Olympia, WA Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)
Key Facts
- Rent freeze trigger
- Uninhabitable condition, open repair request, or RCW 59.18.060 violation
- Inspection link
- No rent increase if inspection is incomplete or failed
- Tenant notice
- Written notice under RCW 59.18.070 before the increase takes effect
- Relocation advance
- City can advance up to $2,000 or three times monthly rent
- Reimbursement deadline
- Landlord repays the City within 60 days
- Fines
- Class 3 ($50), Class 2 ($125), Class 1 ($250)
Summary
In the City of Olympia, Washington, OMC 5.82.110 bars a landlord from raising rent by any amount while a rental unit has defective conditions making it uninhabitable, while a tenant's repair request is incomplete, or while the unit violates RCW 59.18.060. Rent also cannot rise on a property that has skipped or failed its required inspection.
A landlord may not increase the rent charged to a tenant by any amount if the rental unit has one or more defective conditions making the rental unit uninhabitable, if a tenant’s request for repair to make the rental unit habitable has not been completed, or if the rental unit is otherwise in violation of RCW 59.18.060. If the tenant believes the rental unit has one or more defective conditions making the unit uninhabitable or violates RCW 59.18.060, the tenant may notify the landlord in writing as required by RCW 59.18.070, specifying the premises involved; the owner’s name, if known; and the defective condition before the effective date listed in the notice of rent increase. ... A landlord may not increase rent on any unit in a rental property if the rental property owner has not completed inspection of the rental property as required in OMC 5.82.090, or if the rental property has failed inspection under that section.
Full Breakdown
Habitability in the City of Olympia, Thurston County, Washington, is enforced locally through the Rental Housing Code, Chapter 5.82 of the Olympia Municipal Code. Section 5.82.110(A) prohibits a landlord from increasing the rent charged to a tenant by any amount if the rental unit has one or more defective conditions making it uninhabitable, if a tenant's request for repair to make the unit habitable has not been completed, or if the unit is otherwise in violation of RCW 59.18.060. A tenant who believes the unit is uninhabitable can notify the landlord in writing as required by RCW 59.18.070, specifying the premises, the owner's name if known and the defective condition, before the effective date listed in the notice of rent increase.
Subsection B adds a program condition: a landlord cannot increase rent on any unit in a rental property if the owner has not completed the inspection required by OMC 5.82.090, or if the property has failed that inspection.
The code backs the standard with inspection and certification. Under 5.82.090(C)(1), the City creates a rental unit inspection checklist containing, at a minimum, health and safety elements that a unit either meets or fails, and under 5.82.090(E)(5) a unit failing any element fails the whole property, so no certificate of inspection can issue. Under 5.82.080(D), a landlord must give the City a declaration of compliance, before a business license issues, declaring that each unit complies with the chapter and RCW Chapter 59.18 and that no conditions present endanger or impair any tenant's health or safety.
When a unit is condemned or declared unlawful to occupy, 5.82.120 requires the landlord to pay relocation assistance. If the landlord has not paid within seven days of the City's notice, the City can advance up to $2,000 or three times the monthly rent, whichever is greater, per rental unit, and the landlord reimburses the City within 60 days. A landlord is exempt if the condition was directly caused by a tenant's or third party's illegal conduct without the landlord's prior knowledge, a natural disaster, or acquisition by eminent domain.
Violations & Fines
A landlord who raises rent in breach of 5.82.110 violates Chapter 5.82 and faces OMC 5.82.170: a civil infraction for each day, at Class 3 ($50) for a first offense, Class 2 ($125) for a second offense arising out of the same facts and Class 1 ($250) for three or more, not including statutory assessments. Tenants can sue for actual damages, double any unlawfully charged or withheld deposit and attorney fees. Under 5.82.120(E), a landlord who fails to repay advanced relocation assistance within 60 days owes $50 per day for each displaced tenant, plus interest.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an Olympia landlord raise rent if repairs are pending?
Does a failed Olympia rental inspection affect rent?
What happens if the City condemns an Olympia rental unit?
What must an Olympia landlord declare about habitability?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Olympia
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