Seattle landlords are required to give all residential tenants a tenant information packet and voter registration information. The City has combined the tenant information packet and the voter registration packet into one packet. [1] If the landlord fails to provide the tenant information and voter registration packet, the tenant may give notice and terminate the tenancy. The tenant may also sue the landlord for actual damages, attorney fees, and monetary penalties of up to $1,000.[2] This rule applies to all residential tenancies in Seattle, including oral agreements and/or month-to-month agreements. If you have questions about landlord-tenant law you should consult with an […]
Seattle Landlord Tenant Law
21 posts
Update: This proposal was passed into law. A proposed Seattle ordinance would limit landlords’ use of criminal history, including sex offender registration.[1] Under the proposal, among other requirements and prohibitions: landlords could not use arrest records for any purpose, since an arrest is not proof of guilt; landlords could not use criminal convictions more than two years old without a “legitimate business reason”; landlords could not use an adult’s status as a registered sex offender without a “legitimate business reason”; landlords could not use a juvenile’s status as a registered sex offender for any reason.
A new ordinance requires Seattle landlords to provide voter registration to new tenants. Seattle landlords are already required to provide an informational packet on landlord-tenant law to each new prospective renter (not only those who sign a rental agreement), at each renewal of a tenancy, and annually to all month-to-month tenants. The landlord-tenant law pamphlet can be given electronically only to existing tenants. Voter registration will be added to the landlord-tenant law packet, which is currently fifteen pages. Washington state law also requires a mold disclosure pamphlet. The voter registration requirement is the latest in a series of new burdens […]
Chong and MariLyn Yim live with their three children in a triplex in Seattle. The only way they can afford to live in Seattle is to rent out the other two units. The Yim family shares yard space with the renters. The children are occasionally home alone in the triplex. The Yims cannot financially afford the losses caused by a bad tenancy. The Yims are concerned about compatibility and safety, as they and the children live in close proximity with their renters. The Yims have never discriminated against anyone. Kelly Lyles is a single woman living in Seattle. She is […]
For a Seattle residential landlord, selling your house can be tricky. Under the just cause eviction ordinance the landlord must give 90 days notice (not a 20-day notice). The date to terminate the tenancy (the date the tenant is to vacate) must be the last day of a rental period—usually but not necessarily the last day of a calendar month. The notice must be served at least 90 days in advance. It is not correct to simply add 90 days to the current date. Under a recent Court of Appeals decision, the landlord may not enter into a purchase and […]
A new Seattle landlord-tenant law limits landlords’ discretion in rental decisions for residential rental properties. Under the new law, Seattle residential landlords must accept essentially all forms of alternative income and accept the first applicant who qualifies. The measure was supported by Seattle Mayor Murray, who pointed in supporting the measure that alternative income includes even stop-gap, emergency “short-term rental assistance…used to prevent eviction.” Alternative income sources include any “lawful, verifiable income” whether short or long term. The landlord must provide to each rental applicant notice of the landlord’s screening criteria. The notice must include: • the criteria the landlord will […]
Seattle residential landlords must give 60 days notice to increase rent ten percent or more in any twelve-month period. For rent increases of less than ten percent the landlord may give only 30 days notice. A new Seattle ordinance limits the ability of Seattle residential landlords to increase any periodic housing costs—including not only rent, but also other costs such storage or parking fees. The new rent and housing costs restrictions apply not only to increases of ten percent or more, but to any increase regardless of the amount. In all rent increase notices and other notices of housing costs […]
A Seattle residential landlord may evict a tenant only for just cause. Just cause is defined by Seattle ordinance. Landlord intends to occupy the rental unit. If the landlord or member of the landlord’s immediate family wishes to occupy the rental property as a primary residence, this is just cause to evict. The just cause eviction ordinance was recently modified so that this now requires 90 days notice. The last day of the 90-day period must be the last day of the lease or the last day of a rental period. Landlord intends to sell a single-family dwelling unit. If the […]
A Seattle residential eviction with a complicated procedural history was recently upheld on appeal.[1] The lease expired and the tenancy continued month-to-month. After a parking dispute between the tenants and a neighbor, the landlord served a notice terminating the tenancy indicating that a member of the landlord’s immediate family intended to reside in the rental property. The tenants did not vacate, forcing the landlord to bring an eviction action. In Seattle residential tenancies just cause is legally required to evict a tenant, even if the tenant is month-to-month. The landlord is required to state the just cause eviction grounds in […]
Seattle residential landlords should take note. All residential landlords in Seattle are required to give a tenant at the beginning of a tenancy a landlord-tenant information packet published by the city. The Seattle information packet until recently contained an error. The former version of the packet incorrectly informed tenants that rent increases of more than 10% require 60-days notice by the landlord. In fact, the law in Seattle requires 60-days notice of a rent increase of 10% or more, not only for rent increases of more than 10%. Seattle residential landlords should download and use the new packet. At the time […]