Tenant protections

AN ACT Relating to strengthening tenant protections under the 1
residential landlord-tenant act and the manufactured/mobile home 2
landlord-tenant act; amending RCW 59.18.650, 59.18.650, 59.20.080, 3
59.18.410, 59.18.057, 59.18.365, and 59.18.630; providing an 4
effective date; and providing an expiration date. 5
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:6
Sec. 1. RCW 59.18.650 and 2021 c 212 s 2 are each amended to 7
read as follows: 8
(1)(a) A landlord may not evict a tenant, refuse to continue a 9
tenancy, or end a periodic tenancy except for the causes enumerated 10
in subsection (2) of this section and as otherwise provided in this 11
subsection. 12
(b) If a landlord and tenant enter into a rental agreement that 13
provides for the tenancy to continue for an indefinite period on a 14
month-to-month or periodic basis after the agreement expires, the 15
landlord may not end the tenancy except for the causes enumerated in 16
subsection (2) of this section; however, a landlord may end such a 17
tenancy at the end of the initial period of the rental agreement 18
without cause only if: 19
(i) At the inception of the tenancy, the landlord and tenant 20
entered into a rental agreement between six and 12 months; and21
H-0901.3
HOUSE BILL 1915
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session
By Representatives Richards, Thomas, Simmons, Scott, Parshley,
Pollet, and Hill
Read first time 02/10/25. Referred to Committee on Housing.
p. 1 HB 1915
(ii) The landlord has provided the tenant before the end of the 1
initial lease period at least 60 days' advance written notice ending 2
the tenancy, served in a manner consistent with RCW 59.12.040.3
(c) If a landlord and tenant enter into a rental agreement for a 4
specified period in which the tenancy by the terms of the rental 5
agreement does not continue for an indefinite period on a month-to-6
month or periodic basis after the end of the specified period, the 7
landlord may end such a tenancy without cause upon expiration of the 8
specified period only if: 9
(i) At the inception of the tenancy, the landlord and tenant 10
entered into a rental agreement of 12 months or more for a specified 11
period, or the landlord and tenant have continuously and without 12
interruption entered into successive rental agreements of six months 13
or more for a specified period since the inception of the tenancy;14
(ii) The landlord has provided the tenant before the end of the 15
specified period at least 60 days' advance written notice that the 16
tenancy will be deemed expired at the end of such specified period, 17
served in a manner consistent with RCW 59.12.040; and18
(iii) The tenancy has not been for an indefinite period on a 19
month-to-month or periodic basis at any point since the inception of 20
the tenancy. ((However, for any tenancy of an indefinite period in 21
existence as of May 10, 2021, if the landlord and tenant enter into a 22
rental agreement between May 10, 2021, and three months following the 23
expiration of the governor's proclamation 20-19.6 or any extensions 24
thereof, the landlord may exercise rights under this subsection 25
(1)(c) as if the rental agreement was entered into at the inception 26
of the tenancy provided that the rental agreement is otherwise in 27
accordance with this subsection (1)(c).))28
(d) For all other tenancies of a specified period not covered 29
under (b) or (c) of this subsection, and for tenancies of an 30
indefinite period on a month-to-month or periodic basis, a landlord 31
may not end the tenancy except for the causes enumerated in 32
subsection (2) of this section. Upon the end date of the tenancy of a 33
specified period, the tenancy becomes a month-to-month tenancy.34
(e) Nothing prohibits a landlord and tenant from entering into 35
subsequent lease agreements that are in compliance with the 36
requirements in subsection (2) of this section. 37
(f) A tenant may end a tenancy for a specified time by providing 38
notice in writing not less than 20 days prior to the ending date of 39
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the specified time. A tenant may rescind such notice at any time 1
prior to vacating the premises.2
(2) The following reasons listed in this subsection constitute 3
cause pursuant to subsection (1) of this section . The tenant 4
continues in possession: 5
(a) ((The tenant continues in possession in person or by 6
subtenant)) (i) After service of at least 14 days' written notice to 7
pay or vacate as set forth in RCW 59.12.030(3), and after a default 8
in the payment of rent ((, and after )). The written notice 9
((requiring)) must require , in the alternative, the payment of the 10
rent or the surrender of the detained premises ((has remained 11
uncomplied with for the period set forth in RCW 59.12.030(3) for 12
tenants subject to this chapter )). The written notice may be served 13
at any time after the rent becomes due; 14
(ii) Notwithstanding the 14-day notice period set forth in RCW 15
59.12.030(3), a landlord must provide a tenant in a covered dwelling 16
unit with at least 30 days' advance written notice to vacate for 17
evictions stemming from nonpayment of rent;18
(iii) For the purposes of this subsection, "covered dwelling 19
unit" means a property that:20
(A) Participates in a covered housing program as defined in 21
section 41411(a) of the violence against women act of 1994, 34 U.S.C. 22
Sec. 12491(a), or the rural housing voucher program under section 542 23
of the housing act of 1949, 42 U.S.C. Sec. 1490r; or24
(B) Has a federally backed mortgage loan, or federally backed 25
multifamily mortgage loan;26
(iv) It is an affirmative defense to an unlawful detainer action 27
brought under this subsection (2)(a) for nonpayment of rent that the 28
tenant's default in the payment of rent was due to the landlord's 29
failure to maintain the condition of the dwelling unit as required by 30
RCW 59.18.060 or any other section of this chapter, the common law 31
doctrine of the implied warranty of habitability, or local 32
ordinances;33
(v) In any action where a tenant prevails on an affirmative 34
defense provided in this subsection, the court may award the tenant 35
with damages up to and including an amount equal to:36
(A) Damages in the amount of a dollar value that the court 37
assigns to the violation, which may include the value of rent and 38
other economic value that the tenant may prove, fees, or other costs 39
paid by the tenant; and40
p. 3 HB 1915
(B) Reasonable attorneys' fees and costs;1
(vi) Any right of the tenant to seek relief through another legal 2
action is not waived by raising an affirmative defense or receiving 3
an award of damages under this subsection (2)(a);4
(b) ((The tenant continues in possession )) After service of at 5
least 10 days' written notice to comply or vacate, and after 6
substantial breach of a material program requirement of subsidized 7
housing, material term subscribed to by the tenant within the lease 8
or rental agreement, or a tenant obligation imposed by law, other 9
than one for monetary damages ((, and after the landlord has served )). 10
The written notice ((specifying)) must specify the acts or omissions 11
constituting the breach , including the relevant date and time of the 12
breach and the identities of the individuals involved, and 13
((requiring)) require, in the alternative, that the breach be 14
((remedied or the rental agreement will end, and the breach has not 15
been)) adequately remedied by the date specified in the notice, 16
((which date must be at least 10 days after service of the notice )) 17
or the rental agreement will end; 18
(c) ((The tenant continues in possession after having received at 19
least three days' advance written notice to quit after he or she 20
commits or permits )) After service of at least three days' written 21
notice to quit, and after committing or permitting waste or nuisance 22
upon the premises, unlawful activity that affects the use and 23
enjoyment of the premises, or other substantial or repeated and 24
unreasonable interference with the use and enjoyment of the premises 25
by the landlord or neighbors of the tenant; 26
(d)(( The tenant continues in possession )) After service of at 27
least 90 days' written notice to vacate, and after the landlord of a 28
dwelling unit in good faith seeks possession so that the owner or his 29
or her immediate family may occupy the unit as that person's 30
principal residence and no substantially equivalent unit is vacant 31
and available to house the owner or his or her immediate family in 32
the same building ((, and the owner has provided at least 90 days' 33
advance written notice of the date the tenant's possession is to 34
end)). There is a rebuttable presumption that the owner did not act 35
in good faith if the owner or immediate family fails to occupy the 36
unit as a principal residence for at least 60 consecutive days during 37
the 90 days immediately after the tenant vacated the unit pursuant to 38
a notice to vacate using this subsection (2)(d) as the cause for the 39
lease ending; 40
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(e) ((The tenant continues in possession )) After service of at 1
least 90 days' written notice to vacate, and after the owner elects 2
to sell a single-family residence ((and the landlord has provided at 3
least 90 days' advance written notice of the date the tenant's 4
possession is to end )). For the purposes of this subsection (2)(e), 5
an owner "elects to sell" when the owner makes reasonable attempts to 6
sell the dwelling within 30 days after the tenant has vacated, 7
including, at a minimum, listing it for sale at a reasonable price 8
with a realty agency or advertising it for sale at a reasonable price 9
by listing it on the real estate multiple listing service. There 10
shall be a rebuttable presumption that the owner did not intend to 11
sell the unit if: 12
(i) Within 30 days after the tenant has vacated, the owner does 13
not list the single-family dwelling unit for sale at a reasonable 14
price with a realty agency or advertise it for sale at a reasonable 15
price by listing it on the real estate multiple listing service; or16
(ii) Within 90 days after the date the tenant vacated or the date 17
the property was listed for sale, whichever is later, the owner 18
withdraws the rental unit from the market, the landlord rents the 19
unit to someone other than the former tenant, or the landlord 20
otherwise indicates that the owner does not intend to sell the unit;21
