wa-law.org > bill > 2025-26 > HB 2452 > Original Bill
The tenant shall conform to all reasonable obligations or restrictions, whether denominated by the landlord as rules, rental agreement, rent, or otherwise, concerning the use, occupation, and maintenance of his or her dwelling unit, appurtenances thereto, and the property of which the dwelling unit is a part if such obligations and restrictions are not in violation of any of the terms of this chapter and are not otherwise contrary to law, and if such obligations and restrictions are brought to the attention of the tenant at the time of his or her initial occupancy of the dwelling unit and thus become part of the rental agreement.
Except for termination of tenancy and an increase in the amount of rent, after 30 days' written notice to each affected tenant, a new rule of tenancy may become effective upon completion of the term of the rental agreement or sooner upon mutual consent.
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Except as provided in (b) and (c) of this subsection and subsection (4)(b) of this section, a landlord shall provide a minimum of 90 days' prior written notice of an increase in the amount of rent to each affected tenant, and any increase in the amount of rent may not become effective prior to the completion of the term of the rental agreement.
If the rental agreement governs a subsidized tenancy where the amount of rent is based on the income of the tenant or circumstances specific to the subsidized household, a landlord shall provide a minimum of 30 days' prior written notice of an increase in the amount of rent to each affected tenant. An increase in the amount of rent may become effective upon completion of the term of the rental agreement or sooner upon mutual consent.
For a tenant whose lease or rental agreement was entered into or renewed before May 7, 2025, and whose tenancy is for a specified time, if the lease or rental agreement has more than 60 days but less than 90 days left before the end of the specified time as of May 7, 2025, the landlord must provide written notice to the affected tenant a minimum of 60 days before the effective date of an increase in the amount of rent.
Any written notice of a rent increase required by subsection (3) of this section must be served to each affected tenant by at least one of the following methods:
Personal delivery;
Mailing a copy of the notice. In such case, service is deemed complete on the date that the notice is deposited in the United States mail, with first-class postage prepaid, from within Washington state and directed to the affected tenant's last known address. However, if service is made by mail, a landlord shall provide an additional five days' prior written notice of an increase in the amount of rent; or
Affixing a copy of the notice in a conspicuous place on the dwelling unit, such as by taping a copy of the notice to the dwelling unit's front door.
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Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, a landlord must provide a tenant with notice of rent increases in a form that is substantially the same as the form provided in subsection (3) of this section.
Notice under this section must also
comply with the requirements in RCW 59.18.140
.
The notice of rent increase requirement in this section does not apply if the rental agreement governs a subsidized tenancy where the amount of rent is based on, in whole or in part, a percentage of the income of the tenant or other circumstances specific to the subsidized household. However, for purposes of this section, a subsidized tenancy does not include tenancies where some or all of the rent paid to the landlord comes from a portable tenant-based voucher or similar portable assistance administered through a housing authority or other state or local agency, or tenancies in other types of affordable housing where maximum unit rents are limited by area median income levels and a tenant's base rent does not change as the tenant's income does.
"TO TENANT(S): (tenant name(s))
AT ADDRESS: (tenant address)
This notice is required by Washington state law to inform you of your rights regarding rent and fee increases. Your rent or rental amount includes all recurring and periodic charges, sometimes referred to as rent and fees, identified in your rental agreement for the use and occupancy of your rental unit. Washington state limits how much your landlord can raise your rent and any other recurring or periodic charges for the use and occupancy of your rental unit.
Your landlord can raise your rent and any other recurring or periodic charges identified in the rental agreement for use and occupancy of your rental unit once every 12 months by up to seven percent plus consumer price index, or 10 percent, whichever is less, as allowed by RCW 59.18.700. Your landlord is not required to raise the rent or other recurring or periodic charges by any amount.
Your landlord may be exempt from the limit on increases for rent and other recurring or periodic charges for the reasons described in RCW 59.18.710. If your landlord claims an exemption, your landlord is required to include supporting facts with this notice.
Your landlord must properly and fully complete the form below to notify you of any increases in rent and other recurring or periodic charges and any exemptions claimed.
