Washington Landlord Attorney
Washington Landlord Attorney

Tacoma Landlord-Tenant Law

New Tacoma Landlord-Tenant Laws.

Measure One (also known as the Landlord Fairness Code) and a myriad of other new landlord-tenant laws affect all residential tenancies in Tacoma. This bullet-point outline of some of the key provisions is not a substitute for the legal advice a landlord would receive in consultation with an attorney.

  • All move-in costs (including any pre-paid rent) cannot exceed one month's rent. A pet deposit cannot exceed 25% of the first month's rent.
  • Landlords must provide the City's landlord-tenant law summary to all existing tenants, and to all applicants to whom the landlord offers a lease.
  • When serving eviction notices, such as a notice to pay rent or vacate, landlords must also provide a Resource Summary drafted by the City. This is a distinct and different form and not the same one served at the start of the tenancy.  The City of Tacoma has a custom Resource Summary for each type of notice that must be served with the corresponding type of eviction notice (notice to pay rent or vacate, notice to comply or vacate, notice to terminate tenancy, or waste/nuisance notice).
  • Tacoma landlords must give two notices to increase the rent. These notices must be served in the same strict legal manner as predicate eviction notices, must be served in the correct time frame, and must be on a form provided by the City.
  • Late fees are capped at $10/month.
  • There is a school year eviction ban for tenants with school-age children, or who work in a school or in childcare.
  • There is a cold-weather eviction ban from November 1 to April 1.
  • Tenants may sue landlords for violations. Landlords may be liable for a minimum of $500 or up to five times the monthly rent per violation, plus attorney fees.

State law requires 90 days' notice for most no-fault eviction grounds, including intent to sell or intent to occupy the rental property. This may be confusing as previously local Tacoma law had required 60 days, but now for most situations, it is at least 90 days' notice. The termination day is the last day of a rental period, not 90 days from the current date.

There are many other provisions and nuances under Tacoma landlord-tenant law.

Contact a landlord-tenant attorney if unsure.

 

 

Business License Requirement

Tacoma residential landlords must have a business license before raising the rent or issuing any notice to terminate a tenancy. See the City of Tacoma Rental Business page for more information and to apply.

School Year Eviction Ban

Tacoma's school-year eviction ban applies if the eviction "would require the tenant to vacate” during the school year.

The school year eviction ban covers a household with a minor child or K-12 student, or an educator. Both "school" and "educator" are broadly defined.

There are exceptions to the school-year eviction ban, including the owner's intent to occupy as a primary residence; the landlord sharing the same dwelling with the tenant; and nuisance-type situations.

Cold Weather Eviction Ban

Tacoma residential tenants may not be evicted between November 1 and April 1. The same exceptions above for the school-year eviction ban also apply to the cold weather eviction ban.

Whether the landlord may start the eviction during the prohibited months is an open legal question. Tacoma landlords should consult with an attorney before taking any action.

Eviction Forms for Tacoma Residential Tenancies

Use specific forms for Tacoma residential tenancies. For Pierce County residential tenancies outside the city of Tacoma see our forms page.

Tacoma Rent Increase Forms and Requirements

Tacoma residential landlords must give two notices to increase the rent. The first rent increase notice must be served 180-210 days in advance. The second rent increase notice must be served 90-120 in advance.

Landlords must use the City of Tacoma rent increase forms. Landlords are also required to serve a resources document with the rent increase notice. See the City of Tacoma Landlord Resources page for current forms. All rent increase notices must be served in the same strict legal manner as predicate notices (notice to pay rent or vacate, notice to comply or vacate, etc.).

The tenant may request relocation assistance if the increase is 5% or more. The relocation assistance equals 2 months' rent for rent increases of 5%; 2.5 months' rent for rent increases of 7.5%; or, 3 months' rent for rent increases of 10% or more. The landlord must pay the relocation assistance within 30 days. There are exceptions for properties with four or fewer units on the same site, tenants who have occupied the rental for less than six months, and landlords temporarily renting out their residences due to military service.

Tacoma landlord-tenant attorney Travis Scott Eller.

Travis Eller has represented landlords for over twenty years.

Many evictions go through a show cause hearing, and some eviction cases go all the way to trial. Travis Eller has handled thousands of show cause hearings, handled many landlord-tenant trials, including in Pierce County, and represented landlords in the Court of Appeals.

Mr. Eller frequently lectures at seminars on landlord-tenant law approved by the Washington State Bar Association for continuing legal education credit, most recently at two seminars in 2023 . In Tacoma, Mr. Eller taught landlord-tenant law seminars on Ethics in 2012, Landlord and Tenant Obligations in 2013, and Landlord and Tenant Obligations in 2014.

Mr. Eller accepts residential eviction cases, commercial eviction cases, as well as post-foreclosure eviction cases.

If you have a landlord-tenant issue in Tacoma or anywhere in Pierce County please contact our landlord-tenant attorney.

 

   

 

425-641-8010