(f) ((The tenant continues in possession of the premises after 22
the landlord serves the tenant with advance written notice pursuant 23
to RCW 59.18.200(2)(c))) After service of at least 120 days' written 24
notice to vacate pursuant to RCW 59.18.200(2)(c), and after a 25
landlord plans to demolish or substantially rehabilitate the 26
premises, or plans a change of use of the premises;27
(g) ((The tenant continues in possession )) After service of at 28
least 120 days' written notice to vacate pursuant to RCW 64.34.440 or 29
64.90.655, and after the owner elects to withdraw the premises from 30
the rental market to pursue a conversion of the building to a 31
condominium or other form of common interest ownership pursuant to 32
RCW 64.34.440 or 64.90.655; 33
(h) ((The tenant continues in possession, after the landlord has 34
provided at least 30 days' advance written notice to vacate that )) 35
After service of at least 30 days' written notice to vacate, and 36
after: (i) The premises has been certified or condemned as 37
uninhabitable by a local agency charged with the authority to issue 38
such an order; and (ii) continued habitation of the premises would 39
subject the landlord to civil or criminal penalties. However, if the 40
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terms of the local agency's order do not allow the landlord to 1
provide at least 30 days' advance written notice, the landlord must 2
provide as much advance written notice as is possible and still 3
comply with the order; 4
(i) ((The tenant continues in possession after an owner or 5
lessor, with whom)) After written notice to vacate is served at least 6
20 days before the end of the rental term or period, when the tenant 7
shares the dwelling unit or access to a common kitchen or bathroom 8
area((, has served at least 20 days' advance written notice to vacate 9
prior to the end of the rental term or, if a periodic tenancy, the 10
end of the rental period)) with an owner; 11
(j) ((The tenant continues in possession of a dwelling unit in 12
transitional housing after having received at least 30 days' advance 13
written notice to vacate in advance of )) After written notice to 14
vacate is served at least 30 days before the expiration of the 15
transitional housing program, the tenant has aged out of the 16
transitional housing program, or the tenant has completed an 17
educational or training or service program and is no longer eligible 18
to participate in the transitional housing program. Nothing in this 19
subsection (2)(j) prohibits the ending of a tenancy in transitional 20
housing for any of the other causes specified in this subsection;21
(k) ((The tenant continues in possession of a dwelling unit 22
after)) After the expiration of a rental agreement without signing a 23
proposed new rental agreement proffered by the landlord; provided, 24
that the landlord proffered the proposed new rental agreement at 25
least 30 days prior to the expiration of the current rental agreement 26
and that any new terms and conditions of the proposed new rental 27
agreement are reasonable. This subsection (2)(k) does not apply to 28
tenants whose tenancies are or have become periodic;29
(l) ((The tenant continues in possession after having received at 30
least 30 days' advance written notice to vacate due to )) After 31
service of at least 30 days' written notice to vacate, and after the 32
tenant made intentional, knowing, and material misrepresentations or 33
omissions ((made)) on the tenant's application at the inception of 34
the tenancy that, had these misrepresentations or omissions not been 35
made, would have resulted in the landlord requesting additional 36
information or taking an adverse action; 37
(m) ((The tenant continues in possession after having received at 38
least 60 days' advance written notice to vacate for other good cause 39
prior to the end of the period or rental agreement and such )) After 40
p. 6 HB 1915
written notice to vacate is served at least 60 days before the end of 1
the rental term or period, and the landlord has good cause for 2
eviction which constitutes a legitimate economic or business reason 3
not covered or related to a basis for ending the lease as enumerated 4
under this subsection (2). When the landlord relies on this basis for 5
ending the tenancy, the court may stay any writ of restitution for up 6
to 60 additional days for good cause shown, including difficulty 7
procuring alternative housing. The court must condition such a stay 8
upon the tenant's continued payment of rent during the stay period. 9
Upon granting such a stay, the court must award court costs and fees 10
as allowed under this chapter; 11
(n)(i) ((The tenant continues in possession after having received 12
at least 60 days' written notice to vacate prior to the end of the 13
period or rental agreement and )) After written notice to vacate is 14
served at least 60 days before the end of the rental term or period, 15
and the tenant has committed four or more of the following 16
violations, other than ones for monetary damages, within the 17
preceding 12-month period, the tenant has remedied or cured the 18
violation, and the landlord has provided the tenant a written warning 19
notice at the time of each violation: A substantial breach of a 20
material program requirement of subsidized housing, a substantial 21
breach of a material term subscribed to by the tenant within the 22
lease or rental agreement, or a substantial breach of a tenant 23
obligation imposed by law; 24
(ii) Each written warning notice must: 25
(A) Specify the violation , including the relevant date and time 26
of the violation and the identities of the individuals involved;27
(B) Provide the tenant an opportunity to cure the violation;28
(C) State that the landlord may choose to end the tenancy at the 29
end of the rental term if there are four violations within a 12-month 30
period preceding the end of the term; and 31
(D) State that correcting the fourth or subsequent violation is 32
not a defense to the ending of the lease under this subsection;33
(iii) The 60-day notice to vacate must: 34
(A) State that the rental agreement will end upon the specified 35
ending date for the rental term or upon a designated date not less 36
than 60 days after the delivery of the notice, whichever is later;37
(B) Specify the reason for ending the lease and supporting facts; 38
and 39
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(C) Be served to the tenant concurrent with or after the fourth 1
or subsequent written warning notice; 2
(iv) The notice under this subsection must include all notices 3
supporting the basis of ending the lease; 4
(v) Any notices asserted under this subsection must pertain to 5
four or more separate incidents or occurrences; and6
(vi) This subsection (2)(n) does not absolve a landlord from 7
demonstrating by admissible evidence that the four or more violations 8
constituted breaches under (b) of this subsection at the time of the 9
violation had the tenant not remedied or cured the violation . A 10
landlord must prove the violations alleged under each of the notices;11
(o) ((The tenant continues in possession after having received at 12
least 60 days' advance written notice to vacate prior to the end of 13
the rental period or rental agreement if )) After written notice to 14
vacate is served at least 60 days before the end of the rental term 15
or period, and after the tenant is required to register as a sex 16
offender during the tenancy, or after the tenant failed to disclose a 17
requirement to register as a sex offender to the property owner at 18
the beginning of the tenancy when such disclosure was required in the 19
rental application or otherwise known ((to the property owner at the 20
beginning of the tenancy)); 21
(p) ((The tenant continues in possession after having received at 22
least 20 days' advance written notice to vacate prior to the end of 23
the rental period or rental agreement if )) After written notice to 24
vacate is served at least 20 days before the end of the rental term 25
or period, and after the tenant has made unwanted sexual advances or 26
other acts of sexual harassment directed at the property owner, 27
property manager, property employee, or another tenant based on the 28
person's race, gender, or other protected status in violation of any 29
covenant or term in the lease. For the purposes of this subsection, 30
"unlawful harassment" has the same meaning as in RCW 7.105.010.31
(3) When a tenant has permanently vacated due to voluntary or 32
involuntary events, other than by the ending of the tenancy by the 33
landlord, a landlord must serve a notice to any remaining occupants 34
who had coresided with the tenant at least six months prior to and up 35
to the time the tenant permanently vacated, requiring the occupants 36
to either apply to become a party to the rental agreement or vacate 37
within 30 days of service of such notice. In processing any 38
application from a remaining occupant under this subsection, the 39
landlord may require the occupant to meet the same screening, 40
p. 8 HB 1915
background, and financial criteria as would any other prospective 1
tenant to continue the tenancy. If the occupant fails to apply within 2
30 days of receipt of the notice in this subsection, or the 3
application is denied for failure to meet the criteria, the landlord 4
may commence an unlawful detainer action under this chapter. If an 5
occupant becomes a party to the tenancy pursuant to this subsection, 6
a landlord may not end the tenancy except as provided under 7
subsection (2) of this section. This subsection does not apply to 8
tenants residing in subsidized housing. 9
(4) A landlord who removes a tenant or causes a tenant to be 10
removed from a dwelling in any way in violation of this section , or 11
attempts to remove a tenant from a dwelling in any way in violation 12
of this section, is liable to the tenant for wrongful eviction, or 13
for attempted wrongful eviction, and the tenant prevailing in such an 14
action is entitled to the greater of their economic and noneconomic 15
damages or three times the monthly rent of the dwelling at issue , or 16
any other relief the court deems appropriate , and reasonable 17
attorneys' fees and court costs. In determining attempts to 18
wrongfully evict, the court may consider the following enumerated 19
factors: Threats to terminate utilities; acts of terminating 20
utilities; a predatory rent increase; threats or acts of harm or 21
violence to the tenant or tenant's family, pets, or belongings; 22
