Washington's Residential Landlord-Tenant Act prohibits landlords from passing through new fees during a tenancy that were not disclosed in the original lease, including utility surcharges, trash fees, and capital improvement assessments under RCW 59.18.140.
Under RCW 59.18.140, all material lease terms including rent and recurring fees must be disclosed at lease signing; mid-tenancy additions require either tenant consent or a proper notice of rent increase. Pass-through utility billing is permitted only if the lease describes the methodology in writing, and landlords must provide tenants access to underlying utility bills on request under SMC 7.25 in Seattle and similar transparency rules in unincorporated King County. Capital expenditure pass-throughs of the type used in some California cities are not authorized under Washington law because rent control itself is preempted by RCW 35.21.830, leaving the regular rent-increase notice process as the only mechanism.
Imposing surprise fees mid-lease or charging pass-through utilities without disclosed methodology violates RCW 59.18.140 and Seattle SMC 7.25, exposing landlords to refunds, statutory damages, and attorney fees in tenant-initiated suits.
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See how King County's pass-through charges rules stack up against other locations.
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