How to Give a Proper WA Rent Increase Notice

ByWashington Landlords

Washington Landlords is a free resource from VerraTerra Property Management. VerraTerra is a property management company, not a law firm, and we are not lawyers.

Last reviewed: October 17, 2026

Our rent increase cap guide covers how much you can raise rent. This guide covers how you give the increase: how much notice, which form, what goes in it, and how to deliver it.

A notice can be wrong even when the amount is right. A tenant or the Attorney General can sue over a notice that breaks the notice-period or form rules, not just over an increase above the cap (RCW 59.18.700(5)).

These rules are statewide unless marked otherwise. Many other cities have their own rules. Seattle and Tacoma require 180 days for any increase, and several other cities use tiered notice, where a bigger increase needs longer notice. See “Seattle and other local rules” below.

How much notice you must give (statewide)

Most residential rentals: at least 90 days. A landlord “shall provide a minimum of 90 days’ prior written notice of an increase in the amount of rent to each affected tenant” (RCW 59.18.140(3)(a)). This applies to any increase, large or small.

Fixed-term leases: not before the term ends. Under the same subsection, an increase “may not become effective prior to the completion of the term of the rental agreement.” Ninety days’ notice does not let you raise rent in the middle of a lease.

Subsidized, income-based tenancies: at least 30 days. When rent is based on the tenant’s income or the subsidized household’s circumstances, the minimum is 30 days’ written notice. The increase may take effect when the term ends, or sooner if both sides agree (RCW 59.18.140(3)(b)).

Count from the effective date. Pick the date the increase takes effect, then count back. For an increase that takes effect March 1, 2027, the day 90 days earlier is December 1, 2026. The statute does not spell out how to count the days. Our recommendation: serve the notice well before the minimum rather than on the last day.

The required state notice form

A landlord “must provide a tenant with notice of rent increases in a form that is substantially the same as” the form written into the statute (RCW 59.18.720(1)(a)). The form is titled Rent and Fee Increase Notice to Tenants. Whatever you use, the written notice must include the contents RCW 59.18.720 requires, listed below.

The form treats rent as one total: base rent plus “all recurring and periodic charges” in the rental agreement for use and occupancy. You fill in:

  1. The tenant name(s) and the address.
  2. Your name as the landlord.
  3. The date the increase takes effect.
  4. The total increase as a percent.
  5. The added dollar amount per month.
  6. The new monthly total for rent plus all recurring charges.
  7. One checkbox: the increase is lower than the maximum allowed, the maximum allowed, or authorized by an exemption.

How to calculate the percent. Divide the dollar increase by the current monthly total, then multiply by 100. The current total is base rent plus all recurring charges, such as parking, storage or pet rent. Example: $1,900 rent plus $100 parking is a $2,000 current total. A new total of $2,150 is a $150 increase, which is 7.5%. Check the percent against the cap for the year the increase takes effect (see the Week 1 guide).

Who gets a notice. The statute requires notice “to each affected tenant,” and the form addresses “TO TENANT(S).” The law requires notice to each affected tenant but does not spell out how to serve co-tenants. Our recommendation: name every tenant on the agreement and serve each one.

When the form is not required. The form rule does not apply to a subsidized tenancy where rent is based, in whole or in part, on a percentage of the tenant’s income or the subsidized household’s circumstances (RCW 59.18.720(2)). Written notice is still required (30 days; see above). The carve-out is narrow. Tenancies paid in whole or part by a portable voucher are not “subsidized” for this rule, and neither is area-median-income housing where base rent doesn’t change with income. Those tenancies need the form. None of this exempts a unit from the cap (see the Week 1 guide).

Claiming an exemption in the notice

If you are raising rent above the cap because an exemption applies, the notice itself has to say so. The landlord “must include facts supporting any claimed exemptions in the written notice of the rent increase” (RCW 59.18.700(2)).

The form has a separate Exemptions Claimed by Landlord section. In it, you certify the percent you are raising rent by, then check one of six exemptions. Each one says the landlord “must include facts or attach documents supporting the exemption.” For example, the new-construction box asks for the date the first certificate of occupancy was issued.