coercive words or actions; and any other facts brought before the 23
court.24
(5) Nothing in subsection (2)(d), (e), or (f) of this section 25
permits a landlord to end a tenancy for a specified period before the 26
completion of the term unless the landlord and the tenant mutually 27
consent, in writing, to ending the tenancy early and the tenant is 28
afforded at least 60 days to vacate. 29
(6) All written notices required under subsection (2) of this 30
section must: 31
(a) Be served in a manner consistent with RCW 59.12.040; and32
(b) Identify the facts and circumstances known and available to 33
the landlord at the time of the issuance of the notice that support 34
the cause or causes with enough specificity so as to enable the 35
tenant to respond and prepare a defense to any incidents alleged. The 36
landlord may present additional facts and circumstances regarding the 37
allegations within the notice if such evidence was unknown or 38
unavailable at the time of the issuance of the notice.39
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(7) It is an affirmative defense to any unlawful detainer action 1
brought for a cause listed under subsection (2) of this section that 2
the landlord failed to provide reasonable accommodations for the 3
tenant's disability as required by federal or state law.4
Sec. 2. RCW 59.18.650 and 2024 c 321 s 409 are each amended to 5
read as follows: 6
(1)(a) A landlord may not evict a tenant, refuse to continue a 7
tenancy, or end a periodic tenancy except for the causes enumerated 8
in subsection (2) of this section and as otherwise provided in this 9
subsection. 10
(b) If a landlord and tenant enter into a rental agreement that 11
provides for the tenancy to continue for an indefinite period on a 12
month-to-month or periodic basis after the agreement expires, the 13
landlord may not end the tenancy except for the causes enumerated in 14
subsection (2) of this section; however, a landlord may end such a 15
tenancy at the end of the initial period of the rental agreement 16
without cause only if: 17
(i) At the inception of the tenancy, the landlord and tenant 18
entered into a rental agreement between six and 12 months; and19
(ii) The landlord has provided the tenant before the end of the 20
initial lease period at least 60 days' advance written notice ending 21
the tenancy, served in a manner consistent with RCW 59.12.040.22
(c) If a landlord and tenant enter into a rental agreement for a 23
specified period in which the tenancy by the terms of the rental 24
agreement does not continue for an indefinite period on a month-to-25
month or periodic basis after the end of the specified period, the 26
landlord may end such a tenancy without cause upon expiration of the 27
specified period only if: 28
(i) At the inception of the tenancy, the landlord and tenant 29
entered into a rental agreement of 12 months or more for a specified 30
period, or the landlord and tenant have continuously and without 31
interruption entered into successive rental agreements of six months 32
or more for a specified period since the inception of the tenancy;33
(ii) The landlord has provided the tenant before the end of the 34
specified period at least 60 days' advance written notice that the 35
tenancy will be deemed expired at the end of such specified period, 36
served in a manner consistent with RCW 59.12.040; and37
(iii) The tenancy has not been for an indefinite period on a 38
month-to-month or periodic basis at any point since the inception of 39
p. 10 HB 1915
the tenancy. ((However, for any tenancy of an indefinite period in 1
existence as of May 10, 2021, if the landlord and tenant enter into a 2
rental agreement between May 10, 2021, and three months following the 3
expiration of the governor's proclamation 20-19.6 or any extensions 4
thereof, the landlord may exercise rights under this subsection 5
(1)(c) as if the rental agreement was entered into at the inception 6
of the tenancy provided that the rental agreement is otherwise in 7
accordance with this subsection (1)(c).))8
(d) For all other tenancies of a specified period not covered 9
under (b) or (c) of this subsection, and for tenancies of an 10
indefinite period on a month-to-month or periodic basis, a landlord 11
may not end the tenancy except for the causes enumerated in 12
subsection (2) of this section. Upon the end date of the tenancy of a 13
specified period, the tenancy becomes a month-to-month tenancy.14
(e) Nothing prohibits a landlord and tenant from entering into 15
subsequent lease agreements that are in compliance with the 16
requirements in subsection (2) of this section. 17
(f) A tenant may end a tenancy for a specified time by providing 18
notice in writing not less than 20 days prior to the ending date of 19
the specified time. A tenant may rescind such notice at any time 20
prior to vacating the premises.21
(2) The following reasons listed in this subsection constitute 22
cause pursuant to subsection (1) of this section . The tenant 23
continues in possession: 24
(a) ((The tenant continues in possession in person or by 25
subtenant)) (i) After service of at least 14 days' written notice to 26
pay or vacate as set forth in RCW 59.12.030(3), and after a default 27
in the payment of rent ((, and after )). The written notice 28
((requiring)) must require , in the alternative, the payment of the 29
rent or the surrender of the detained premises ((has remained 30
uncomplied with for the period set forth in RCW 59.12.030(3) for 31
tenants subject to this chapter )). The written notice may be served 32
at any time after the rent becomes due; 33
(ii) Notwithstanding the 14-day notice period set forth in RCW 34
59.12.030(3), a landlord must provide a tenant in a covered dwelling 35
unit with at least 30 days' advance written notice to vacate for 36
evictions stemming from nonpayment of rent;37
(iii) For the purposes of this subsection, "covered dwelling 38
unit" means a property that:39
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(A) Participates in a covered housing program as defined in 1
section 41411(a) of the violence against women act of 1994, 34 U.S.C. 2
Sec. 12491(a), or the rural housing voucher program under section 542 3
of the housing act of 1949, 42 U.S.C. Sec. 1490r; or4
(B) Has a federally backed mortgage loan, or federally backed 5
multifamily mortgage loan;6
(iv) It is an affirmative defense to an unlawful detainer action 7
brought under this subsection (2)(a) for nonpayment of rent that the 8
tenant's default in the payment of rent was due to the landlord's 9
failure to maintain the condition of the dwelling unit as required by 10
RCW 59.18.060 or any other section of this chapter, the common law 11
doctrine of the implied warranty of habitability, or local 12
ordinances;13
(v) In any action where a tenant prevails on an affirmative 14
defense provided in this subsection, the court may award the tenant 15
with damages up to and including an amount equal to:16
(A) Damages in the amount of a dollar value that the court 17
assigns to the violation, which may include the value of rent and 18
other economic value that the tenant may prove, fees, or other costs 19
paid by the tenant; and20
(B) Reasonable attorneys' fees and costs;21
(vi) Any right of the tenant to seek relief through another legal 22
action is not waived by raising an affirmative defense or receiving 23
an award of damages under this subsection (2)(a);24
(b) ((The tenant continues in possession )) After service of at 25
least 10 days' written notice to comply or vacate, and after 26
substantial breach of a material program requirement of subsidized 27
housing, material term subscribed to by the tenant within the lease 28
or rental agreement, or a tenant obligation imposed by law, other 29
than one for monetary damages ((, and after the landlord has served )). 30
The written notice ((specifying)) must specify the acts or omissions 31
constituting the breach , including the relevant date and time of the 32
breach and the identities of the individuals involved, and 33
((requiring)) require, in the alternative, that the breach be 34
((remedied or the rental agreement will end, and the breach has not 35
been)) adequately remedied by the date specified in the notice, 36
((which date must be at least 10 days after service of the notice )) 37
or the rental agreement will end; 38
(c) ((The tenant continues in possession after having received at 39
least three days' advance written notice to quit after he or she 40
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commits or permits )) After service of at least three days' written 1
notice to quit, and after committing or permitting waste or nuisance 2
upon the premises, unlawful activity that affects the use and 3
enjoyment of the premises, or other substantial or repeated and 4
unreasonable interference with the use and enjoyment of the premises 5
by the landlord or neighbors of the tenant; 6
(d) ((The tenant continues in possession )) After service of at 7
least 90 days' written notice to vacate, and after the landlord of a 8
dwelling unit in good faith seeks possession so that the owner or his 9
or her immediate family may occupy the unit as that person's 10
principal residence and no substantially equivalent unit is vacant 11
and available to house the owner or his or her immediate family in 12
the same building ((, and the owner has provided at least 90 days' 13
advance written notice of the date the tenant's possession is to 14
end)). There is a rebuttable presumption that the owner did not act 15
in good faith if the owner or immediate family fails to occupy the 16
unit as a principal residence for at least 60 consecutive days during 17
the 90 days immediately after the tenant vacated the unit pursuant to 18
a notice to vacate using this subsection (2)(d) as the cause for the 19
lease ending; 20
(e) ((The tenant continues in possession )) After service of at 21
least 90 days' written notice to vacate, and after the owner elects 22
to sell a single-family residence ((and the landlord has provided at 23
least 90 days' advance written notice of the date the tenant's 24
possession is to end )). For the purposes of this subsection (2)(e), 25
an owner "elects to sell" when the owner makes reasonable attempts to 26
sell the dwelling within 30 days after the tenant has vacated, 27
including, at a minimum, listing it for sale at a reasonable price 28
with a realty agency or advertising it for sale at a reasonable price 29
by listing it on the real estate multiple listing service. There 30
