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Washington month-to-month lease agreement
Written for Washington law, checked September 24, 2026 General information, not legal advice
A month-to-month tenancy renews each month until the landlord or the tenant gives notice. Choose month-to-month as the lease type, or set a fixed-term lease to convert to month-to-month when its term ends.
Washington rules that apply
- Tenant's month-to-month notice
- 20 days
- a landlord needs a statutory cause
- RCW 59.18.200(1)(a)RCW 59.18.650(1)
- Rent increase notice
- 90 days
- in writing; 30 days for some subsidized units
- RCW 59.18.140(3)(a)RCW 59.18.140(3)(b)
Ending a month-to-month tenancy
A tenant may end a month-to-month tenancy with written notice at least 20 days before the end of a rental period. A landlord may not end one without a cause listed in the just cause statute, given with the notice that cause requires.
RCW 59.18.200(1)(a) RCW 59.18.650(1)
More detail (5)
- If the lease began with a term of six to 12 months and then continues month to month, you may end it without cause at the end of that first term only by at least 60 days' written notice before the term ends. RCW 59.18.650(1)(b)
- Causes that do not involve the tenant's fault include an owner or immediate family moving in, or selling a single-family home, each on at least 90 days' notice; demolition, substantial rehabilitation or change of use on at least 120 days' notice; and other legitimate economic or business reasons on at least 60 days' notice. RCW 59.18.650(2)(d), (e), (f), (m) RCW 59.18.200(2)(c)
- Changing to a policy of excluding children takes 90 days' notice, and converting to a condominium takes 120 days. RCW 59.18.200(2)(a), (b)
- A landlord who removes a tenant in violation of the just cause rules owes the greater of the tenant's damages or three times the monthly rent, plus attorneys' fees. RCW 59.18.650(4)
- A servicemember, spouse or dependent may give less than 20 days' notice when orders do not allow 20 days. RCW 59.18.200(1)(b)
The lease states the tenant's 20 days, that the landlord may end the tenancy only for a listed cause, and the two end-of-term situations with 60 days' notice.
Rent increases
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
More detail (10)
- 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
Every Washington lease prints a rent increase box with the 12-month freeze, the 7 percent plus inflation or 10 percent limit, the 90 days' notice in the statutory form, the exemptions and the tenant's remedies.