The six boxes match the residential exemptions in RCW 59.18.710: newer construction (a certificate of occupancy issued 12 or fewer years before the notice), certain public, nonprofit, and tax-credit housing, and three owner-occupied situations. The Week 1 guide covers who qualifies, including the entity limits on owner-occupied exemptions. A checked box with no supporting facts does not meet the rule.

How to deliver (serve) the notice

Residential rent increase notices must be “served in accordance with RCW 59.12.040” (RCW 59.18.700(2); RCW 59.18.720(1)(b)(ii)), the service statute used for eviction notices. It allows three methods:

  1. Personal delivery. Hand a copy to the tenant.
  2. If the tenant is absent: leave a copy with a person of suitable age and discretion at the premises, and mail a copy to the tenant’s place of residence.
  3. If the tenant’s residence is not known, or no person of suitable age and discretion can be found: post a copy in a conspicuous place on the premises, and deliver a copy to a person residing there if one can be found, and mail a copy.

Mail, email, or text alone is not one of the listed methods. Where mail is used, it is paired with in-person delivery or posting.

When mailed service is complete. The statute says service by mail “shall be deemed complete when such copy is deposited in the United States mail from within Washington state properly addressed with postage prepaid.” It then adds that “five additional days shall be allowed before the commencement of an action based upon such notice.” By its wording, the five extra days apply to starting a court action based on the notice. Nothing in the statute or in official guidance we found says they add to the 90-day rent-increase period. The statute also does not say how to count the 90 days. Our recommendation: when your service method includes mail, serve at least a week before the 90-day mark.

2026 changes. A 2026 law (chapter 144, Laws of 2026), effective June 11, 2026, changed the mailing step in RCW 59.12.040 from certified mail to regular mail; the delivery methods themselves did not change. Rent increase notices are still served under RCW 59.12.040.

Keep proof. The statute says proof of service may be made by the server’s affidavit. Our recommendation: record who served the notice, how, where, and when, and keep a copy of what was served.

Seattle and other local rules

The Attorney General’s landlord FAQ says “Longer notice periods may be required under city, county, town, or other local municipal ordinances.” The state rules above are the floor. Many other cities have their own rules. Where a local rule is longer, follow the longer rule.

Tiered notice. Some cities set the notice period by the size of the increase: the bigger the increase, the longer the notice. For example, Kenmore and Redmond require 120 days for an increase greater than 3% and 180 days for one greater than 10%, and Olympia requires 120 days above 5% (or 7% combined over 12 months) and 180 days at 10% or more (see the table below). Below a city’s first threshold, the state’s 90-day rule still applies. Work out the percent first (on rent plus all recurring charges, counting other increases in the prior 12 months where the city’s rule does), then find your tier. Tiered notice does not change the cap: for a rental covered by the state cap, the increase itself still can’t go above the cap (10% for increases taking effect in 2027). Kenmore’s and Redmond’s 180-day tier starts above 10%, so it matters only for a unit exempt from the cap. Olympia’s 180-day tier starts at 10%, so it also applies to a covered rental raised right at the 2027 cap.

Seattle

The Seattle Municipal Code adds these rules for Seattle rentals:

  • 180 days’ notice. An owner may not increase “the periodic or monthly housing costs to be charged a tenant without giving the tenant at least 180 days prior written notice of the cost increase.” This applies to an increase of any size (SMC 22.206.180.H; SMC 7.24.030.A).
  • Subsidized, income-based rent: 30 days. For a subsidized tenancy where rent is based on the tenant’s income or the subsidized household’s circumstances, the owner “shall instead provide at least 30 days’ prior written notice” (SMC 22.206.180.H).
  • Rights-information line. The notice “shall describe how the tenant may obtain information about the rights and obligations of tenants and landlords” under the city housing code (SMC 22.206.180.H, K).
  • What counts as housing costs. Rent plus periodic or monthly fees paid to the landlord, such as storage and parking. Usage-based utility charges the tenant agreed to pay generally are not included (SMC 22.204.090).
  • RRIO compliance bar. An increase can’t take effect while the city has found the unit out of compliance with the rental registration and inspection (RRIO) checklist. A tenant who believes the unit doesn’t comply can tell the owner in writing before the effective date, and either side can ask the city to inspect. If the city finds noncompliance, the increase waits until the unit complies (SMC 22.206.180.I).
  • EDRA notice when an increase reaches 10%. An increase of 10% or more, on its own or combined with other increases taking effect in the prior 12 months, is a “required rent-increase notice” (SMC 22.212.010). The owner must attach the city’s Economic Displacement Relocation Assistance (EDRA) notice. Under the state cap, a covered rental can’t be raised more than 10% for increases taking effect in 2027. So for a covered rental, EDRA applies only to an increase right at the cap (exactly 10%, alone or combined over 12 months). It can also apply to a unit exempt from the cap (see “Claiming an exemption in the notice” above). An increase above 10% on a covered rental is not allowed, EDRA notice or not.
  • EDRA delivery. The code says: “The owner shall provide that notice to an adult tenant of each housing unit by: 1. Personally delivering each notice or causing it to be personally delivered; or 2. Mailing each notice by certified mail, return receipt requested and by first-class mail addressed to the housing unit” (SMC 22.212.020.B). The city’s Renting in Seattle page goes further and says “Copies must be provided to each adult member of the household.” Our recommendation: give a copy to every adult tenant on the lease. That meets both.

