how much do you know about tenants’ rights in washington state? try to guess the answer to these questions about the laws affecting renters in washington! this video is for tenants who rent an apartment or house from private landlords in washington. before we start the quiz, you should know that if you rent space in a mobile home park or federally subsidized housing program there are different laws that affect your rights as a tenant. check out washingtonlawhelp.org to find out about your rights if you live in a manufactured home park or subsidized housing program. first question: can landlords make you pay for a background screening report before they rent to you? yes! landlords can charge you a screening fee when you apply for an apartment. but! the landlord has to tell you which screening company the landlord uses—in writing. and if you are denied because of something the landlord reads in the screening report, the landlord has to tell you why you were denied—in writing!
question #2: if you have a written rental agreement, can your landlord change the rules? if you have a month to month tenancy, your landlord may change the rules or raise your rent—but must give you a written notice 30 days before change. if your written lease is for a fixed period of time, like 1 year, your landlord cannot change the rules during that time. before you sign a written rental agreement, make sure you know what it says. what are the rules? how long can guests stay? when is rent due? question 3: if your rent is late, but you promise your landlord that you will pay as soon as you can, can your landlord try to evict you? if you fall behind on rent, you may get a “3 day pay or vacate†notice. after that, if you don’t pay all the money owed within the next 3 days, the landlord may start an eviction lawsuit (called "unlawful detainer") in court and it goes on your record! even if you have a good defense to the eviction lawsuit, you will have a much harder time getting into an apartment after that because landlords check the court records!
even when money is tight, paying rent should be one of your top priorities. question #4: if my landlord refuses to make repairs, can i refuse to pay rent? landlords often start the eviction process if tenants don’t pay all their rent on time— even if the place needs major repairs! you must ask for repairs in writing. don’t deduct money from rent unless you follow the correct procedure or you could end up facing eviction! read our publication on repairs on washingtonlawhelp.org to learn about how to properly ask for repairs in washington. question #5: is there a limit to how much a landlord can raise your rent? no! however, if you have a month to month tenancy, your landlord may raise your rent—but must give you a written notice 30 days before the rent goes up. in seattle, there are special rules: your landlord may have to give you a written notice 60 days ahead for some rent increases. question 6: if you have a month to month tenancy, does your landlord have to give you a good reason for terminating your tenancy?
in many cases, landlords can terminate a month to month tenancy with a written notice 20 days before the end of the month, even if a tenant has been renting for a very long time—even years! everywhere in washington-- except seattle-- the landlord does not even have to state a reason why. in seattle, the landlord has to state a good reason to terminate a month to month tenancy. question 7: if you have a month to month tenancy, do you have to give your landlord a written notice before moving out at the end of the month? yes! if you want to move out of a month to month tenancy, you need to give your landlord a written notice 20 days before the end of the rental period. make copies of any letter you send. make sure to write down a mailing address where your landlord can send any deposit you might get back! question #8: if your landlord wants you out, can the landlord just change your locks or shut off your electricity? no! your landlord has to get a judge’s permission to evict you— a landlord cannot lock you out or shut off the utilities to try to get you to leave. if you fall behind on rent or break rules in your lease, your landlord still must give you a written notice before starting the eviction lawsuit in court.
often you will be given a few days to fix the problem. but if you keep breaking the rules or don’t pay all of the rent, you may get court papers about the eviction lawsuit. you will have a very short deadline to respond in writing or show up at a hearing or you will automatically lose the eviction lawsuit and have to move. question 9: if you are a domestic violence victim can you legally break your lease early? maybe! domestic violence survivors have a right to legally terminate a tenancy early to protect themselves or escape an abuser, but they must follow a proper legal process. read our publications about domestic violence on washingtonlawhelp.org to know what you need to do to protect yourself. question 10: what do you have to do to protect your housing? you need to be vigilant and know the law! you also need to know the rules in your lease!
if you and your landlord agree on something, get written proof! keep all your written agreements, rent receipts, and lease together in a file. written documents are the best way to prove that you and your landlord talked about something. you can find much more legal information about landlord-tenant law and many other legal issues on washingtonlawhelp.org. thanks for watching! this video was produced in december 2014; the laws may have changed since that time. this video provides general information only. your particular situation may be very different than those shown in this video. this video is not a substitute for talking to a lawyer about your unique situation.
it does not create an attorney-client relationship and it cannot predict or guarantee an outcome in any legal proceeding.
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