shall be a rebuttable presumption that the owner did not intend to 31
sell the unit if: 32
(i) Within 30 days after the tenant has vacated, the owner does 33
not list the single-family dwelling unit for sale at a reasonable 34
price with a realty agency or advertise it for sale at a reasonable 35
price by listing it on the real estate multiple listing service; or36
(ii) Within 90 days after the date the tenant vacated or the date 37
the property was listed for sale, whichever is later, the owner 38
withdraws the rental unit from the market, the landlord rents the 39
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unit to someone other than the former tenant, or the landlord 1
otherwise indicates that the owner does not intend to sell the unit;2
(f) ((The tenant continues in possession of the premises after 3
the landlord serves the tenant with advance written notice pursuant 4
to RCW 59.18.200(2)(c))) After service of at least 120 days' written 5
notice to vacate pursuant to RCW 59.18.200(2)(c), and after a 6
landlord plans to demolish or substantially rehabilitate the 7
premises, or plans a change of use of the premises;8
(g) ((The tenant continues in possession )) After service of at 9
least 120 days' written notice to vacate pursuant to RCW 64.90.655, 10
and after the owner elects to withdraw the premises from the rental 11
market to pursue a conversion of the building to a condominium or 12
other form of common interest ownership pursuant to RCW 64.90.655;13
(h) ((The tenant continues in possession, after the landlord has 14
provided at least 30 days' advance written notice to vacate that )) 15
After service of at least 30 days' written notice to vacate, and 16
after: (i) The premises has been certified or condemned as 17
uninhabitable by a local agency charged with the authority to issue 18
such an order; and (ii) continued habitation of the premises would 19
subject the landlord to civil or criminal penalties. However, if the 20
terms of the local agency's order do not allow the landlord to 21
provide at least 30 days' advance written notice, the landlord must 22
provide as much advance written notice as is possible and still 23
comply with the order; 24
(i) ((The tenant continues in possession after an owner or 25
lessor, with whom)) After written notice to vacate is served at least 26
20 days before the end of the rental term or period, when the tenant 27
shares the dwelling unit or access to a common kitchen or bathroom 28
area((, has served at least 20 days' advance written notice to vacate 29
prior to the end of the rental term or, if a periodic tenancy, the 30
end of the rental period)) with an owner; 31
(j) ((The tenant continues in possession of a dwelling unit in 32
transitional housing after having received at least 30 days' advance 33
written notice to vacate in advance of )) After written notice to 34
vacate is served at least 30 days before the expiration of the 35
transitional housing program, the tenant has aged out of the 36
transitional housing program, or the tenant has completed an 37
educational or training or service program and is no longer eligible 38
to participate in the transitional housing program. Nothing in this 39
p. 14 HB 1915
subsection (2)(j) prohibits the ending of a tenancy in transitional 1
housing for any of the other causes specified in this subsection;2
(k) ((The tenant continues in possession of a dwelling unit 3
after)) After the expiration of a rental agreement without signing a 4
proposed new rental agreement proffered by the landlord; provided, 5
that the landlord proffered the proposed new rental agreement at 6
least 30 days prior to the expiration of the current rental agreement 7
and that any new terms and conditions of the proposed new rental 8
agreement are reasonable. This subsection (2)(k) does not apply to 9
tenants whose tenancies are or have become periodic;10
(l) ((The tenant continues in possession after having received at 11
least 30 days' advance written notice to vacate due to )) After 12
service of at least 30 days' written notice to vacate, and after the 13
tenant made intentional, knowing, and material misrepresentations or 14
omissions ((made)) on the tenant's application at the inception of 15
the tenancy that, had these misrepresentations or omissions not been 16
made, would have resulted in the landlord requesting additional 17
information or taking an adverse action; 18
(m) ((The tenant continues in possession after having received at 19
least 60 days' advance written notice to vacate for other good cause 20
prior to the end of the period or rental agreement and such )) After 21
written notice to vacate is served at least 60 days before the end of 22
the rental term or period, and the landlord has good cause for 23
eviction which constitutes a legitimate economic or business reason 24
not covered or related to a basis for ending the lease as enumerated 25
under this subsection (2). When the landlord relies on this basis for 26
ending the tenancy, the court may stay any writ of restitution for up 27
to 60 additional days for good cause shown, including difficulty 28
procuring alternative housing. The court must condition such a stay 29
upon the tenant's continued payment of rent during the stay period. 30
Upon granting such a stay, the court must award court costs and fees 31
as allowed under this chapter; 32
(n)(i) ((The tenant continues in possession after having received 33
at least 60 days' written notice to vacate prior to the end of the 34
period or rental agreement and )) After written notice to vacate is 35
served at least 60 days before the end of the rental term or period, 36
and the tenant has committed four or more of the following 37
violations, other than ones for monetary damages, within the 38
preceding 12-month period, the tenant has remedied or cured the 39
violation, and the landlord has provided the tenant a written warning 40
p. 15 HB 1915
notice at the time of each violation: A substantial breach of a 1
material program requirement of subsidized housing, a substantial 2
breach of a material term subscribed to by the tenant within the 3
lease or rental agreement, or a substantial breach of a tenant 4
obligation imposed by law; 5
(ii) Each written warning notice must: 6
(A) Specify the violation , including the relevant date and time 7
of the violation and the identities of the individuals involved;8
(B) Provide the tenant an opportunity to cure the violation;9
(C) State that the landlord may choose to end the tenancy at the 10
end of the rental term if there are four violations within a 12-month 11
period preceding the end of the term; and 12
(D) State that correcting the fourth or subsequent violation is 13
not a defense to the ending of the lease under this subsection;14
(iii) The 60-day notice to vacate must: 15
(A) State that the rental agreement will end upon the specified 16
ending date for the rental term or upon a designated date not less 17
than 60 days after the delivery of the notice, whichever is later;18
(B) Specify the reason for ending the lease and supporting facts; 19
and 20
(C) Be served to the tenant concurrent with or after the fourth 21
or subsequent written warning notice; 22
(iv) The notice under this subsection must include all notices 23
supporting the basis of ending the lease; 24
(v) Any notices asserted under this subsection must pertain to 25
four or more separate incidents or occurrences; and26
(vi) This subsection (2)(n) does not absolve a landlord from 27
demonstrating by admissible evidence that the four or more violations 28
constituted breaches under (b) of this subsection at the time of the 29
violation had the tenant not remedied or cured the violation . A 30
landlord must prove the violations alleged under each of the notices;31
(o) ((The tenant continues in possession after having received at 32
least 60 days' advance written notice to vacate prior to the end of 33
the rental period or rental agreement if )) After written notice to 34
vacate is served at least 60 days before the end of the rental term 35
or period, and after the tenant is required to register as a sex 36
offender during the tenancy, or after the tenant failed to disclose a 37
requirement to register as a sex offender to the property owner at 38
the beginning of the tenancy when such disclosure was required in the 39
p. 16 HB 1915
rental application or otherwise known ((to the property owner at the 1
beginning of the tenancy)); 2
(p) ((The tenant continues in possession after having received at 3
least 20 days' advance written notice to vacate prior to the end of 4
the rental period or rental agreement if )) After written notice to 5
vacate is served at least 20 days before the end of the rental term 6
or period, and after the tenant has made unwanted sexual advances or 7
other acts of sexual harassment directed at the property owner, 8
property manager, property employee, or another tenant based on the 9
person's race, gender, or other protected status in violation of any 10
covenant or term in the lease. For the purposes of this subsection, 11
"unlawful harassment" has the same meaning as in RCW 7.105.010.12
(3) When a tenant has permanently vacated due to voluntary or 13
involuntary events, other than by the ending of the tenancy by the 14
landlord, a landlord must serve a notice to any remaining occupants 15
who had coresided with the tenant at least six months prior to and up 16
to the time the tenant permanently vacated, requiring the occupants 17
to either apply to become a party to the rental agreement or vacate 18
within 30 days of service of such notice. In processing any 19
application from a remaining occupant under this subsection, the 20
landlord may require the occupant to meet the same screening, 21
background, and financial criteria as would any other prospective 22
tenant to continue the tenancy. If the occupant fails to apply within 23
30 days of receipt of the notice in this subsection, or the 24
application is denied for failure to meet the criteria, the landlord 25
may commence an unlawful detainer action under this chapter. If an 26
occupant becomes a party to the tenancy pursuant to this subsection, 27
a landlord may not end the tenancy except as provided under 28
subsection (2) of this section. This subsection does not apply to 29
tenants residing in subsidized housing. 30
(4) A landlord who removes a tenant or causes a tenant to be 31
removed from a dwelling in any way in violation of this section , or 32
attempts to remove a tenant from a dwelling in any way in violation 33
of this section, is liable to the tenant for wrongful eviction, or 34
