Residential landlords in Washington must provide a statement of the security deposit and any refund due after the tenant moves out of the property.[1] This requirement applies whether the tenant moved out in a regular manner—at the end of the lease term or “20-day” notice—or the tenant abandoned the tenancy. The landlord may not withhold any amount of a deposit for normal wear and tear. If the landlord fails to give the required statement in a timely manner, the tenant is entitled to the full amount of the deposit. The prevailing party is entitled to costs, including an […]
Monthly Archives: June 2016
3 posts
A landlord sued his tenants for eviction, even though the tenants had a valid lease and the tenants did nothing to warrant eviction. The eviction case was settled. The tenants claimed that—although they were not in the wrong to begin with—the eviction case being on public record made it difficult for them to find adequate housing. The tenants moved to replace their names with their initials in the docket, so that their names would not show up on eviction screening reports. The motion was granted, but the court clerk appealed the order. The case eventually reached the Supreme Court of […]
Tenants sometimes must apply to several places before they find a new renal home. The cumulative costs of paying for screening reports is a considerable expense for some tenants. One possible solution is a comprehensive reusable tenant screening report. A comprehensive reusable tenant screening report is prepared by a consumer reporting agency. The prospective tenant requests and pays for the report. To avoid fraud, the report is made available directly to the landlord. The landlord is not charged for the report. A comprehensive reusable tenant screening report contains: (a) a consumer credit report prepared by a consumer reporting agency within […]