Rental Property Rules in Washington (2026)
68 rules on the books across Washington, 24 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
Rent Control
Local limits on how much landlords can raise rent each year, including which properties are covered and exemptions for newer buildings.
Washington: statewide
StatewideSome RestrictionsWashington bars cities from passing local rent control under RCW 35.21.830, and that preemption still stands. But in…
Read full rule →King County
Heavy RestrictionsWashington state law (RCW 35.21.830) preempts local rent control in King County and all Washington jurisdictions…
Read full rule →Benton County
Some RestrictionsSince May 7, 2025, Washington caps annual rent increases statewide under HB 1217. In Benton County a landlord may raise…
Read full rule →Whatcom County
Some RestrictionsWashington no longer leaves rent to the open market. Since HB 1217 took effect in May 2025, annual residential rent…
Read full rule →Yakima County
Some RestrictionsWashington's 2025 rent stabilization law now caps annual residential rent increases in Yakima County. After the first…
Read full rule →Auburn
Few RestrictionsRent control is preempted statewide by RCW 35.21.830, so Auburn landlords set market rents; tenant protections come…
Read full rule →Bellevue
Few RestrictionsRent control is prohibited statewide in Washington under RCW 35.21.830. Bellevue cannot enact rent control. Landlords…
Read full rule →Federal Way
Few RestrictionsRent control is preempted by Washington RCW 35.21.830, so Federal Way cannot cap rent increases. State HB 1351 notice…
Read full rule →Kent
Few RestrictionsRent control is preempted by Washington RCW 35.21.830, so Kent cannot cap rent increases. Just-cause eviction and…
Read full rule →Kirkland
Few RestrictionsRent control is preempted statewide by RCW 35.21.830, so Kirkland landlords set market rents; tenant protections come…
Read full rule →Lakewood
Few RestrictionsRent control is PREEMPTED by Washington State law. RCW 35.21.830 prohibits cities and counties from enacting rent…
Read full rule →Redmond
Few RestrictionsRent control is preempted by Washington RCW 35.21.830, so Redmond cannot cap rent increases. State HB 1351 notice rules…
Read full rule →Renton
Few RestrictionsWashington state preempts local rent control under RCW 35.21.830, so Renton cannot cap rent increases. Landlord-tenant…
Read full rule →Seattle
Few RestrictionsWashington state law (RCW 35.21.830) preempts local rent control, and Seattle cannot impose limits on rent increases…
Read full rule →Spokane
Few RestrictionsWashington RCW 35.21.830 has historically preempted local rent control. In 2024, HB 2114 and related legislation…
Read full rule →Tacoma
Few RestrictionsTacoma cannot adopt traditional rent control because Washington state law RCW 35.21.830 preempts cities and counties…
Read full rule →Just Cause Eviction
Protections requiring landlords to have a valid reason to evict tenants, such as nonpayment of rent, lease violations, or owner move-in.
Washington: statewide
StatewideHeavy RestrictionsWashington RCW 59.18.650 requires landlords to have one of 16 enumerated lawful causes to terminate most residential…
Read full rule →Auburn
Heavy RestrictionsWashington RCW 59.18.650 requires just cause to terminate most residential tenancies. Auburn landlords must identify…
Read full rule →Bellevue
Heavy RestrictionsWashington's 2021 Just Cause law (RCW 59.18.650) applies statewide including Bellevue. Landlords must cite one of 16…
Read full rule →Federal Way
Heavy RestrictionsWashington RCW 59.18.650 requires just cause to end most residential tenancies. Federal Way landlords must identify one…
Read full rule →Kent
Heavy RestrictionsWashington RCW 59.18.650 requires just cause to terminate most residential tenancies. Kent landlords must identify one…
Read full rule →Kirkland
Heavy RestrictionsKirkland landlords must follow Washington RCW 59.18.650 just cause eviction law, which requires one of 16 enumerated…
Read full rule →Redmond
Heavy RestrictionsRedmond follows Washington RCW 59.18.650, which requires landlords to show one of 16 enumerated just causes to end a…
Read full rule →Renton
Heavy RestrictionsWashington State RCW 59.18.650 requires just cause for evictions statewide. Renton landlords must cite approved reasons…
Read full rule →Spokane
Heavy RestrictionsSpokane landlords must comply with Washington HB 1236 (2021), which requires just cause to terminate any residential…
Read full rule →Yakima County
Significant RestrictionsUnder RCW 59.18.650, landlords in unincorporated Yakima County cannot evict a tenant, refuse to renew, or end a…
Read full rule →Benton County
Some RestrictionsWashington requires just cause to evict. In Benton County a landlord may not end a tenancy or refuse renewal except for…
Read full rule →Kennewick
Some RestrictionsKennewick has no separate local just-cause ordinance, but Washington's statewide just-cause statute, RCW 59.18.650…
Read full rule →Whatcom County
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated Whatcom County, a landlord cannot evict a tenant, refuse to renew a tenancy, or end a periodic lease…
Read full rule →Rental Registration
Requirements for landlords to register rental properties with the city, including inspection programs, fees, and occupancy standards.
Auburn
Significant RestrictionsEvery rental housing business operating in Auburn, from single rentals to multifamily complexes, must hold a city…
Read full rule →Bellingham
Significant RestrictionsBellingham requires landlords to register every rental property with the city before renting a residential housing…
Read full rule →Kent
Significant RestrictionsKent requires landlords to register every non-exempt residential rental unit with the economic and community…
Read full rule →Renton
Significant RestrictionsRenton requires at least one landlord of every rental dwelling unit to register annually with the City by January 31st…
Read full rule →Lakewood
Some RestrictionsEvery residential rental unit in Lakewood, Pierce County, must carry its own City-issued rental housing license…
Read full rule →Seattle
Some RestrictionsSeattle requires every property with rental housing units to hold a current rental housing registration issued by the…
Read full rule →Tacoma
Some RestrictionsTacoma does not license rentals upfront; a provisional rental property license kicks in only after code violations…
Read full rule →Relocation Assistance
Required tenant relocation payments for no-fault evictions and Ellis Act withdrawals, typical amounts, qualifying triggers, and how cities enforce payment.
