Washington landlord rules: deposits, late fees and notices

The rules Occupella applies to properties in Washington, from our jurisdiction data. This is general information, not legal advice. Check the statute, or a local attorney, before you act.

Data version: 2026-08All 50 states and DC
Local rules apply here. Seattle RRIO registration is license-to-operate; Seattle first-in-time screening and winter-eviction rules
  • Seattle: RRIO registration required to rent; 1-month total deposit cap, $10 late-fee cap, first-in-time screening, winter/school-year eviction defenses

Security deposit

Maximum deposit
No statewide cap
Return deadline
21 days after the tenancy ends
Penalty for late return
up to 2x for intentional refusal
Interest owed
No
Note
Seattle caps deposits at 1 month total (deposit + fees)

Work out the return date for a move-out

Source: RCW 59.18.280

Late fees

Rule
must be reasonable; Seattle caps late fees at $10/mo
Grace period
Not in our data

No statute cited in our data

Notice periods

Notice to pay or quit
14 days
Ending a month-to-month tenancy
just cause required statewide (RCW 59.18.650)
Notice before entering a unit
48 hours
Note
24h for showings

Work out the last day of a notice

No statute cited in our data

Screening

Source-of-income protection
Yes, statewide. Refusing a housing voucher is illegal.

No statute cited in our data

Licensing

To manage for others
A real-estate broker license, to manage property for others.

No statute cited in our data

How long an eviction takes

Slow: about 2 to 4 months. This is a rough tier from our data, not a court timeline.

Also worth knowing

  • Statewide just-cause regime - no-cause termination is gone for most tenancies

Statewide rent cap

Formula
7% + CPI, capped at 10%; manufactured homes 5%
This year's figure
This year's figure is not loaded in our data. Use the formula and check the publisher.
Published by
WA Dept. of Commerce, annually (~June)
Applies to
state

Source: HB 1217

A federal rule that can override this

Notice for nonpayment on covered properties
30 days
Note
Applies to 'covered properties' (federally backed mortgage or federal housing program). The 30-day notice requirement has no statutory sunset and courts are split - safest practice is a 30-day nonpayment notice on any covered property, regardless of shorter state timelines.

Source: CARES Act §4024

Data version 2026-08. This is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, and the version is when our data was last reviewed, not a promise that every rule is still current.

Landlord rules for every state

Rules applied per property

Occupella looks up these rules for each property's own state and does the date arithmetic, like the day a deposit is due back. 14 days free, no card.

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