Other Washington cities and King County

These local rules were checked against the city or county code or an official city or county page on October 17, 2026. The list may not be complete. Check your own city and county before you serve.

PlaceLocal notice ruleSource
Tacoma180 days’ written notice for an increase of any amount (subsidized tenancies and certain deed-restricted affordable housing are excepted and follow the state rule). Must use the City’s form, include a copy of the City’s resource summary, and, where it applies, describe relocation assistance. Tenants who move after an increase of 5% or more may qualify for relocation assistance.TMC 1.95.060; TMC 1.100.050 (City of Tacoma Rental Housing Code PDF, rev. 12/2025; City notice form, rev. 9/2026)
Bellingham120 days’ written notice for any increase in periodic or monthly housing costs (30 days for subsidized, income-based tenancies). Served under RCW 59.12.040.BMC 6.12.020
Olympia120 days for an increase of more than 5%, or when increases in the prior 12 months total 7% or more. 180 days for an increase of 10% or more. A notice for an increase of more than 5% must tell the tenant of the right to end the tenancy on 30 days’ notice.OMC 5.82.030
Kenmore120 days for increases greater than 3%; 180 days for increases greater than 10% (30 days for subsidized, income-based tenancies).KMC 8.55.030
Redmond120 days for increases greater than 3%; 180 days for increases greater than 10% (30 days for subsidized, income-based tenancies).RMC 9.54.030
Auburn120 days for increases of more than 5% (30 days for subsidized, income-based tenancies). Served under RCW 59.12.040.ACC 5.23.040
Unincorporated King County120 days for increases greater than 3% (30 days for subsidized, income-based tenancies).KCC 12.25.070 (King County “Tenant protections for unincorporated King County” page)

Checked and not listed:

  • Burien repealed its local rent-increase notice section (former BMC 5.63.100) by Ordinance 871 in May 2025. Burien now follows the state rules.
  • Federal Way: we found no rent-increase notice rule in its tenant-protection chapter (FWRC 20.05).
  • Kirkland, SeaTac, Shoreline, Issaquah and Woodinville are reported to have local notice rules, but we have not checked their codes yet.

Timing around the first 12 months

The law bars a rent increase from taking effect during the first 12 months of a tenancy (RCW 59.18.700(1)(a)(i)). It restricts the increase, not the notice. So you can serve the notice before month 12 ends, as long as the increase takes effect after the first 12 months and you give the full notice period. Example: a tenancy that began March 1, 2026 can see an increase take effect March 1, 2027, so a notice served by December 1, 2026 works. After the first 12 months, the total increase in any 12-month period must stay within the cap (10% for increases taking effect in 2027).