for attempted wrongful eviction, and the tenant prevailing in such an 35
action is entitled to the greater of their economic and noneconomic 36
damages or three times the monthly rent of the dwelling at issue, or 37
any other relief the court deems appropriate and reasonable 38
attorneys' fees and court costs. In determining attempts to 39
wrongfully evict, the court may consider the following enumerated 40
p. 17 HB 1915
factors: Threats to terminate utilities; acts of terminating 1
utilities; a predatory rent increase; threats or acts of harm or 2
violence to the tenant or tenant's family, pets, or belongings; 3
coercive words or actions; and any other facts brought before the 4
court. 5
(5) Nothing in subsection (2)(d), (e), or (f) of this section 6
permits a landlord to end a tenancy for a specified period before the 7
completion of the term unless the landlord and the tenant mutually 8
consent, in writing, to ending the tenancy early and the tenant is 9
afforded at least 60 days to vacate. 10
(6) All written notices required under subsection (2) of this 11
section must: 12
(a) Be served in a manner consistent with RCW 59.12.040; and13
(b) Identify the facts and circumstances known and available to 14
the landlord at the time of the issuance of the notice that support 15
the cause or causes with enough specificity so as to enable the 16
tenant to respond and prepare a defense to any incidents alleged. The 17
landlord may present additional facts and circumstances regarding the 18
allegations within the notice if such evidence was unknown or 19
unavailable at the time of the issuance of the notice.20
(7) It is an affirmative defense to any unlawful detainer action 21
brought for a cause listed under subsection (2) of this section that 22
the landlord failed to provide reasonable accommodations for the 23
tenant's disability as required by federal or state law.24
Sec. 3. RCW 59.20.080 and 2024 c 325 s 5 are each amended to 25
read as follows: 26
(1) A landlord shall not terminate or fail to renew a tenancy of 27
a tenant or the occupancy of an occupant, of whatever duration except 28
for one or more of the following reasons: 29
(a) In accordance with RCW 59.20.045(6), substantial violation, 30
or repeated or periodic violations, of an enforceable rule of the 31
mobile home park as established by the landlord at the inception of 32
or during the tenancy or for violation of the tenant's duties as 33
provided in RCW 59.20.140. The tenant shall be given written notice 34
to cease the rule violation immediately. The notice shall state that 35
failure to cease the violation of the rule or any subsequent 36
violation of that or any other rule shall result in termination of 37
the tenancy, and that the tenant shall vacate the premises within 20 38
days: PROVIDED, That for a periodic violation the notice shall also 39
p. 18 HB 1915
specify that repetition of the same violation shall result in 1
termination: PROVIDED FURTHER, That in the case of a violation of a 2
"material change" in park rules with respect to pets, tenants with 3
minor children living with them, or recreational facilities, the 4
tenant shall be given written notice under this chapter of a six 5
month period in which to comply or vacate; 6
(b) Nonpayment of rent or other charges specified in the rental 7
agreement, upon 14 days written notice to pay rent and/or other 8
charges or to vacate; 9
(c) Conviction of the tenant of a crime, commission of which 10
threatens the health, safety, or welfare of the other mobile home 11
park tenants. The tenant shall be given written notice of a 15-day 12
period in which to vacate; 13
(d) Failure of the tenant to comply with local ordinances and 14
state laws and regulations relating to mobile homes, manufactured 15
homes, or park models or mobile home, manufactured homes, or park 16
model living within a reasonable time after the tenant's receipt of 17
notice of such noncompliance from the appropriate governmental 18
agency; 19
(e) Change of land use of the mobile home park including, but not 20
limited to, closure of the mobile home park or conversion to a use 21
other than for mobile homes, manufactured homes, or park models or 22
conversion of the mobile home park to a mobile home park cooperative 23
or mobile home park subdivision. The landlord shall give the tenants 24
two years' notice, in the form of a closure notice meeting the 25
requirements of RCW 59.21.030, in advance of the effective date of 26
such change. The two-year closure notice requirement does not apply 27
if: 28
(i) The mobile home park or manufactured housing community has 29
been acquired for or is under imminent threat of condemnation;30
(ii) The mobile home park or manufactured housing community is 31
sold or transferred to a county in order to reduce conflicting 32
residential uses near a military installation; 33
(iii) The mobile home park or manufactured housing community is 34
sold to an eligible organization; 35
(iv) The landlord provides relocation assistance of at least 36
$15,000 for a multisection home or of at least $10,000 for a single 37
section home, establishes a simple, straightforward, and timely 38
process for compensating the tenants for the loss of their homes and 39
actually compensates the tenants for the loss of their homes, at the 40
p. 19 HB 1915
greater of 50 percent of their assessed market value in the tax year 1
prior to the notice of closure being issued, or $5,000, at any point 2
during the closure notice period and prior to a change of use or sale 3
of the property. At such time as the compensation is paid, the tenant 4
shall be given written notice of at least 12 months in which to 5
vacate that includes department of commerce contact information, as 6
provided by the department of commerce, identifying financial and 7
technical assistance programs available to support eligible tenant 8
relocation activities, and the tenant shall continue to pay rent for 9
as much time as he or she remains in the mobile home park or 10
manufactured housing community. Nothing in this subsection (1)(e)(iv) 11
prevents a tenant from relocating his or her home out of the mobile 12
home park or manufactured housing community pursuant to chapter 59.21 13
RCW. In the event that a home remains in the mobile home park or 14
manufactured housing community after a tenant vacates, the landlord 15
shall be responsible for its demolition or disposal. A landlord is 16
still eligible for demolition and disposal costs pursuant to RCW 17
59.21.021. Homeowners who receive payments or financial assistance 18
from landlords as described in this subsection (1)(e)(iv) remain 19
eligible to receive other state assistance for which they may be 20
eligible including, but not limited to, relocation assistance funds 21
pursuant to RCW 59.21.021; or 22
(v) The landlord provides relocation assistance of at least 23
$15,000 for a multisection home and of at least $10,000 for a single 24
section home at any point during the closure notice period and prior 25
to a change of use or sale of the property. At such time as the 26
assistance is paid, the tenant shall be given written notice of at 27
least 18 months in which to vacate that includes department of 28
commerce contact information, as provided by the department of 29
commerce, identifying financial and technical assistance programs 30
available to support eligible tenant relocation activities, and the 31
tenant shall continue to pay rent for as much time as he or she 32
remains in the mobile home park or manufactured housing community. 33
Nothing in this subsection (1)(e)(v) prevents a tenant from 34
relocating his or her home out of the mobile home park or 35
manufactured housing community pursuant to chapter 59.21 RCW. In the 36
event that a home remains in the mobile home park or manufactured 37
housing community after a tenant vacates, the landlord shall be 38
responsible for its demolition or disposal. A landlord is still 39
eligible for demolition and disposal costs pursuant to RCW 59.21.021. 40
p. 20 HB 1915
Homeowners who receive payments or financial assistance from 1
landlords as described in this subsection (1)(e)(v) remain eligible 2
to receive other state assistance for which they may be eligible 3
including, but not limited to, relocation assistance funds pursuant 4
to RCW 59.21.021; 5
(f) Engaging in "criminal activity." "Criminal activity" means a 6
criminal act defined by statute or ordinance that threatens the 7
health, safety, or welfare of the tenants. A park owner seeking to 8
evict a tenant or occupant under this subsection need not produce 9
evidence of a criminal conviction, even if the alleged misconduct 10
constitutes a criminal offense. Notice from a law enforcement agency 11
of criminal activity constitutes sufficient grounds, but not the only 12
grounds, for an eviction under this subsection. Notification of the 13
seizure of illegal drugs under RCW 59.20.155 is evidence of criminal 14
activity and is grounds for an eviction under this subsection. The 15
requirement that any tenant or occupant register as a sex offender 16
under RCW 9A.44.130 is grounds for eviction of the sex offender under 17
this subsection. If criminal activity is alleged to be a basis of 18
termination, the park owner may proceed directly to an unlawful 19
detainer action; 20
(g) The tenant's application for tenancy contained a material 21
misstatement that induced the park owner to approve the tenant as a 22
resident of the park, and the park owner discovers and acts upon the 23
misstatement within one year of the time the resident began paying 24
rent; 25
(h) If the landlord serves a tenant three 20-day notices, each of 26
which was valid under (a) of this subsection at the time of service, 27
within a 12-month period to comply or vacate for failure to comply 28
with the material terms of the rental agreement or an enforceable 29
park rule, other than failure to pay rent by the due date. The 30
applicable 12-month period shall commence on the date of the first 31
violation; 32
(i) Failure of the tenant to comply with obligations imposed upon 33
tenants by applicable provisions of municipal, county, and state 34
codes, statutes, ordinances, and regulations, including this chapter. 35
The landlord shall give the tenant written notice to comply 36
immediately. The notice must state that failure to comply will result 37
in termination of the tenancy and that the tenant shall vacate the 38
premises within 15 days; 39
p. 21 HB 1915
(j) The tenant engages in disorderly or substantially annoying 1
