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Find The Answer To Your Washington Rental Questions

Washington law sets the rules for deposits, repairs, rent increases, and animals in rental homes, and each rule has a renter side and an owner side.

If you rent

Security deposits
Your deposit statement and any refund are due within 30 days after your lease ends and you move out. What can and can’t be deducted, and why your move-in checklist matters.

Repairs and maintenance
Repairs start within 24 hours for no heat, water, or power, 72 hours for major appliances and plumbing, and 10 days for everything else. How to request one and what counts as an emergency.

Rent increases
No increase in your first 12 months, 90 days’ written notice for any increase, and a cap of 9.683% for most homes in 2026 and 10% in 2027.

Pets and assistance animals
An assistance animal is allowed in a no-pets home as a reasonable accommodation, with no pet deposit. How requests work and how to find a pet-friendly rental.

Renters insurance
What “interested party” means on your policy, how to add us, and why the Resident Benefits Package doesn’t replace coverage.

Your benefits: Resident Benefits Package · Accidental Damage Benefit terms
Everyday tasks: Pay rent or request maintenance in the tenant portal · Tenant resources

If you own a rental

Security deposits
How deposits are held, documented at move-in, and settled within the 30-day window, and what happens when charges run past the deposit.

Repairs and maintenance
What we approve on your behalf, what comes to you first, and the repair deadlines Washington sets for every landlord.

Rent increases
Whether the rent cap covers your home, how exemptions work, and what the 90-day notice has to say.

Pets and assistance animals
Whether to allow pets, and what fair-housing law requires for assistance animals even in a no-pets home.

Renters insurance
Why leases require it, what listing the manager as an interested party does, and how it sits alongside your landlord policy.

More for owners: Managing a Seattle-area rental from out of state · Do real estate agents manage rentals? · Rules in your city · Our services

Talk to Our Team

Call (425) 209-0252. One number for our Bellevue and Bothell offices, with maintenance emergencies answered 24 hours a day.

General information about Washington law, not legal advice. Your lease and your situation may add details.

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