Checklist

Rent Increase Notice Checklist (Washington)

  • Confirm the increase takes effect after the tenancy’s first 12 months (the notice itself can go out earlier), and no other increase in the last 12 months would push the total over the cap.
  • Pick the effective date. On a fixed-term lease, make sure it is no earlier than the end of the term.
  • Count back at least 90 days (30 for subsidized, income-based tenancies). Check your city for a longer rule (Seattle and Tacoma: 180 days; some cities set longer notice for bigger increases; see the local rules table). Add cushion (our recommendation: at least a week when mail is part of service).
  • Use a notice with every item RCW 59.18.720 requires (the Rent and Fee Increase Notice to Tenants or one substantially the same).
  • Fill in every field: tenant names, address, your name, effective date, percent, added dollars, new monthly total.
  • Calculate the percent on rent plus all recurring charges, and check it against the cap for the year the increase takes effect.
  • Check exactly one box: lower than the max, the max, or exemption.
  • Claiming an exemption? Complete the exemption section and attach supporting facts or documents.
  • Seattle, increase reaching 10% within 12 months (for a covered rental, only right at the cap; or an exempt unit)? Attach the EDRA notice. Deliver it by hand, or by certified mail with return receipt plus first-class mail. Give a copy to every adult tenant (our recommendation; the code requires an adult tenant of each unit).
  • Seattle: include the line on how the tenant can get rights information, and confirm the unit isn’t under a city RRIO noncompliance finding.
  • Serve it the legal way: in person, or an allowed substitute method plus mail. Not by mail, email, or text alone.
  • Give each tenant on the lease a copy (our recommendation).
  • Record who served it, how, where, and when, and keep a copy.

Common Mistakes

  • Sending the increase as a plain letter or email. The notice must be substantially the same as the state form, and it must be served under the state service rules.
  • Counting 90 days from the wrong date, or cutting it to the last day. Count back from the effective date and leave cushion, especially when mail is part of service.
  • Starting the increase mid-lease. On a fixed-term lease, the increase cannot take effect before the term ends.
  • Using the 90-day rule in Seattle. Seattle requires 180 days for housing cost increases.
  • Missing a city’s tier. In a city with tiered notice, a bigger increase needs longer notice. Calculate the percent first, then check the city’s tiers.
  • Leaving out recurring charges. The percent and new total cover rent plus all recurring charges, such as parking, storage or pet rent.
  • Checking an exemption box without the facts. Supporting facts or documents must be in the notice.
  • Skipping the form for a voucher tenant. A portable voucher does not make the tenancy “subsidized” under the form rule.

FAQ

How much notice must a landlord give for a rent increase in Washington state?

At least 90 days’ written notice for most residential tenancies. Subsidized tenancies where rent is based on the tenant’s income get at least 30 days. On a fixed-term lease, the increase can’t take effect before the term ends. Many other cities have their own rules: Seattle and Tacoma require 180 days, and some cities require longer notice for bigger increases.

What form do I need to give notice of rent increase?

The state’s Rent and Fee Increase Notice to Tenants, or a notice substantially the same as it. It must include the contents RCW 59.18.720 requires: tenant names and address, landlord name, effective date, percent, added dollars, new monthly total, the checkbox, and any exemption facts.

How to serve a rent increase?

Hand it to the tenant in person. If the tenant is absent, leave a copy with a person of suitable age and discretion there and also mail one. If no such person can be found or the tenant’s residence is unknown, post a copy on the premises, give a copy to anyone living there, and mail one.

How do I calculate the percentage of my rent increase?

Divide the dollar increase by the current monthly total of rent plus all recurring charges, then multiply by 100. The form asks for the percent, the added dollars, and the new monthly total.

How to respond to a rent increase letter?

From the landlord side, expect a tenant to check four things: the state form, the notice period, how it was served, and whether the amount is within the cap. If an increase is over the cap and no exemption applies, the tenant must first send you a written demand to reduce it. The tenant may also end the tenancy before the increase takes effect, on 20 days’ written notice.

Sources

Washington State Legislature

Washington State Department of Commerce

Washington State Attorney General

Washington session law (2026)

Seattle Municipal Code

Other local codes

Related guide

Disclaimer

Washington Landlords is a free resource from VerraTerra Property Management. VerraTerra is a property management company, not a law firm, and we are not lawyers.

This guide is general educational information about Washington law as of the “last reviewed” date below. Notice rules can change, and local ordinances may add requirements. Confirm current rules with the Revised Code of Washington, the Department of Commerce, and your city.

Last reviewed: October 17, 2026.

General information, not legal advice. Laws change, so check with an attorney for your situation.

Prefer to hand this off? VerraTerra Property Management handles rent increase notices for Washington landlords as part of full-service management. Learn more at verraterra.com.

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