conduct upon the park premises that results in the destruction of the 2
rights of others to the peaceful enjoyment and use of the premises. 3
The landlord shall give the tenant written notice to comply 4
immediately. The notice must state that failure to comply will result 5
in termination of the tenancy and that the tenant shall vacate the 6
premises within 15 days; 7
(k) The tenant creates a nuisance that materially affects the 8
health, safety, and welfare of other park residents. The landlord 9
shall give the tenant written notice to cease the conduct that 10
constitutes a nuisance immediately. The notice must describe the 11
nuisance and state (i) what the tenant must do to cease the nuisance 12
and (ii) that failure to cease the conduct will result in termination 13
of the tenancy and that the tenant shall vacate the premises in five 14
days; 15
(l) Any other substantial just cause that materially affects the 16
health, safety, and welfare of other park residents. The landlord 17
shall give the tenant written notice to comply immediately. The 18
notice must describe the harm caused by the tenant, describe what the 19
tenant must do to comply and to discontinue the harm, and state that 20
failure to comply will result in termination of the tenancy and that 21
the tenant shall vacate the premises within 15 days; or22
(m) Failure to pay rent by the due date provided for in the 23
rental agreement three or more times in a 12-month period, commencing 24
with the date of the first violation, after service of a 14-day 25
notice to comply or vacate. 26
(2) Within five days of a notice of eviction as required by 27
subsection (1)(a) of this section, the landlord and tenant shall 28
submit any dispute to mediation. The parties may agree in writing to 29
mediation by an independent third party or through industry mediation 30
procedures. If the parties cannot agree, then mediation shall be 31
through industry mediation procedures. A duty is imposed upon both 32
parties to participate in the mediation process in good faith for a 33
period of 10 days for an eviction under subsection (1)(a) of this 34
section. It is a defense to an eviction under subsection (1)(a) of 35
this section that a landlord did not participate in the mediation 36
process in good faith. 37
(3) Except for a tenant evicted under subsection (1)(c) or (f) of 38
this section, a tenant evicted from a mobile home park under this 39
section shall be allowed 120 days within which to sell the tenant's 40
p. 22 HB 1915
mobile home, manufactured home, or park model in place within the 1
mobile home park: PROVIDED, That the tenant remains current in the 2
payment of rent incurred after eviction, and pays any past due rent, 3
reasonable attorneys' fees and court costs at the time the rental 4
agreement is assigned. The provisions of RCW 59.20.073 regarding 5
transfer of rental agreements apply. 6
(4) Chapters 59.12 and 59.18 RCW govern the eviction of 7
recreational vehicles, as defined in RCW 59.20.030, from mobile home 8
parks. This chapter governs the eviction of mobile homes, 9
manufactured homes, park models, and recreational vehicles used as a 10
primary residence from a mobile home park. 11
(5) It is an affirmative defense to any unlawful detainer action 12
brought for a cause listed under subsection (1) of this section that 13
the landlord failed to provide reasonable accommodations for the 14
tenant's disability as required by federal or state law.15
Sec. 4. RCW 59.18.410 and 2023 c 336 s 2 are each amended to 16
read as follows: 17
(1) If at trial the verdict of the jury or, if the case is tried 18
without a jury, the finding of the court is in favor of the landlord 19
and against the tenant, judgment shall be entered for the restitution 20
of the premises; and if the proceeding is for unlawful detainer after 21
neglect or failure to perform any condition or covenant of a lease or 22
agreement under which the property is held, or after default in the 23
payment of rent, the judgment shall also declare the forfeiture of 24
the lease, agreement, or tenancy. The jury, or the court, if the 25
proceedings are tried without a jury, shall also assess the damages 26
arising out of the tenancy occasioned to the landlord by any forcible 27
entry, or by any forcible or unlawful detainer, alleged in the 28
complaint and proved at trial, and, if the alleged unlawful detainer 29
is based on default in the payment of rent, find the amount of any 30
rent due, and the judgment shall be rendered against the tenant 31
liable for the forcible entry, forcible detainer, or unlawful 32
detainer for the amount of damages thus assessed, for the rent, if 33
any, found due, and late fees if such fees are due under the lease 34
and do not exceed $75 in total. The landlord is not entitled to a 35
judgment for rent unless the basis for the unlawful detainer action 36
was nonpayment of rent. The court may award statutory costs. The 37
court may also award reasonable attorneys' fees as provided in RCW 38
59.18.290. 39
p. 23 HB 1915
(2) When the tenant is liable for unlawful detainer after a 1
default in the payment of rent, execution upon the judgment shall not 2
occur until the expiration of five court days after the entry of the 3
judgment. Before entry of a judgment or until five court days have 4
expired after entry of the judgment, unless the tenant provides a 5
pledge of financial assistance letter from a government or nonprofit 6
entity, in which case the tenant has until the date of eviction, the 7
tenant or any subtenant, or any mortgagee of the term, or other party 8
interested in the continuance of the tenancy, may pay into court or 9
to the landlord the amount of the rent due, any court costs incurred 10
at the time of payment, late fees if such fees are due under the 11
lease and do not exceed $75 in total, and attorneys' fees if awarded, 12
in which event any judgment entered shall be satisfied and the tenant 13
restored to his or her tenancy. If the tenant seeks to restore his or 14
her tenancy after entry of a judgment, the tenant may tender the 15
amount stated within the judgment as long as that amount does not 16
exceed the amount authorized under subsection (1) of this section. If 17
a tenant seeks to restore his or her tenancy and pay the amount set 18
forth in this subsection with funds acquired through an emergency 19
rental assistance program provided by a governmental or nonprofit 20
entity, the tenant shall provide a copy of the pledge of emergency 21
rental assistance provided from the appropriate governmental or 22
nonprofit entity and have an opportunity to exercise such rights 23
under this subsection, which may include a stay of judgment and 24
provision by the landlord of documentation necessary for processing 25
the assistance. The landlord shall accept any pledge of emergency 26
rental assistance funds provided to the tenant from a governmental or 27
nonprofit entity before the expiration of any pay or vacate notice 28
for nonpayment of rent for the full amount of the rent owing under 29
the rental agreement. The landlord shall accept any written pledge of 30
emergency rental assistance funds provided to the tenant from a 31
governmental or nonprofit entity after the expiration of the pay or 32
vacate notice if the pledge will contribute to the total payment of 33
both the amount of rent due, including any current rent, and other 34
amounts if required under this subsection. The landlord shall suspend 35
any court action for 14 court days after providing necessary payment 36
information to the nonprofit or governmental entity to allow for 37
payment of the emergency rental assistance funds. ((By accepting such 38
pledge of emergency rental assistance, the landlord is not required 39
to enter into any additional conditions not related to the provision 40
p. 24 HB 1915
of necessary payment information and documentation. )) A governmental 1
or nonprofit entity administering emergency rental assistance funds 2
may not require a landlord to accept any conditions that conflict 3
with this chapter in order to receive the emergency rental assistance 4
funds. If a judgment has been satisfied, the landlord shall file a 5
satisfaction of judgment with the court. A tenant seeking to exercise 6
rights under this subsection shall pay an additional $50 for each 7
time the tenant was reinstated after judgment pursuant to this 8
subsection within the previous 12 months prior to payment. If payment 9
of the amount specified in this subsection is not made within five 10
court days after the entry of the judgment, the judgment may be 11
enforced for its full amount and for the possession of the premises.12
(3)(a) Following the entry of a judgment in favor of the landlord 13
and against the tenant for the restitution of the premises and 14
forfeiture of the tenancy due to nonpayment of rent, the court, at 15
the time of the show cause hearing or trial, or upon subsequent 16
motion of the tenant but before the execution of the writ of 17
restitution, may stay the writ of restitution upon good cause and on 18
such terms that the court deems fair and just for both parties. In 19
making this decision, the court shall consider evidence of the 20
following factors: 21
(i) The tenant's willful or intentional default or intentional 22
failure to pay rent; 23
(ii) Whether nonpayment of the rent was caused by exigent 24
circumstances that were beyond the tenant's control and that are not 25
likely to recur; 26
(iii) The tenant's ability to timely pay the judgment;27
(iv) The tenant's payment history; 28
(v) Whether the tenant is otherwise in substantial compliance 29
with the rental agreement; 30
(vi) Hardship on the tenant if evicted; and 31
(vii) Conduct related to other notices served within the last six 32
months. 33
(b) The burden of proof for such relief under this subsection (3) 34
shall be on the tenant. If the tenant seeks relief pursuant to this 35
subsection (3) at the time of the show cause hearing, the court shall 36
hear the matter at the time of the show cause hearing or as 37
expeditiously as possible so as to avoid unnecessary delay or 38
hardship on the parties. 39
(c) In any order issued pursuant to this subsection (3):40
p. 25 HB 1915
(i) The court shall not stay the writ of restitution more than 1
((90 days )) six months from the date of order, but may order 2
repayment of the judgment balance within such time. ((If the payment 3
plan is to exceed 30 days, the total cumulative payments for each 30-4
day period following the order shall be no less than one month of the 5
