Security Deposits in Washington

If you rent

When do I get my security deposit back?

Within 30 days after your rental agreement ends and you have moved out. By then the landlord must deliver a full and specific statement of the basis for keeping any part of the deposit, plus any refund you are owed. It counts as on time if it is handed to you or mailed first class to your last known address within the 30 days. At RPM Eclipse, the refund goes to the forwarding address you provide, and the move-out inspection happens once all your belongings are out and the home is fully cleaned. You are treated as still in possession until the keys, and the garage remote if there is one, are back at our office.

What can be deducted from my deposit?

Only what your written lease allows, and never wear from ordinary use of the home. Washington also bars three specific charges: carpet cleaning, unless the landlord documents carpet wear beyond ordinary use; repair or replacement of fixtures, appliances, or furnishings whose condition wasn’t reasonably documented on the move-in checklist; and more than the cost of fixing the damaged portion when only part of an item is damaged. For each damage charge, the statement has to include copies of the estimates or paid invoices. If the landlord’s own staff did the work, it has to list the time spent and the hourly rate. Unpaid rent or other charges you owe can also come out of the deposit.

Why does the move-in checklist matter, and should I take photos?

The checklist is the record that decides deposit disputes at move-out. Washington requires one whenever a deposit is collected, covering walls and paint, flooring, furniture, and appliances, signed and dated by you and the landlord, and you get a copy plus the right to one free replacement. A landlord can’t charge you to repair items whose condition wasn’t reasonably documented on it. Photos back up what the form says. RPM Eclipse asks residents to walk the home within 5 days of moving in and email a completed Inventory and Condition Form with photos. Photograph small things too: a scuffed baseboard is easy to forget two years later.

Where is my deposit kept while I live there?

In a trust account at a financial institution, or with a licensed escrow agent, located in Washington. The landlord must give you a written receipt and written notice of the depository’s name and address, and tell you if it changes. Unless your agreement says otherwise in writing, the landlord keeps any interest the account earns. If the home is sold or another landlord takes over during your tenancy, the deposit moves to the new landlord’s trust account and you must be told where it went. Your claim to the deposit comes ahead of the landlord’s creditors, even in bankruptcy.

Are move-in fees refundable?

A fee is refundable unless a written rental agreement clearly says it is nonrefundable. A nonrefundable fee also can’t be designated as a deposit or as part of one. If the agreement doesn’t specify that a fee is nonrefundable, Washington treats it as a refundable deposit, subject to the same checklist, trust account, and 30-day rules. If the landlord collected a nonrefundable fee with no written agreement at all, the landlord owes you that amount. At RPM Eclipse, the leasing fee is not refundable.

Can I pay my security deposit in installments?

Yes, in most cases, if you ask in writing. On a lease of three months or longer you can split deposits, nonrefundable fees, and last month’s rent into three equal monthly payments starting at move-in; on shorter terms, two. Each installment is due with rent, the schedule must be in writing and signed by both of you, and the landlord can’t charge a fee or interest for it. The one exception: the landlord can decline if deposits and fees total no more than 25% of the first month’s rent and last month’s rent isn’t collected up front. Eligible RPM Eclipse residents can also use Obligo, a cashless deposit alternative in the Resident Benefits Package.

If you own. Related: Repairs and maintenance

If you own

How does RPM Eclipse hold and document a tenant’s deposit?

RPM Eclipse collects the deposit with the other move-in funds when the lease is signed, and documents the home’s starting condition with written and photographic move-in inspections, room by room, before the tenant takes possession. The typical deposit is the first month’s rent, last month’s rent is not required, and applicants who don’t meet minimum requirements may be asked for a higher deposit. Washington law requires the deposit to sit in a trust account at a financial institution or licensed escrow agent in Washington, with a written receipt and depository notice to the tenant, and RPM Eclipse holds deposits in a compliant account and returns them within the state’s timeline with itemized deductions. Deposit management is part of full-service management.

How is the deposit settled when a tenant moves out?

RPM Eclipse inspects the home once the tenant’s belongings are out and the home is cleaned, and the tenancy is treated as ongoing until the keys come back to the office. The team then coordinates the move-out documentation and final accounting. Washington sets the content of the result: within 30 days, a full and specific statement of anything withheld, with copies of estimates received or invoices paid for each damage charge, and the balance refunded. When in-house staff do a repair, the statement lists their time and hourly rate, and materials need a bill, receipt, or vendor price list.

What happens when damage costs more than the deposit?

Washington lets a landlord pursue the tenant for damage beyond the deposit that the tenant is responsible for, along with reasonable attorneys’ fees. For rental agreements started on or after July 23, 2023, that lawsuit must be filed within three years of the tenancy ending or the tenant abandoning the home. Two limits apply first. Charges for ordinary wear, or charges not backed by the same documentation the deposit statement requires, can’t be billed to the tenant, reported to a credit or tenant screening agency or a prospective landlord, or sent to collections. That is why the move-in record and the invoices matter as much as the damage itself.

What can’t be deducted, even with a signed lease?

Wear resulting from ordinary use of the home, whatever the lease says. Beyond that, Washington bars carpet cleaning charges unless carpet wear beyond ordinary use is documented, charges to repair or replace fixtures, appliances, or furnishings whose condition wasn’t reasonably documented on the move-in checklist, and charges above the cost of repairing the damaged portion when only part of an item is damaged. Collecting a deposit with no move-in checklist makes the landlord liable to the tenant for the full deposit amount. The documentation rules don’t apply to amounts withheld for unpaid rent or other charges owed.

What is the risk of missing the 30-day deadline?

A landlord who misses it owes the tenant the full deposit. In the tenant’s suit to recover it, the landlord is also barred from raising any claim or defense for keeping any of it, unless circumstances beyond the landlord’s control prevented the statement or the tenant abandoned the home. For an intentional refusal to send the statement, documentation, or refund, a court may award up to two times the deposit. The prevailing party in that suit also recovers the cost of suit or arbitration, including reasonable attorneys’ fees. A late statement can cost the deposit even when the damage was real.

How does Obligo work for an owner?

Obligo lets eligible residents skip a traditional cash security deposit through a credit-based pre-authorization, and eligibility requirements apply. It is offered through the Resident Benefits Package, which is $35 a month and included with every lease, but Obligo is separate from the rest of the package. The package’s other benefits, including the Accidental Damage Benefit, are not insurance and do not reduce, replace, or satisfy a security deposit. Washington’s rule against charging tenants for ordinary wear applies whether or not a cash deposit was collected. Call (425) 209-0252 to ask how Obligo’s terms handle move-out charges for your home.

If you rent. Related: Rent increases

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