Your landlord (name) intends to (check one of the following):
__ Raise your rent and/or other recurring or periodic charges: Your total increase for rent and other recurring or periodic charges effective (date) will be (percent), which totals an additional $(dollar amount) per month, for a new total amount of $(dollar amount) per month for rent and other recurring or periodic charges.
This increase for rent and/or other recurring or periodic charges is allowed by state law and is (check one of the following):
__ A lower increase than the maximum allowed by state law.
__ The maximum increase allowed by state law.
__ Authorized by an exemption under RCW 59.18.710. If the increase is authorized by an exemption, your landlord must fill out the section of the form below.
I (landlord name) certify that I am allowed under Washington state law to raise your rent and other recurring or periodic charges by (percent), which is more than the maximum increase otherwise allowed by state law, because I am claiming the following exemption under RCW 59.18.710 (check one of the following):
__ The first certificate of occupancy for your dwelling unit was issued on (insert date), which is 12 or less years before the date of this increase notice for rent and other recurring or periodic charges. (The landlord must include facts or attach documents supporting the exemption.)
__ You live in a dwelling unit owned by a public housing authority, public development authority, or nonprofit organization where maximum rents are regulated by other laws or local, state, or federal affordable housing program requirements, or a qualified low-income housing development as defined in RCW 82.45.010, where the property is owned by a public housing authority, public development authority, or nonprofit organization. (The landlord must include facts or attach documents supporting the exemption.)
__ You live in a qualified low-income housing development which was allocated federal low-income housing tax credits by the Washington state housing finance commission and there is an enforceable regulatory agreement under the low-income housing tax credit program. (The landlord must include facts or attach documents supporting the exemption.)
__ You live in a dwelling unit in which you share a bathroom or kitchen facility with the owner, and the owner maintains a principal residence at the residential real property. (The landlord must include facts or attach documents supporting the exemption.)
__ You live in a single-family owner-occupied residence in which the owner-occupant rents or leases no more than two units or bedrooms including, but not limited to, an attached or detached accessory dwelling unit. (The landlord must include facts or attach documents supporting the exemption.)
__ You live in a duplex, triplex, or fourplex in which the owner occupied one of the units as the owner's principal place of residence at the beginning of the tenancy, and the owner continues in occupancy. (The landlord must include facts or attach documents supporting the exemption.)"
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Except as authorized by an exemption under RCW 59.18.710, a landlord may not increase the rent for any type of tenancy, regardless of whether the tenancy is month-to-month or for a term greater or lesser than month-to-month:
During the first 12 months after the tenancy begins; and
During any 12-month period of the tenancy, in an amount greater than seven percent plus the consumer price index, or 10 percent, whichever is less.
This subsection (1) does not prohibit a landlord from adjusting the rent by any amount after a tenant vacates the dwelling unit and the tenancy ends.
Beginning June 1, 2025, and annually thereafter, the department of commerce shall calculate the maximum annual rent increase percentage allowed under (a) of this subsection for the following calendar year and publish the information on their website and in a press release. For the purposes of this subsection, "consumer price index" means the June 12-month percent change in the consumer price index for all urban consumers, all items, for the Seattle area as published by the United States bureau of labor statistics.
If a landlord increases the rent above the amount allowed in subsection (1) of this section as authorized by an exemption under RCW 59.18.710, the landlord must include facts supporting any claimed exemptions in the written notice of the rent increase. Notice must comply with this sectionand RCW 59.18.720and 59.18.140.
If a landlord increases rent above the amount allowed in subsection (1) of this section and the increase is not authorized by an exemption under RCW 59.18.710, the tenant must offer the landlord an opportunity to cure the unauthorized increase by providing the landlord with a written demand to reduce the increase to an amount that complies with the limit created in this section. In addition to any other remedies or relief available under this chapter or other law, the tenant may terminate the rental agreement at any time prior to the effective date of the increase by providing the landlord with written notice at least 20 days before terminating the rental agreement. If a tenant terminates a rental agreement under this subsection, the tenant owes rent for the full month in which the tenant vacates the dwelling unit. A landlord may not charge a tenant any fines or fees for terminating a rental agreement under this subsection.
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Except as provided in (b) of this subsection, a landlord may not include terms of payment or other material conditions in a rental agreement that are more burdensome to a tenant for a month-to-month rental agreement than for a rental agreement where the term is greater or lesser than month-to-month, or vice versa.