tenant's share of the rent, and the total amount of the judgment and 6
all additional rent that is due shall be paid within 90 days )) The 7
court may order a repayment plan in which the minimum monthly 8
repayment amount is $100 per month. However, the court may grant a 9
repayment plan with a higher monthly repayment amount, not to exceed 10
one month's rent, as necessary to achieve repayment on the back-owed 11
rent within six months. Following a hearing on repayment, the court 12
shall order the issuance of a writ or the expiration of a stay if the 13
court determines that repayment is not possible because the back-owed 14
balance exceeds six months' rent, unless the court determines that 15
rental assistance will be available and may satisfy the balance in a 16
repayment period of less than six months. If the court ordered a 17
judgment that included fees and costs, including late fees, or 18
reserved judgment on such issues, the court shall not include such 19
fees in the repayment plan amount. The repayment plan described in 20
this section shall only apply to back-owed rent. If a tenant 21
successfully repays under this section, the court shall sign an order 22
waiving any fees and costs. If a tenant defaults on a repayment plan 23
under this section, the court may award fees and costs, including 24
late fees, to the landlord. 25
(ii) Within any payment plan ordered by the court, the court 26
shall require the tenant to pay to the landlord or to the court one 27
month's rent within five court days of issuance of the order. If the 28
date of the order is on or before the 15th of the month, the tenant 29
shall remain current with ongoing rental payments as they become due 30
for the duration of the payment plan; if the date of the order is 31
after the 15th of the month, the tenant shall have the option to 32
apportion the following month's rental payment within the payment 33
plan, but monthly rental payments thereafter shall be paid according 34
to the rental agreement. 35
(iii) The sheriff may serve the writ of restitution upon the 36
tenant before the expiration of the five court days of issuance of 37
the order; however, the sheriff shall not execute the writ of 38
restitution until after expiration of the five court days in order 39
for payment to be made of one month's rent as required by (c)(ii) of 40
p. 26 HB 1915
this subsection. In the event payment is made as provided in (c)(ii) 1
of this subsection for one month's rent, the court shall stay the 2
writ of restitution ex parte without prior notice to the landlord 3
upon the tenant filing and presenting a motion to stay with a 4
declaration of proof of payment demonstrating full compliance with 5
the required payment of one month's rent. Any order staying the writ 6
of restitution under this subsection (3)(c)(iii) shall require the 7
tenant to serve a copy of the order on the landlord by personal 8
delivery, first-class mail, facsimile, or email if agreed to by the 9
parties. 10
(A) If the tenant has satisfied (c)(ii) of this subsection by 11
paying one month's rent within five court days, but defaults on a 12
subsequent payment required by the court pursuant to this subsection 13
(3)(c), the landlord may enforce the writ of restitution after 14
serving a notice of default in accordance with RCW 59.12.040 15
informing the tenant that he or she has defaulted on rent due under 16
the lease agreement or payment plan entered by the court. Upon 17
service of the notice of default, the tenant shall have three 18
calendar days from the date of service to vacate the premises before 19
the sheriff may execute the writ of restitution. 20
(B) If the landlord serves the notice of default described under 21
this subsection (3)(c)(iii), an additional day is not included in 22
calculating the time before the sheriff may execute the writ of 23
restitution. The notice of default must be in substantially the 24
following form: 25
NOTICE OF DEFAULT FOR RENT AND/OR PAYMENT PLAN ORDERED BY COURT26
NAME(S)27
ADDRESS 28
CITY, STATE, ZIP 29
THIS IS NOTICE THAT YOU ARE IN DEFAULT OF YOUR RENT AND/OR 30
PAYMENT PLAN ORDERED BY THE COURT. YOUR LANDLORD HAS RECEIVED THE 31
FOLLOWING PAYMENTS: 32
DATE 33
AMOUNT 34
DATE 35
AMOUNT 36
DATE 37
AMOUNT 38
p. 27 HB 1915
THE LANDLORD MAY SCHEDULE YOUR PHYSICAL EVICTION WITHIN THREE 1
CALENDAR DAYS OF SERVICE OF THIS NOTICE. TO STOP A PHYSICAL 2
EVICTION, YOU ARE REQUIRED TO PAY THE BALANCE OF YOUR RENT AND/OR 3
PAYMENT PLAN IN THE AMOUNT OF $. . . . .. 4
PAYMENT MAY BE MADE TO THE COURT OR TO THE LANDLORD. IF YOU FAIL 5
TO PAY THE BALANCE WITHIN THREE CALENDAR DAYS, THE LANDLORD MAY 6
PROCEED WITH A PHYSICAL EVICTION FOR POSSESSION OF THE UNIT THAT 7
YOU ARE RENTING. 8
DATE 9
SIGNATURE 10
LANDLORD/AGENT 11
NAME 12
ADDRESS 13
PHONE 14
(iv) If a tenant seeks to satisfy a condition of this subsection 15
(3)(c) by relying on an emergency rental assistance program provided 16
by a government or nonprofit entity and provides an offer of proof, 17
the court shall stay the writ of restitution as necessary to afford 18
the tenant an equal opportunity to comply. 19
(v) The court shall extend the writ of restitution as necessary 20
to enforce the order issued pursuant to this subsection (3)(c) in the 21
event of default. 22
(d) A tenant who has been served with three or more notices to 23
pay or vacate for failure to pay rent as set forth in RCW 59.12.040 24
within twelve months prior to the notice to pay or vacate upon which 25
the proceeding is based may not seek relief under this subsection 26
(3), unless the court determines any of the notices served were 27
invalid or did not otherwise comply with the requirements of this 28
chapter. 29
(e)(i) In any application seeking relief pursuant to this 30
subsection (3) by either the tenant or landlord, the court shall 31
issue a finding as to whether the tenant is low-income, limited 32
resourced, or experiencing hardship to determine if the parties would 33
be eligible for disbursement through the landlord mitigation program 34
account established within RCW 43.31.605(1)(b). In making this 35
finding, the court may include an inquiry regarding the tenant's 36
income relative to area median income, household composition, any 37
extenuating circumstances, or other factors, and may rely on written 38
declarations or oral testimony by the parties at the hearing.39
p. 28 HB 1915
(ii) After a finding that the tenant is low-income, limited 1
resourced, or experiencing hardship, the court may issue an order: 2
(A) Finding that the landlord is eligible to receive on behalf of the 3
tenant and may apply for reimbursement from the landlord mitigation 4
program; and (B) directing the clerk to remit, without further order 5
of the court, any future payments made by the tenant in order to 6
reimburse the department of commerce pursuant to RCW 7
43.31.605(1)(b)(iii). In accordance with RCW 43.31.605(1)(b), such an 8
order must be accompanied by a copy of the order staying the writ of 9
restitution. Nothing in this subsection (3)(e) shall be deemed to 10
obligate the department of commerce to provide assistance in claim 11
reimbursement through the landlord mitigation program if there are 12
not sufficient funds. 13
(iii) If the department of commerce fails to disburse payment to 14
the landlord for the judgment pursuant to this subsection (3)(e) 15
within 30 days from submission of the application, the landlord may 16
renew an application for a writ of restitution pursuant to RCW 17
59.18.370 and for other rent owed by the tenant since the time of 18
entry of the prior judgment. In such event, the tenant may exercise 19
rights afforded under this section. 20
(iv) Upon payment by the department of commerce to the landlord 21
for the remaining or total amount of the judgment, as applicable, the 22
judgment is satisfied and the landlord shall file a satisfaction of 23
judgment with the court. 24
(v) Nothing in this subsection (3)(e) prohibits the landlord from 25
otherwise applying for reimbursement for an unpaid judgment pursuant 26
to RCW 43.31.605(1)(b) after the tenant defaults on a payment plan 27
ordered pursuant to (c) of this subsection. 28
(vi) If a tenant demonstrates an ability to pay in order to 29
reinstate the tenancy by means of disbursement through the landlord 30
mitigation program account established within RCW 43.31.605(1)(b):31
(A) Any restrictions imposed under (d) of this subsection do not 32
apply in determining if a tenant is eligible for reinstatement under 33
this subsection (3); and 34
(B) Reimbursement on behalf of the tenant to the landlord under 35
RCW 43.31.605(1)(b) may include up to three months of prospective 36
rent to stabilize the tenancy as determined by the court.37
(4) If a tenant seeks to stay a writ of restitution issued 38
pursuant to this chapter, the court may issue an ex parte stay of the 39
writ of restitution provided the tenant or tenant's attorney submits 40
p. 29 HB 1915
a declaration indicating good faith efforts were made to notify the 1
other party or, if no efforts were made, why notice could not be 2
provided prior to the application for an ex parte stay, and 3
describing the immediate or irreparable harm that may result if an 4
immediate stay is not granted. The court shall require service of the 5
order and motion to stay the writ of restitution by personal 6
delivery, mail, facsimile, or other means most likely to afford all 7
parties notice of the court date. 8
(5) In all other cases the judgment may be enforced immediately. 9
If a writ of restitution shall have been executed prior to judgment 10
no further writ or execution for the premises shall be required.11
(6) This section also applies if the writ of restitution is 12
issued pursuant to a final judgment entered after a show cause 13
hearing conducted in accordance with RCW 59.18.380.14
Sec. 5. RCW 59.18.057 and 2023 c 336 s 3 are each amended to 15
read as follows: 16
(1) Every 14-day notice served pursuant to RCW 59.12.030(3) must 17
be in substantially the following form: 18
19 "TO:
20 AND TO:
21 ADDRESS:
FOURTEEN-DAY NOTICE TO PAY RENT OR VACATE THE PREMISES22
You are receiving this notice because the landlord alleges you 23
are not in compliance with the terms of the lease agreement by 24
failing to pay rent and/or utilities and/or recurring or periodic 25
charges that are past due. 26
(1) Monthly rent due for (list month(s)): $ (dollar amount)27
AND/OR28
(2) Utilities due for (list month(s)): $ (dollar amount)29
AND/OR30
(3) Other recurring or periodic charges identified in the lease 31
for (list month(s)): $ (dollar amount)32