Security Deposit Rules
Caps on how much landlords may collect as security deposits, return deadlines, itemized-deduction requirements, and tenant remedies for wrongfully withheld deposits.
No-Fault Evictions
Allowable no-fault eviction grounds (owner move-in, Ellis Act, substantial remodel) and the relocation/notice obligations that come with each.
King County
Heavy RestrictionsSince 2021, Washington's just-cause statute RCW 59.18.650 prohibits no-fault evictions of month-to-month tenants…
Read full rule →Spokane
Heavy RestrictionsWA HB 1236 (2021), codified at RCW 59.18.650, eliminated most no-fault month-to-month terminations statewide, requiring…
Read full rule →Tenant Anti-Harassment
Cities like LA prohibit specific landlord conduct (lockouts, utility shutoffs, threats), penalties, private right of action, and how to document violations.
Rent Increase Notice
How much advance written notice a landlord must give before raising the rent on a month-to-month or expiring lease, and how state notice rules differ from any local rent-control caps.
Landlord Entry & Notice
How much advance notice a landlord must give before entering an occupied unit, the permitted reasons (repairs, showings, inspections), allowed hours, and the emergency exceptions under state law.
Repairs & Habitability
The implied warranty of habitability, how long a landlord has to fix essential services (heat, water, plumbing, mold), and tenant remedies such as repair-and-deduct, rent withholding, or breaking the lease.
Washington: statewide
StatewideHeavy RestrictionsRCW 59.18.060 requires Washington landlords to keep rentals 'fit for human habitation': structurally sound…
Read full rule →Everett
Significant RestrictionsEverett's property maintenance code lets the code official order repair, boarding, or demolition of any structure found…
Read full rule →Kent
Significant RestrictionsKent's unfit dwelling code sets 16 specific conditions, from structural damage to missing potable water, that make a…
Read full rule →Auburn
Some RestrictionsAuburn's amended International Property Maintenance Code requires landlords who rent, lease or let dwelling units to…
Read full rule →Bellevue
Some RestrictionsBellevue's Uniform Housing Code requires every dwelling unit, lodging house and congregate residence to have heating…
Read full rule →Bellingham
Some RestrictionsBellingham's certificate-of-inspection program spells out exact conditions a rental unit must meet -- building and fire…
Read full rule →Edmonds
Some RestrictionsEdmonds enforces minimum property maintenance standards through the 2021 International Property Maintenance Code, but…
Read full rule →Federal Way
Some RestrictionsFederal Way holds rental and other occupied properties to the 2021 International Property Maintenance Code, adopted…
Read full rule →Kennewick
Some RestrictionsKennewick adopted the 1997 Uniform Housing Code to set minimum condition standards for residential buildings, and the…
Read full rule →King County
Some RestrictionsUnincorporated King County's amended property maintenance code requires landlords to keep every dwelling unit, guest…
Read full rule →Kirkland
Some RestrictionsKirkland's Property Maintenance Code sets the habitability floor every rental unit must clear: KMC 21.41.401(b) bars…
Read full rule →Lakewood
Some RestrictionsLakewood, Pierce County, ties every rental license to a habitability check: owners must show a certificate that the…
Read full rule →Pasco
Some RestrictionsPasco enforces rental and residential habitability standards by adopting the International Property Maintenance Code as…
Read full rule →Port Townsend
Some RestrictionsPort Townsend treats a rental unit without working electricity, water, or sanitation, or a structurally unsafe…
Read full rule →Renton
Some RestrictionsRenton ties rental habitability directly to the state Landlord-Tenant Act, RCW 59.18.060, requiring landlords to…
Read full rule →Sammamish
Some RestrictionsSammamish requires every rental owner to keep habitable rooms, bathrooms and toilet rooms at least 68 degrees…
Read full rule →Seattle
Some RestrictionsSeattle rental units must meet minimum habitability standards under SMC Chapter 22.206, enforced by the Seattle…
Read full rule →Tacoma
Some RestrictionsEvery Tacoma rental must maintain heat to 70°F when it's 20°F outside, plus working kitchens, plumbing, and electrical…
Read full rule →Yakima
Some RestrictionsYakima's property maintenance code requires every landlord who rents dwelling or sleeping units to supply heat…
Read full rule →Yakima County
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated Yakima County, any landlord who agrees to supply heat must maintain at least 68°F in every habitable…
Read full rule →Skagit County
Light RestrictionsSkagit County enforces the 2021 International Property Maintenance Code on structures in the unincorporated area under…
Read full rule →Late Fees & Grace Periods
Whether late rent fees are capped, any required grace period before a fee can be charged, and limits on bounced-check (NSF) and other add-on charges under state law.
Lease Termination & Notice to Vacate
Notice required to end a month-to-month tenancy, the rules and penalties for breaking a fixed-term lease early, and early-termination protections for active-duty military, domestic-violence survivors, and medical hardships.
Eviction Notice & Process
The notice a landlord must give before filing to evict, pay-or-quit and cure-or-quit periods, no-cause termination notice, how long the court eviction process takes in this state, and the tenant's options to respond or cure.
Squatter's Rights & Adverse Possession
When an occupant without a lease gains legal protections, the line between a trespasser and a squatter, how many years of continuous possession adverse possession requires in this state, and how an owner lawfully removes a squatter.