Washington rent increase law

Give each affected tenant at least 90 days' written notice of any rent increase, and no increase may take effect before the lease term ends. Unless an exemption applies, you may not raise the rent during the first 12 months of a tenancy, or by more than 7 percent plus inflation or 10 percent, whichever is less, in any 12-month period. The notice must follow the statutory form and be served as the eviction notice statute requires.

RCW 59.18.140(3) RCW 59.18.700 RCW 59.18.710 RCW 59.18.720

• The inflation figure is the June 12-month change in the Seattle-area consumer price index; the Department of Commerce publishes the resulting maximum for each calendar year. RCW 59.18.700(1)(c)
• After a tenant moves out and the tenancy ends, you may set any rent for the next tenant. RCW 59.18.700(1)(b)
• The limit does not apply to units whose first certificate of occupancy is 12 years old or less, to certain public, nonprofit and tax-credit housing, or, unless the owner is a real estate investment trust, a corporation or an LLC with a corporate member, to a unit sharing a kitchen or bathroom with the owner, a single-family home where the owner lives and rents no more than two units or bedrooms, or a duplex to fourplex where the owner lived in a unit at the start of the tenancy and still does. RCW 59.18.710
• A landlord claiming an exemption must state the supporting facts in the notice. RCW 59.18.700(2) RCW 59.18.720(3)
• If an increase goes over the limit, the tenant must give you a chance to fix it with a written demand to reduce it. The tenant may also end the lease before the increase takes effect on 20 days' written notice, owing rent for the month of moving out and no fee. A court awards the excess paid, up to three months of the unlawful rent and attorneys' fees; the Attorney General may seek up to $7,500 per violation. RCW 59.18.700(3), (5)
• For a subsidized tenancy where rent follows the household's income, 30 days' written notice is enough. RCW 59.18.140(3)(b)
• Rent for a month-to-month lease and a fixed-term lease on the same unit may differ by no more than 5 percent. RCW 59.18.700(4)(b)
• The limit and its exemptions and form expire July 1, 2040. RCW 59.18.700(8)
• For increases taking effect in calendar year 2026, Commerce publishes a maximum annual increase of 9.683 percent for covered residential tenancies unless exempt. Use the percentage for the year the increase takes effect, not the year the letter is drafted; check Commerce's landlord resource center for another year. Confirm the tenancy's start date, prior increases, any exemption and the required notice before calculating a new amount. Washington Commerce: 2026 rent cap announcement
• Seattle has an additional local notice rule: the city's guidance requires 180 days' written notice before increasing periodic or monthly housing costs. Those costs can include rent and recurring parking, storage or other charges paid to the landlord. Check the city's current notice and relocation-assistance requirements as well as the statewide cap; a city notice period is not permission to exceed the state limit. Other cities may have different local requirements, so use the property's actual location. Seattle SDCI: housing cost increases See Rent control and local rules on the Washington page

Cities and towns may not regulate the amount of rent on private housing, except for publicly owned or managed property, low-income housing under public-private agreements, and rent agreements a city makes with private owners. The statewide limit on increases applies everywhere. Cities have their own rules on other subjects. Selected Seattle deposit rules are covered in Security deposit limit, housing-cost notice guidance in Rent increases, and criminal-history enforcement guidance in Fair housing; other city rules were not reviewed here.

RCW 35.21.830

• Local governments may require relocation assistance for low-income tenants, and may inspect rentals. RCW 59.18.440 RCW 59.18.125
• See Rent increases for the statewide limit. RCW 59.18.700 See Rent increases on the Washington page

While the tenant is complying with chapter 59.18, you may not retaliate, or threaten to, because the tenant in good faith complained to a government agency about a code violation that may endanger health or safety, or asserted rights under the chapter. Retaliation includes eviction, a rent increase, reduced services and added obligations.

RCW 59.18.240 RCW 59.18.250

• Any of those actions within 90 days after the tenant's protected act, or after a resulting inspection or proceeding, is presumed retaliatory, though you can rebut it. RCW 59.18.250
• If the tenant was behind on rent or in breach when you gave a termination notice, the presumption runs the other way. RCW 59.18.250
• No presumption arises for a rent increase whose notice states reasonable grounds for it. RCW 59.18.250
• You also may not retaliate against a tenant who lets a code enforcement official inspect the unit. RCW 59.18.150(4)(b)
• The party who wins on a retaliation claim or defense recovers costs and attorneys' fees. RCW 59.18.250