Washington's Residential Landlord-Tenant Act and Seattle's Renting in Seattle ordinance prohibit landlord harassment of tenants, including utility shutoffs, lockouts, repeated entry without notice, and threats designed to force a tenant to vacate.
RCW 59.18.290 makes it unlawful for a landlord to remove a tenant by force, change locks, shut off heat, electricity, water, or gas, or remove the tenant's belongings without a court order. RCW 59.18.150 limits landlord entry to reasonable times with at least 48 hours written notice for inspections and 24 hours for repairs. Seattle's anti-harassment ordinance (SMC 22.206.180) goes further, banning verbal threats, false statements about immigration status, and discriminatory steering, with civil penalties up to $11,000 per violation. King County's unincorporated areas rely on the state statute. Tenants may sue for actual damages, statutory damages up to $1,000, and attorney fees.
Self-help eviction, utility shutoff, repeated unauthorized entry, or coercive threats violate RCW 59.18.290 and expose landlords to actual damages, $1,000 statutory damages per violation, and attorney fees in superior court actions.
Redmond, WA
Redmond does not ban gas leaf blowers, but restricts their use to daytime hours under RMC 6.32. Residential yard equipment is permitted between 7 AM and 10 P...
Redmond, WA
Industrial-source noise received in Redmond residential areas may not exceed 60 dBA daytime and 50 dBA nighttime under RMC 6.32 and WAC 173-60. Overlake and ...
Redmond, WA
Redmond generally allows overnight residential street parking within the 72-hour continuous-parking limit. Downtown time zones, snow events, and posted no-pa...
Redmond, WA
Redmond restricts on-street RV and boat parking to 72 hours and regulates driveway storage under RMC Title 21. Many zones limit the number of recreational ve...
Redmond, WA
Redmond regulates driveway width, surfacing, and apron construction under RMC Title 21 and Public Works standards. Residential driveways are typically 10-24 ...
Redmond, WA
Standard residential fences up to 6 feet in side and rear yards and 4 feet in front yards do not require a building permit in Redmond. Permits are needed for...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in King County.
See how Redmond's tenant anti-harassment rules stack up against other locations.
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