Landlords may be surprised to learn that our Washington State lawmakers just made some pretty dramatic changes to landlord-tenant law and tenant rights in our state. Here’s a summary of some of the recent updates to Washington’s landlord-tenant laws:

1.  Starting July 27, 2019, landlords are required to give tenants at least 60 days of notice before raising rents, for any lease longer than 30 days.
2. If a landlord wants to evict a tenant based on unpaid or overdue rent, they must now give at least 14 days of notice, instead of the previously required three-day notice.
3. For month-to-month renters, except in specific circumstances, a landlord can still end tenancy with just 20 days of notice.
4. The new notice to vacate must contain certain specific information about low-cost legal help through the office of the Attorney General, in multiple languages.
5. Landlords will have to give renters at least 120 days of notice if a rental is being cleared for demolition, major rehabilitation, or because of a change in the rental’s use.
6. Under the old law, tenants would need to appear in court prior to the court approving a final order for eviction. Under the new Washington State law, when a landlord obtains a judgment authorizing the eviction of a tenant for nonpayment of rent, the tenant may apply to the court at any time prior to the actual eviction to stop the eviction. This could mean that even if a landlord is granted an eviction order by the court, the tenant could still get to stay, if their win their appeal.