TOTAL AMOUNT DUE: $ (dollar amount)33
Note - payment must be made pursuant to the terms of the rental 34
agreement or by nonelectronic means including, but not limited to, 35
cashier's check, money order, or other certified funds.36
p. 30 HB 1915
You must pay the total amount due to your landlord within 1
fourteen (14) days after service of this notice or you must vacate 2
the premises. Any payment you make to the landlord must first be 3
applied to the total amount due as shown on this notice. Any failure 4
to comply with this notice within fourteen (14) days after service of 5
this notice may result in a judicial proceeding that leads to your 6
eviction from the premises. 7
The Washington state Office of the Attorney General has this 8
notice in multiple languages as well as information on available 9
resources to help you pay your rent, including state and local rental 10
assistance programs, on its website at www.atg.wa.gov/landlord-11
tenant. 12
State law provides you the right to legal representation and the 13
court may be able to appoint a lawyer to represent you without cost 14
to you if you are a qualifying low-income renter. If you believe you 15
are a qualifying low-income renter and would like an attorney 16
appointed to represent you, please contact the Eviction Defense 17
Screening Line at 855-657-8387 or apply online at https://18
nwjustice.org/apply-online. For additional resources, call 2-1-1 or 19
the Northwest Justice Project CLEAR Hotline outside King County (888) 20
201-1014 weekdays between 9:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m., or (888) 387-7111 21
for seniors (age 60 and over). You may find additional information to 22
help you at http://www.washingtonlawhelp.org. ((Free or low-cost 23
mediation services to assist in nonpayment of rent disputes before 24
any judicial proceedings occur are also available at dispute 25
resolution centers throughout the state. You can find your nearest 26
dispute resolution center at https://www.resolutionwa.org.))27
State law also provides you the right to receive interpreter 28
services at court.29
30
OWNER/LANDLORD:___________DATE:______________ 31
32
WHERE TOTAL AMOUNT DUE IS TO BE PAID: ___(owner/landlord name)___33
___________(address)________" 34
(2) The form required in this section does not abrogate any 35
additional notice requirements to tenants as required by federal, 36
state, or local law. 37
p. 31 HB 1915
Sec. 6. RCW 59.18.365 and 2021 c 115 s 11 are each amended to 1
read as follows: 2
(1) The summons must contain the names of the parties to the 3
proceeding, the attorney or attorneys if any, the court in which the 4
same is brought, the nature of the action, in concise terms, and the 5
relief sought, and also the return day; and must notify the defendant 6
to appear and answer within the time designated or that the relief 7
sought will be taken against him or her. The summons must contain a 8
street address for service of the notice of appearance or answer and, 9
if available, a facsimile number for the plaintiff or the plaintiff's 10
attorney, if represented. The summons must be served and returned in 11
the same manner as a summons in other actions is served and returned.12
(2) A defendant may serve a copy of an answer or notice of 13
appearance by any of the following methods: 14
(a) By delivering a copy of the answer or notice of appearance to 15
the person who signed the summons at the street address listed on the 16
summons; 17
(b) By mailing a copy of the answer or notice of appearance 18
addressed to the person who signed the summons to the street address 19
listed on the summons; 20
(c) By facsimile to the facsimile number listed on the summons. 21
Service by facsimile is complete upon successful transmission to the 22
facsimile number listed upon the summons; 23
(d) As otherwise authorized by the superior court civil rules.24
(3) The summons for unlawful detainer actions for tenancies 25
covered by this chapter shall be substantially in the following form:26
IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE 27
STATE OF WASHINGTON 28
IN AND 29
FOR . . . . . . COUNTY 30
p. 32 HB 1915
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Plaintiff/
Landlord/
Owner,







NO.
8
9
vs. EVICTION SUMMONS
(Residential)
10
11
12
Defendant/
Tenant/
Occupant.
THIS IS AN IMPORTANT LEGAL DOCUMENT TO EVICT YOU.13
YOUR WRITTEN14
RESPONSE MUST BE RECEIVED BY: 5:00 p.m., on . . . . . . . . .15
TO: . . . . . . . . . . . . (Defendant's Name) 16
. . . . . . . . . . . . (Defendant's Address) 17
GET HELP: If you do not respond by the deadline above, you will 18
lose your right to defend yourself or be represented by a lawyer if 19
you cannot afford one in court and could be evicted. The court may be 20
able to appoint a lawyer to represent you without cost to you if you 21
are low-income and are unable to afford a lawyer. If you believe you 22
are a qualifying low-income renter and would like an attorney 23
appointed to represent you, please contact the Eviction Defense 24
Screening Line at 855-657-8387 or apply online at https://25
nwjustice.org/apply-online. For additional resources, you may call 26
2-1-1 or the Northwest Justice Project CLEAR Hotline outside King 27
County (888) 201-1014 weekdays between 9:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m., or 28
(888) 387-7111 for seniors (age 60 and over). You may find additional 29
information to help you at http://www.washingtonlawhelp.org. ((Free 30
or low-cost mediation services to assist in nonpayment of rent 31
disputes before any judicial proceedings occur are also available at 32
dispute resolution centers throughout the state. You can find your 33
nearest dispute resolution center at https://www.resolutionwa.org.))34
HOW TO RESPOND: Phone calls to your Landlord or your Landlord's 35
lawyer are not a response. You may respond with a "notice of 36
appearance." This is a letter that includes the following:37
(1) A statement that you are appearing in the court case38
p. 33 HB 1915
(2) Names of the landlord(s) and the tenant(s) (as listed above)1
(3) Your name, your address where legal documents may be sent, 2
your signature, phone number (if any), and case number (if the case 3
is filed) 4
This case □ is / □ is not filed with the court. If this case is 5
filed, you need to also file your response with the court by 6
delivering a copy to the clerk of the court at: . . . . . . . . . . . 7
(Clerk's Office/Address/Room number/Business hours of court clerk)8
WHERE TO RESPOND: You must mail, fax, or hand deliver your 9
response letter to your Landlord's lawyer, or if no lawyer is named 10
in the complaint, to your Landlord. If you mail the response letter, 11
you must do it 3 days before the deadline above. Request receipt of a 12
proof of mailing from the post office. If you hand deliver or fax it, 13
you must do it by the deadline above. The address is:14
. . . . . . . . . (Attorney/Landlord Name) 15
. . . . . . . . . (Address)16
. . . . . . . . . (Fax - required if available)17
COURT DATE: If you respond to this Summons, you will be notified 18
of your hearing date in a document called an "Order to Show Cause." 19
This is usually mailed to you. If you get notice of a hearing, you 20
must go to the hearing . If you do not show up, your landlord can 21
evict you. Your landlord might also charge you more money. If you 22
move before the court date, you must tell your landlord or the 23
landlord's attorney. 24
Sec. 7. RCW 59.18.630 and 2021 c 115 s 4 are each amended to 25
read as follows: 26
(1) The eviction moratorium instituted by the governor of the 27
state of Washington's proclamation 20-19.6 shall end on June 30, 28
2021. 29
(2) If a tenant has remaining unpaid rent that accrued between 30
March 1, 2020, and six months following the expiration of the 31
eviction moratorium or the end of the public health emergency, 32
whichever is greater, the landlord must offer the tenant a reasonable 33
schedule for repayment of the unpaid rent that does not exceed 34
monthly payments equal to one-third of the monthly rental charges 35
during the period of accrued debt. If a tenant fails to accept the 36
terms of a reasonable repayment plan within 14 days of the landlord's 37
offer, the landlord may proceed with an unlawful detainer action as 38
set forth in RCW 59.12.030(3) ((but subject to any requirements under 39
p. 34 HB 1915
the eviction resolution pilot program established under RCW 1
59.18.660)). If the tenant defaults on any rent owed under a 2
repayment plan, the landlord may apply for reimbursement from the 3
landlord mitigation program as authorized under RCW 43.31.605(1)4
(((d))) (c) or proceed with an unlawful detainer action as set forth 5
in RCW 59.12.030(3) ((but subject to any requirements under the 6
eviction resolution pilot program established under RCW 59.18.660)). 7
The court must consider the tenant's circumstances, including 8
decreased income or increased expenses due to COVID-19, and the 9
repayment plan terms offered during any unlawful detainer proceeding.10
(3) Any repayment plan entered into under this section must:11
(a) Not require payment until 30 days after the repayment plan is 12
offered to the tenant; 13
(b) Cover rent only and not any late fees, attorneys' fees, or 14
any other fees and charges; 15
(c) Allow for payments from any source of income as defined in 16
RCW 59.18.255(5) or from pledges by nonprofit organizations, 17
churches, religious institutions, or governmental entities; and18
(d) Not include provisions or be conditioned on: The tenant's 19
compliance with the rental agreement, payment of attorneys' fees, 20
court costs, or other costs related to litigation if the tenant 21
defaults on the rental agreement; a requirement that the tenant apply 22
for governmental benefits or provide proof of receipt of governmental 23
benefits; or the tenant's waiver of any rights to a notice under RCW 24
59.12.030 or related provisions before a writ of restitution is 25
issued. 26
(4) It is a defense to an eviction under RCW 59.12.030(3) that a 27
landlord did not offer a repayment plan in conformity with this 28
section. 29
(5) To the extent available funds exist for rental assistance 30
from a federal, state, local, private, or nonprofit program, the 31
tenant or landlord may continue to seek rental assistance to reduce 32
and/or eliminate the unpaid rent balance. 33
NEW SECTION. Sec. 8. Section 1 of this act expires January 1, 34
2028.35
p. 35 HB 1915
NEW SECTION. Sec. 9. Section 2 of this act takes effect January 1
1, 2028.2
--- END ---
p. 36 HB 1915