What a Washington residential lease agreement is for
Washington's landlord-tenant rules changed more in the last five years than in the twenty before. Statewide just cause eviction arrived in 2021, so a landlord needs a listed reason to end a tenancy or refuse to renew. Since May 2025, the rent stabilization law has capped yearly increases at 7% plus inflation or 10%, whichever is less, frozen rent for the first year of a tenancy, and lengthened the notice for an increase to 90 days. Add the long-standing rules on move-in checklists, deposit trust accounts, repair timeframes and entry notice, and many leases written even three years ago no longer fit the law.
This template is a full Washington lease written around those rules. It covers the parties and the required notice address, term, rent and rent increases, late rent, deposits and fees, utilities, use, pets, smoking, repairs, entry, insurance, default, ending the tenancy, abandoned property, the fire safety and mold disclosures, and a place for city requirements. Schedules provide the move-in and move-out checklist, the lead disclosure, a rent increase notice and a deposit statement.
When to use it
Use it for a new tenancy of a house, apartment, condo, townhouse, ADU or room anywhere in Washington, on a fixed term or month to month. It also works as the replacement lease when an older form still says 60 days' notice for increases or has no rent cap terms.
In Seattle, Tacoma, Spokane, Burien and other cities with their own landlord-tenant ordinances, use Section 22 to add the city's requirements. Don't use it for manufactured home lots, which have their own statute and a lower 5% cap, for hotels and transient lodging, or for public and subsidized housing with program leases.
What's inside
The full list of sections and fields in this template, in the order they appear.
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Parties, premises and term
- Owner and agent
- Address for notices
- Tenants and occupants
- Premises and keys
- Fixed term or month to month
-
Rent and rent increases
- Monthly rent and payment
- First-year freeze
- Annual cap with the 2026 maximum
- 90-day notice
- Lease-type parity
-
Late rent
- No late fee within 5 days
- Late fee
- 14-day pay or vacate notice
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Deposit and fees
- Checklist before deposit
- Trust account
- Non-refundable fees
- Instalments
- Itemized return with documentation
- Permitted deductions
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Utilities, use and pets
- Utility responsibilities and billing method
- Occupancy and guests
- Tenant's duties
- Pets and assistance animals
- Smoking and cannabis
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Repairs and access
- Landlord's duties
- 24-hour 72-hour and 10-day repair timeframes
- Alarms
- 2-day and 1-day entry notice
-
Default and ending the tenancy
- 14-day and 10-day notices
- No self-help
- Retaliation and discrimination
- Tenant's 20-day notice
- Just cause
- Early termination rights
- Abandoned property
-
Disclosures and general
- Fire safety
- Mold
- Lead paint
- Screening criteria
- No waiver of rights
- Joint liability
- City requirements
-
Schedules A to D
- Move-in and move-out checklist
- Lead disclosure
- Notice of rent increase
- Deposit statement
-
Landlord's Checklist
- 9 checks before handing over the keys
Preview pages
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Page 1 -
Page 2 -
Page 3
How to fill in the lease
- Name the parties and the notice address. The owner, any manager, and the name and Washington address for notices and legal process.
- Choose the term. A fixed term, which continues month to month afterward, or month to month from the start.
- Set the rent. Remember it cannot rise during the first 12 months.
- Decide on a late fee. None, or a modest fee charged only after 5 days.
- Complete the move-in checklist first. Walk the unit with the tenant and sign Schedule A before taking any deposit.
- Record the deposit and fees. Name the trust account's bank and branch, mark any non-refundable fee as non-refundable, and offer instalments.
- Assign utilities and choose pet and smoking terms.
- Give the disclosures. Fire safety details, the mold information, and the lead disclosure for pre-1978 buildings.
- Add city requirements and any rent cap exemption. Then sign and give each tenant a copy.
Example: the first rent increase under the cap
A fictional landlord, Cascade Hearth Rentals LLC, leases a two-bedroom apartment in Spokane, in a 1994 building, to Jordan Bell for 12 months from February 1, 2026 at $1,600 a month.
First year: rent stays at $1,600 until January 31, 2027. Increase: Cascade Hearth wants a new rent from February 1, 2027. It must deliver a written notice by November 3, 2026 (90 days before). Cap: if the Department of Commerce's maximum for 2027 is, say, 9.4%, the most it can charge is $1,600 × 1.094 = $1,750.40. It chooses $1,720 (7.5%). Deposit: $1,200, taken only after the checklist was signed on January 28, 2026, held at a Spokane bank branch named in Section 7.3; Jordan pays it in three instalments of $400.
If Jordan moves out on January 31, 2028, Cascade Hearth must mail an itemized statement with invoices or estimates for any damage deductions within the deadline in Section 7.6, or risk paying up to twice the deposit.
Washington rules to know
- Rent stabilization (HB 1217, 2025). Lesser of 7% plus CPI or 10% a year; 9.683% for 2026; no increase in the first 12 months; 90 days' notice; in force to July 1, 2040, with exemptions.
- Just cause (RCW 59.18.650). A listed cause is needed to end a tenancy or not renew, with specific notice periods.
- Checklist and deposit (RCW 59.18.260 to 59.18.285). Checklist before any deposit, trust account, non-refundable fees only if the lease says so, itemized return with documentation.
- Instalments (RCW 59.18.610). Tenants may pay deposits and move-in fees in instalments.
- Late rent (RCW 59.18.170 and 59.18.057). No late fee within 5 days; the 14-day notice must use the statutory form.
- Repairs (RCW 59.18.070). Start within 24 hours, 72 hours or 10 days, depending on the defect.
- Entry (RCW 59.18.150). Two days' notice, or one day to show the unit.
- No waiver (RCW 59.18.230). Lease terms that waive tenant rights are void.
Lease problems Washington landlords run into
The most common problem now is a rent increase that breaks the 2025 law: an increase in the first year, an increase above the published cap, or a notice served 60 days ahead instead of 90. Close behind are deposits taken before the checklist was signed, which means the landlord cannot keep anything for damage, and deposit statements sent late or without invoices. Landlords also still try to let a lease simply expire to remove a tenant, which just cause no longer allows. The rent, deposit and termination sections of this lease, and the landlord's checklist, are written to prevent each of these.
Frequently asked questions
How much can a landlord raise rent in Washington State?
Under HB 1217 (2025), no more than the lesser of 7% plus inflation or 10% in any 12-month period, and not at all in the first 12 months of a tenancy. The Department of Commerce publishes the yearly maximum, which is 9.683% for increases taking effect in 2026. Some newer buildings and owner-occupied rentals are exempt.
How much notice is required for a rent increase in Washington?
At least 90 days' written notice before the increase takes effect, up from 60 days before the 2025 law. The notice should state the new rent and the date it starts.
Do Washington landlords need a move-in checklist?
Yes. Under RCW 59.18.260, a landlord cannot collect a security deposit unless the landlord and tenant have signed a written checklist describing the condition of the unit, and each has a copy. Without it, the landlord cannot keep any of the deposit for damage.
Can a Washington landlord end a lease without a reason?
Generally no. Since 2021, RCW 59.18.650 requires a listed cause to end a tenancy or refuse to renew a lease, such as unpaid rent, a breach the tenant does not fix, the owner moving in or selling, or major renovation, each with its own notice period.
When can a Washington landlord charge a late fee?
Only if the lease provides for one, and not until rent is more than 5 days late (RCW 59.18.170). Courts can also refuse to treat late fees as grounds for eviction, and payments must be applied to rent first.
