Washington Rent increase notice

How much notice does a landlord need to give to raise the rent in Washington?

A landlord must give at least 90 days' prior written notice of a rent increase, except that a landlord shall give at least 30 days' prior written notice if the rental agreement governs a subsidized tenancy where the amount of rent is based on the income of the tenant or circumstances specific to the subsidized household. An increase may not become effective before the end of the rental agreement term, except that in a subsidized tenancy of that kind an increase may become effective upon completion of the term or sooner upon mutual consent (RCW 59.18.140(3)(a) and (b)). RCW 59.18.140(3)(c) is a transitional notice rule: for a tenant whose lease or rental agreement was entered into or renewed before May 7, 2025, and whose tenancy is for a specified time, if the lease or rental agreement had more than 60 days but less than 90 days left before the end of the specified time as of May 7, 2025, the landlord must give written notice at least 60 days before the effective date of an increase. That 60-day rule is limited to the tenancies described in RCW 59.18.140(3)(c) and is not a general replacement of the 90-day period in RCW 59.18.140(3)(a). Except as authorized by an exemption under RCW 59.18.710, a landlord may not increase the rent for any type of tenancy, regardless of whether the tenancy is month-to-month or for a term greater or lesser than month-to-month, during the first 12 months after the tenancy begins, or during any 12-month period of the tenancy in an amount greater than seven percent plus the consumer price index, or 10 percent, whichever is less (RCW 59.18.700(1)(a)). RCW 59.18.700(1)(b) says that subsection (1) does not prohibit a landlord from adjusting the rent by any amount after a tenant vacates the dwelling unit and the tenancy ends. Beginning June 1, 2025, and annually thereafter, the department of commerce shall calculate the maximum annual rent increase percentage allowed under RCW 59.18.700(1)(a) for the following calendar year and publish the information on its website and in a press release. For this purpose, "consumer price index" means the June 12-month percent change in the consumer price index for all urban consumers, all items, for the Seattle area as published by the United States bureau of labor statistics (RCW 59.18.700(1)(c)). This answer does not state a published yearly percentage. If a landlord increases the rent above the amount allowed in RCW 59.18.700(1) as authorized by an exemption under RCW 59.18.710, the landlord must include facts supporting any claimed exemptions in the written notice of the rent increase. Notice must comply with RCW 59.18.700, 59.18.720, and 59.18.140, and be served in accordance with RCW 59.12.040 (RCW 59.18.700(2)). RCW 59.18.720 requires a notice of rent increase in a form substantially the same as the statutory form in RCW 59.18.720(3), with an exception in RCW 59.18.720(2) for certain income-based subsidized tenancies. This answer does not restate that form in full. RCW 59.18.710(1) provides that rent increases are not limited by RCW 59.18.700 for any of the following types of tenancies: (a) a tenancy in a dwelling unit for which the first certificate of occupancy was issued 12 or less years before the date of the notice of the rent increase; (b) a tenancy in a dwelling unit owned by a public housing authority, a public development authority, a nonprofit organization where maximum rents are regulated by other laws or local, state, or federal affordable housing program requirements, or a nonprofit entity, as defined in RCW 84.36.560, where a nonprofit organization, housing authority, or public development authority has the majority decision-making power on behalf of the general partner, and where maximum rents are regulated by other laws or local, state, or federal affordable housing program requirements; (c) a tenancy in a qualified low-income housing development as defined in RCW 82.45.010, where the property is owned by any of the organizations described in (b)(i) through (iv); (d) a tenancy in a qualified low-income housing development which was allocated federal low-income housing tax credits authorized under 26 U.S.C. Sec. 42 or successor statute, by the Washington state housing finance commission or successor state-authorized tax credit allocating agency, so long as there is an enforceable regulatory agreement with the Washington state housing finance commission under the low-income housing tax credit program; (e) a tenancy in a dwelling unit in which the tenant shares a bathroom or kitchen facility with the owner who maintains a principal residence at the residential real property; (f) a tenancy in a single-family owner-occupied residence, including a residence in which the owner-occupant rents or leases no more than two units or bedrooms including, but not limited to, an attached or detached accessory dwelling unit; and (g) a tenancy in a duplex, triplex, or fourplex in which the owner occupied one of the units as the owner's principal place of residence at the beginning of the tenancy, so long as the owner continues the occupancy. RCW 59.18.710(2) provides that subsection (1)(e) through (g) only apply where the owner is not a real estate investment trust, as defined in section 856 of the internal revenue code; a corporation; or a limited liability company in which at least one member is a corporation. The official source note following RCW 59.18.700 quotes 2025 c 209 as taking effect immediately [May 7, 2025]. RCW 59.18.700, 59.18.710, and 59.18.720 each state that the section expires July 1, 2040. RCW 59.18.700 also addresses lease-type rent parity, enforcement and remedies, an opportunity for the landlord to cure an unauthorized increase, termination of the rental agreement before an unauthorized increase takes effect, and tenant-screening reports. Those provisions are not fully restated here.

Verified Source: RCW 59.18.140, 59.18.700, 59.18.710, 59.18.720 · last checked 2026-11-12