. Service by facsimile is complete upon successful transmission to the facsimile number listed upon the summons; (d) As otherwise authorized by the superior court civil rules. (b) If a rental property has twenty-one or more units, no more than twenty percent of the units, rounded up to the next whole number, on the rental property, and up to a maximum of fifty units at any one property, may be selected by the local municipality to provide a certificate of inspection as long as the initial inspection reveals that no conditions exist that endanger or impair the health or safety of a tenant. In processing any application from a remaining occupant under this subsection, the landlord may require the occupant to meet the same screening, background, and financial criteria as would any other prospective tenant to continue the tenancy. Every tenant in Washington is protected by theWashington Law Against Discrimination, meaning that the landlord cannot discriminate against their tenant based on their sex, gender, age, sexual orientation, familial status, etc. (c) After a landlord receives notice that a tenant has changed or added locks to his or her dwelling unit under (a) of this subsection, the landlord may not enter the tenant's dwelling unit except as follows: (i) In the case of an emergency, the landlord may enter the unit if accompanied by a law enforcement or fire official acting in his or her official capacity. The certification may be appealed to the local board of appeals, but the appeal shall not delay or preclude the tenant from proceeding with the escrow under this section. Unlawful detainer, notice requirement: RCW. When a party gives notice pursuant to RCW. Living arrangements exempted from chapter. Month-to-month tenants in Washington must always provide 20 days of advance notice before terminating their lease. The tenant must: Pay rent and any utilities agreed upon. If your landlord-tenant issue demands immediate legal action, you may want to seek Landlord Tenant resources for legal advice, mediation or Small Claims Court (for claims under $10,000 no attorney necessary). The Attorney Generals Office translated this 14-day notice into 12 languages commonly-spoken in Washington. In addition, any landlord who violates this section may be liable to the prospective tenant for an amount not to exceed two times the fee or deposit. (2) The landlord may not charge a late fee for rent that is paid within five days following its due date. However, if the landlord decides to discontinue providing the option of paying a fee in lieu of a security deposit, the landlord shall: (A) Provide 60 days' notice to the tenant prior to end of term or period; (B) Reduce the deposit by the amount of a tenant's previous fee payments in lieu of the deposit; and. (3) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the arbitration process shall be administered by any arbitrator agreed upon by the parties at the time the dispute arises: PROVIDED, That the procedures shall comply with the requirements of chapter, (1) Unless otherwise mutually agreed to, in the event a controversy arises under RCW, (2) The arbitrator so designated shall schedule a hearing to be held no later than ten days following receipt of notice of the controversy, except as provided in RCW. Nicholas Yuva360-725-2949landlordfund@commerce.wa.gov, About Us If the tenant seeks to restore his or her tenancy after entry of a judgment, the tenant may tender the amount stated within the judgment as long as that amount does not exceed the amount authorized under subsection (1) of this section. Renters need to notify landlords promptly, in writing, of any water leaks or moisture problems. The landlord must: Make sure the apartment meets all state and local codes. (6) "Rent" has the same meaning as defined in RCW, (7) "Tenant" refers to any individual renting a dwelling unit or lot primarily for living purposes, including any individual with a tenancy subject to this chapter or chapter, Therefore, it is the intent of the legislature with this act to increase tenant protections during the public health emergency, provide legal representation for qualifying tenants in eviction cases, establish an eviction resolution pilot program to address nonpayment of rent eviction cases before any court filing, and ensure tenants and landlords have adequate opportunities to access state and local rental assistance programs to reimburse landlords for unpaid rent and preserve tenancies." If you do not make all payments or you damage the premises beyond wear resulting from its ordinary use, you may be required by the landlord, an insurance company, or a debt collector to pay the unpaid amounts, including costs of repairing the damages in excess of wear resulting from ordinary use of the premises. Victims have a right to call the police from which criminal charges can flow. Falsely representing the availability of a unit, Offering different terms, conditions, or privileges between tenants, Advertising the sale or rental of a dwelling in a manner that indicates a discriminatory preference, Failing to provide reasonable accommodations, Enforcing a neutral rule that disproportionately impacts one or more classes of tenants over another, Whether the smoke detection device is hard-wired, or battery operated, Whether the building has a fire sprinkler system, Whether the building has a fire alarm system, Whether the building has a smoking policy, and what that policy is, Whether the building has an emergency notification, evacuation, and/or relocation plan for the occupants (and if so, a copy of that plan must be provided). This section does not limit the tenant's right to recover moneys paid as damages or security under RCW, All moneys paid to the landlord by the tenant as a deposit as security for performance of the tenant's obligations in a lease or rental agreement 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 as defined