Evictions: A landlord can immediately bring an action for illegal detention (eviction) if the tenant is involved in drug-related activities on the premises or if the tenant is involved in gang-related activities. A landlord can evict a tenant if they do not meet the non-hazardous rental requirements and resolve the situation within the specified time after receiving the official notice. (RCW 59.18.180) In addition, Washington state law prohibits landlords from retaliating against tenants who seek repairs or report uninhabitable housing conditions to local law enforcement. Termination of the lease by a member of the military: Any tenant who is a member of the Armed Forces may terminate their lease with less than 20 days` notice if they receive relocation or deployment orders that do not allow twenty days` notice. If the tenant has a fixed-term lease, he can terminate the lease. (RCW 59.18.200) Whenever there is a lease, verbally or in writing, the laws of the State of Washington (Revised Washington Code Chapter 59.18) give tenants certain rights such as the right to receipts for each payment and the right to know where and how the deposit is kept. Read a lease carefully before signing it. Ask for anything you don`t understand. Look for hidden fees or penalties. If you sign the lease, you will not be able to pay these fees. * U.S.
Armed Forces, Reserve, or National Guard military personnel: If you have a lease, you must notify the landlord seven days in advance of a permanent job change or assignment. RCW 59.18.200 In most cases, the landlord can only change an already signed lease if you agree to the change. At the end of the rental period (usually at the end of the first year), the landlord can increase the rent with appropriate written notice. Tenants in Washington must pay the rent on time according to their lease. You should also avoid causing unreasonable damage to the property. To this end, they are also required by law to do the following: Washington landlords are required to meet certain statewide (and sometimes local) standards of habitability and make necessary repairs to the tenant`s essential amenities within 24 to 72 hours (depending on declining amenities). If not, a tenant in Washington has the right to take alternative steps by withholding rent or making a repair and deduction. You must either pay the rent to the court or make an affidavit rejecting the rent due. If you do not surrender any of these things to the court within 7 days of receiving the subpoena, the landlord can automatically win the eviction lawsuit. Washington State has special laws for people living in the following countries: If a lease contains a section or language that attempts to waive your rights as defined in the Landlord-Tenant Act, that particular section will be considered unenforceable. The rest of the lease is still valid.
No lease can waive your rights or remedies, require you to pay attorneys` fees that are not authorized by law, indemnify the landlord for the costs they incur, or create a lien on the tenant`s property. Read the wording of the law for a complete list. Can bring an eviction action against you by sending you a 14-day salary or eviction notice if you miss a payment. It is treated as if you have not paid your rent. Maintaining unity so that it does not violate state and local laws in a way that endangers your health and safety To learn more or report discrimination, please visit the Washington State Human Rights Commission website. Except in an emergency, the landlord must notify you in writing for at least two days before entering your tenancy to make repairs or inspect the area. However, if the landlord wants to show the rental unit to a new tenant or potential buyer, all they have to do is notify you in writing for 1 day. The notice must state that if the landlord increases the rent or gives you notice of eviction within 90 days of a lawsuit you have brought against them, it may be considered retaliation and may be illegal. Try to get legal help if you think this is happening. You may be able to sue the landlord for taking revenge on you, for reporting it, or for enforcing your rights as a tenant. Retaliation can also be a defense against an eviction lawsuit. If proper notice is not given or an entrance fee is abused to harass a tenant`s privacy, a tenant assigned to Washington can use it as a reason to terminate the lease.
If you stay beyond the end of a lease and the landlord accepts the rent for the following month, you become a “monthly” tenant. All the rules for monthly tenants now apply to you. Termination of the lease in case of domestic violence: Termination of the tenancy: A tenant can terminate a lease with proof of “domestic violence”, but the request for termination must be made within 90 days of the date of the incident. (RCW 59.18.575(1b)) If you receive a subpoena and complaint, you can respond with a notice of appearance so you don`t automatically lose the deportation lawsuit. For example, the landlord says you owe rent, but you don`t think you do. The announcement of the appearance lets the court know that you want to plead your case at a hearing. This does not automatically terminate a lease or monthly contract. The landlord must provide you with the name and address of the new landlord by hand or by sending you the notice and attaching it to the property. Starting June 11, 2020, you can apply for an instalment plan to pay for your move-in fee.
However, if you miss a payment under a written deposit rate plan, it will be treated as if you had not paid the rent. RCW 59.18.283 Your landlord may give you 14 days` notice to pay or leave. If you pay what you owe under the payment plan within 14 days of receiving the notification, your landlord will have to accept it and will not be able to chase you away. If you don`t pay the amount within 14 days and don`t move, your landlord can file an eviction lawsuit against you. This information applies to most people in Washington State who rent the place where they live (“residential tenants”). Many laws apply to the relationship between tenants and landlords. We explain the most common state laws regarding your rights and obligations as a tenant. The most important is the Residential Landlords Act (RCW 59.18) or “RLTA”. RCW stands for Revised Code of Washington, the law of the state of Washington. Lease violations: If a tenant violates a lease term or fails to comply with the tenant`s state-mandated obligations, the landlord may notify the tenant in writing of the non-compliance, and the tenant has 30 days to remedy the situation, unless the violation is a ground for immediate eviction. (RCW 59.18.180) A landlord cannot change any aspect of a lease during the period unless mutually agreed. Therefore, the rent is set during the rental period.
However, with monthly rentals, landlords can change rental rules more easily. Indeed, the landlord is only required to terminate tenants in writing for 30 days to change a rental term, but must notify 60 days in writing for each rent increase (RCW 59.18.140). The City of Seattle has a law under which a tenant is entitled to 60 days` written notice for an increase of 10% or more over a 12-month period (SMC 7.24,030). If you lose the eviction lawsuit, the sheriff can attach a “restitution writ” to your door or give it to you personally. The sheriff can come back (after at least 3 days) to physically expel you. Once the sheriff has attached a note to your door, try to get legal help as soon as possible. Read Deportation and Your Defense to learn more about your options if you`ve lost an eviction lawsuit. Note: These rights are automatic, which means that they are linked to one of the parties, even if the lease does not provide for them. If you perform any of these actions, the owner can inform you 3 days in advance of the move. You must move within 3 days of receiving the notification, otherwise the landlord can file an eviction action against you. At the top of the form, put the court where the owner filed the lawsuit.
It is the same court that appears on the subpoena and the complaint. Include your name as “defendant” and the landlord`s name as “plaintiff.” If there is a file number on the subpoena and complaints form, write it down as well. If there is no file number on the subpoena and complaint, leave it blank. The owner tries to chase you away. You must respond in writing within the time specified in the summons, otherwise you will automatically lose the eviction action. All Washington landlords must make the following disclosures to their tenants. This can be done in their main lease or an additional agreement: Legal use of deposit funds: A landlord must notify the tenant in writing under the conditions under which a deposit can be held at the end of a lease. A landlord cannot charge a deposit unless the lease is in writing and a written checklist of pre-existing conditions and damage to the property is provided to the tenant. .
