For nonpayment of rent, a Washington landlord must serve a 14-day pay-or-vacate notice in the form set by RCW 59.18.057 before filing an unlawful detainer under RCW 59.12.030. Lease-violation terminations require a 10-day cure notice, and waste, nuisance, or unlawful activity requires only 3 days. Most evictions also require just cause under RCW 59.18.650.
RCW 59.18.057 requires that a nonpayment notice tell the tenant: 'You must pay the total amount due to your landlord within fourteen (14) days after service of this notice or you must vacate the premises,' using the statute's mandated form, which lists rental-assistance and legal-aid resources. RCW 59.12.030 then supplies the unlawful-detainer grounds: 14 days for nonpayment in RLTA tenancies, '10 days' to cure a breach of a lease condition or covenant, and 'three days' notice to quit' for waste, nuisance, or unlawful business. A landlord must still have just cause under RCW 59.18.650 to end most tenancies, and a defective notice is grounds to dismiss the eviction.
No specific statutory penalty for serving notice, but a notice that omits the RCW 59.18.057 form language or states the wrong period is defective and the unlawful detainer can be dismissed. A wrongful or retaliatory eviction can expose the landlord to damages, costs, and attorney fees.
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