by *RCW, (1) Within twenty-one days after the termination of the rental agreement and vacation of the premises or, if the tenant abandons the premises as defined in RCW. However, if after giving the 90-day notice the change in policy is delayed, the notice requirements of subsection (1) of this section shall apply unless waived by the tenant. (6) The landlord shall not abuse the right of access or use it to harass the tenant, and shall provide notice before entry as provided in this subsection. The court shall examine the parties and witnesses orally to ascertain the merits of the complaint and answer, and if it shall appear that the plaintiff has the right to be restored to possession of the property, the court shall enter an order directing the issuance of a writ of restitution, returnable ten days after its date, restoring to the plaintiff possession of the property and if it shall appear to the court that there is no substantial issue of material fact of the right of the plaintiff to be granted other relief as prayed for in the complaint and provided for in this chapter, the court may enter an order and judgment granting so much of such relief as may be sustained by the proof, and the court may grant such other relief as may be prayed for in the plaintiff's complaint and provided for in this chapter, then the court shall enter an order denying any relief sought by the plaintiff for which the court has determined that the plaintiff has no right as a matter of law: PROVIDED, That within three days after the service of the writ of restitution issued prior to final judgment, the defendant, or person in possession of the property, may, in any action for the recovery of possession of the property for failure to pay rent, stay the execution of the writ pending final judgment by paying into court or to the plaintiff, as the court directs, all rent found to be due, and in addition by paying, on a monthly basis pending final judgment, an amount equal to the monthly rent called for by the lease or rental agreement at the time the complaint was filed: PROVIDED FURTHER, That before any writ shall issue prior to final judgment the plaintiff shall execute to the defendant and file in the court a bond in such sum as the court may order, with sufficient surety to be approved by the clerk, conditioned that the plaintiff will prosecute his or her action without delay, and will pay all costs that may be adjudged to the defendant, and all damages which he or she may sustain by reason of the writ of restitution having been issued, should the same be wrongfully sued out. protects tenants of most housing types from being discriminated against due to race, color, national origin, religion, sex,, or disability. The qualified third party shall keep a copy of the record of the report and shall note on the retained copy the name of the alleged perpetrator of the act or acts of domestic violence, sexual assault, unlawful harassment, or stalking. Breanne W. Martin. (4) If a tenant or a household member is a victim of sexual assault, stalking, or unlawful harassment by a landlord, the tenant may change or add locks to the tenant's dwelling unit at the tenant's expense. However, if through no fault of the landlord, the insurer is suddenly unable to do business in Washington state or is otherwise incapable of fulfilling its obligation, the landlord is not required to credit the insurance coverage stated in the disclosure to any indebtedness owed by the tenant upon the tenant vacating the unit. (31) "Service member" means an active member of the United States armed forces, a member of a military reserve component, or a member of the national guard who is either stationed in or a resident of Washington state. A landlord could be fined between $3,000 and 11,000 for each harassment offense they are convicted of. Washingtons small claims courts will hear many types of landlord-tenant disputes valued at valued at more than $250 but less than $5,000. . The *department of community, trade, and economic development shall adopt rules defining county median income in accordance with the definitions promulgated by the federal department of housing and urban development. ., . . Any landlord so deprived of possession of premises in violation of this section may recover possession of the property and damages sustained by him or her, and the prevailing party may recover his or her costs of suit or arbitration and reasonable attorneys' fees subject to subsections (3) and (4) of this section. Your recurring monthly charge will be $____ IN ADDITION to your monthly rent payment, instead of a security deposit and/or last month's rent in the amount of $____. . (2) In all cases where premises are rented for a specified time that is three months or longer, the tenant may elect to pay any deposits, nonrefundable fees, and last month's rent in three consecutive and equal monthly installments, beginning at the inception of the tenancy. According to local landlord-tenant laws, tenants may terminate the lease agreement after it ends. If a court or arbitrator determines a defective condition as described in RCW, (1) Local municipalities may require that landlords provide a certificate of inspection as a business license condition. This is punishable by 364 days in jail and $5,000 in fines (Revised Code of Washington, Section 9A.20.030). I state under penalty of perjury under the laws of the state of Washington that the foregoing is true and correct. (c) The tenant shall be entitled to reimbursement for any escrow costs or fees incurred for setting up or maintaining an escrow account pursuant to this section, unless the tenant did not comply with the notice requirements of subsection (2) or (3) of this section. A written record of a report signed by a qualified third party must be substantially in the form specified under subsection (1)(b) of this section. 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