A landlord must provide parity between lease types with respect to the amount of rent charged for a specific dwelling unit. For the purposes of this subsection, "parity between lease types" means that, for leases or rental agreements that a landlord offers for a specific dwelling unit, the landlord may not charge a tenant more than a five percent difference in rent depending on the type of lease or rental agreement offered, regardless of whether the type of lease or rental agreement offered is on a month-to-month or other periodic basis or for a specified period. This five percent difference may not cause the rent charged for a specific dwelling unit to exceed the rent increase limit in subsection (1) of this section.
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A tenant or the attorney general may bring an action in a court of competent jurisdiction to enforce compliance with this section or RCW 59.18.710, 59.18.720, or 59.18.140. If the court finds that a landlord violated any of the laws listed in this subsection, the court shall award the following damages to the tenant and attorneys' fees and costs to the tenant who brings the action or the attorney general:
Damages in the amount of any excess rent, fees, or other costs paid by the tenant;
Damages in an amount of up to three months of any unlawful rent, fees, or other costs charged by the landlord; and
Reasonable attorneys' fees and costs incurred in bringing the action.
The attorney general may bring an action under this subsection notwithstanding whether the tenant has offered the landlord an opportunity to cure, and may recover civil penalties of not more than $7,500 for each violation in addition to other remedies provided by this subsection. The attorney general may issue written civil investigative demands for pertinent documents, answers to written interrogatories, or oral testimony as required to investigate or bring an action under this subsection.
The remedies provided by this section are in addition to any other remedies provided by law.
A landlord may not report the tenant to a tenant screening service provider for failure to pay the portion of the tenant's rent that was unlawfully increased in violation of this section.
This section expires July 1, 2040.
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Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, a landlord must provide a tenant with notice of rent increases in a form that is substantially the same as the form provided in subsection (3) of this section.
Notice under this section must also:
Comply with the requirements in RCW 59.20.090(2) related to the number of months of prior written notice required for a rent increase; and
Be served in accordance with RCW 59.20.150.
The notice of rent increase requirement in this section does not apply if the rental agreement governs a subsidized tenancy where the amount of rent is based on, in whole or in part, a percentage of the income of the tenant or other circumstances specific to the subsidized household. However, for purposes of this section, a subsidized tenancy does not include tenancies where some or all of the rent paid to the landlord comes from a portable tenant-based voucher or similar portable assistance administered through a housing authority or other state or local agency, or tenancies in other types of affordable housing where maximum unit rents are limited by area median income levels and a tenant's base rent does not change as the tenant's income does.
"TO TENANTS: (tenant name(s))
AT ADDRESS: (tenant address)
This notice is required by Washington state law to inform you of your rights regarding rent and fee increases. Your rent or rental amount includes all recurring and periodic charges, sometimes referred to as rent and fees, identified in your rental agreement for the use and occupancy of your manufactured/mobile home lot. Washington state limits how much your landlord can raise your rent and any other recurring or periodic charges for the use and occupancy of your manufactured/mobile home lot.
Your landlord can raise your rent and other recurring or periodic charges once every 12 months by up to five percent, as allowed by RCW 59.20.370. Your landlord is not required to raise the rent or other recurring or periodic charges by any amount.
Your landlord may be exempt from the five percent limit on increases for rent and other recurring or periodic charges for the reasons described in RCW 59.20.380. If your landlord claims an exemption, your landlord is required to include supporting facts with this notice.
Your landlord must properly and fully complete the form below to notify you of any increases in rent and other recurring or periodic charges and any exemptions claimed.
Your landlord (name) intends to (check one of the following):
__ Raise your rent and/or other recurring and periodic charges: Your total increase in rent and other recurring or periodic charges effective (date) will be (percent), which totals an additional $(dollar amount) per month, for a new total amount of $(dollar amount) per month for rent and other recurring or periodic charges.
This increase in rent and/or other recurring and periodic charges is allowed by state law and is (check one of the following):
__ A lower increase than the maximum allowed by state law.
__ The maximum increase allowed by state law.
__ Authorized by an exemption under RCW 59.20.380. If the increase is authorized by an exemption, your landlord must fill out the section of the form below.
