Washington Lease Agreement: What to Include

A Washington residential lease needs to reflect this state's actual rules on security deposits, entry notice, late fees, and required disclosures — not a generic template written for a different state. The figures below come from Washington's residential landlord-tenant statute; where the state sets no fixed number, that's stated plainly rather than glossed over, since "the state doesn't specify" is itself something you need to know.

Security deposit

Security deposit limit: No statewide statutory limit. Washington does not require interest on held deposits. Return deadline after move-out: 30 Days.

Entry notice, late fees, and rent increases

Entry notice: 48 for inspection/repairs; 24 for showing. Late fees: Late fee caps/restrictions may apply; verify current statewide/local rules; no statewide grace period requirement. Rent increase notice for month-to-month tenancies: 60; rent cap enacted 2025 may apply days. (Entry notice citation: RCW § 59.18.150 (2 days).)

Required disclosures

A Washington lease should include or accompany:

• • Federal lead-based paint
• • mold information
• • fire safety/evacuation
• • deposit checklist
• • fees
• • rent increase notice
• • local disclosures

Eviction notice for nonpayment

For nonpayment of rent, Washington's standard notice period is 14 days. This is the minimum notice before you can move to the next step in the eviction process — actual court timelines run longer once a case is filed. (Eviction notice citation: RCW § 59.12.030(3) (14 days).)

What actually distinguishes Washington

Washington sets no statewide statutory cap on the security deposit amount — the lease itself is what controls how much you can charge, so put the amount and any pet/move-in fees in writing.

Washington requires 48 for inspection/repairs; 24 for showing notice before a landlord enters an occupied unit for routine, non-emergency purposes.

Washington requires a comparatively long 14 notice period for nonpayment before you can file — plan for that lead time when a tenant falls behind.

Rent increase notice for month-to-month tenancies in Washington is 60; rent cap enacted 2025 may apply days — different from the 30-day default most other states use, so don't assume the general rule applies here.

Sources and the bottom line

The figures above reflect Washington's residential landlord-tenant statute as summarized on LeasePilot HQ's Washington landlord-tenant law page, which lists the specific sources behind each number. Security deposit rules specifically are codified at RCW § 59.18.260 (no statutory cap). Primary and cross-reference sources used in compiling this page:

• • https://apnews.com/article/79008acf2e1641fda3b05f644903d73c
• • https://ipropertymanagement.com/laws/security-deposits
• • https://www.justia.com/real-estate/landlord-tenant/information-for-landlords/right-of-entry/
• • https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/state-landlord-tenant-laws

State landlord-tenant law changes through legislative sessions and court decisions — treat the numbers above as a starting point, verify against Washington's current statute (linked above) before relying on them for an actual lease, and see LeasePilot HQ's full Washington landlord-tenant law summary for the complete breakdown, or generate a lease with Washington-specific clauses built in automatically.