I (landlord name) certify that I am allowed under Washington state law to raise your rent and other recurring or periodic charges by (percent), which is more than the maximum increase otherwise allowed by state law, because I am claiming the following exemption under RCW 59.20.380 (check one of the following):
__ You live on a manufactured/mobile home lot owned by a public housing authority, public development authority, or nonprofit organization where maximum rents are regulated by other laws or local, state, or federal affordable housing program requirements, or a qualified low-income housing development as defined in RCW 82.45.010, where the property is owned by a public housing authority, public development authority, or nonprofit organization. (The landlord must include facts or attach documents supporting the exemption.)
__ You live in a manufactured/mobile home community that was purchased during the past 12 months by an eligible organization as defined in RCW 59.20.030 whose mission aligns with the long-term preservation and affordability of your manufactured/mobile home community, so the eligible organization may increase the rent and other recurring or periodic charges for your manufactured/mobile home community in an amount greater than allowed under RCW 59.20.370 as needed to cover the cost of purchasing your manufactured/mobile home community if the increase is approved by vote or agreement with the majority of the manufactured/mobile home owners in your manufactured/mobile home community. (The landlord must include facts or attach documents supporting the exemption.)
__ Your manufactured/mobile home lot rental agreement is up for first renewal after it was transferred to you under RCW 59.20.073, so your landlord is allowed to make a one-time increase to your rent and other recurring or periodic charges in an amount not limited by RCW 59.20.370. In order to exercise this one-time increase option, the landlord must have provided you with notice of this option prior to the final transfer of the rental agreement to you. (The landlord must include facts or attach documents supporting the exemption, including evidence that proper notice of this one-time increase option was provided to you prior to the final transfer of the rental agreement.)"
Except as authorized by an exemption under RCW 59.20.380 and as provided in RCW 59.20.060(2)(c), a landlord may not increase the rent for any type of tenancy, regardless of whether the tenancy is month-to-month or for a term greater than month-to-month:
During the first 12 months after the tenancy begins; and
During any 12-month period of the tenancy, in an amount greater than five percent.
If a landlord increases the rent above the amount allowed in subsection (1) of this section as authorized by an exemption under RCW 59.20.380, the landlord must include facts supporting any claimed exemptions in the written notice of the rent increase. Notice must comply with this section, RCW 59.20.390, 59.20.090(2), and be served in accordance with RCW 59.20.150.
If a landlord increases rent above the amount allowed in subsection (1) of this section and the increase is not authorized by an exemption under RCW 59.20.380, the tenant must offer the landlord an opportunity to cure the unauthorized increase by providing the landlord with a written demand to reduce the increase to an amount that complies with the limit created in this section. In addition to any other remedies or relief available under this chapter or other law, the tenant may terminate the rental agreement at any time prior to the effective date of the increase by providing the landlord with written notice at least 30 days before terminating the rental agreement. If a tenant terminates a rental agreement under this subsection, the tenant owes rent for the full month in which the tenant vacates the manufactured/mobile home lot. A landlord may not charge a tenant any fines or fees for terminating a rental agreement under this subsection.
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A tenant or the attorney general may bring an action in a court of competent jurisdiction to enforce compliance with this section or RCW 59.20.380, 59.20.390, 59.20.060, or 59.20.170. If the court finds that a landlord violated any of the laws listed in this subsection, the court shall award the following damages to the tenant and attorneys' fees and costs to the tenant who brings the action or the attorney general:
Damages in the amount of any excess rent, fees, or other costs paid by the tenant;
Damages in an amount of up to three months of any unlawful rent, fees, or other costs charged by the landlord; and
Reasonable attorneys' fees and costs incurred in bringing the action.
The attorney general may bring an action under this subsection notwithstanding whether the tenant has offered the landlord an opportunity to cure, and may recover civil penalties of not more than $7,500 for each violation in addition to other remedies provided by this subsection. The attorney general may issue written civil investigative demands for pertinent documents, answers to written interrogatories, or oral testimony as required to investigate or bring an action under this subsection.
The remedies provided by this section are in addition to any other remedies provided by law.
A landlord may not report a tenant to a tenant screening service provider for failure to pay the portion of the tenant's rent that was unlawfully increased in violation of this section.