Landlord/Tenant Law

Landlords may not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation or whether you have children. They can't ask you about any of the above information. Otherwise a landlord can ask about criminal convictions and check into your employment and credit history before renting to you.

Landlord responsibilities
All landlords must comply with the Washington Residential Landlord-Tenant Act by doing the following:

• keep the place fit for human beings to live in. Your landlord must follow city health and safety codes.
• make repairs and keep the place in good condition.
• keep any areas you share with other people reasonably clean and safe from defects.
• keep insects, rodents and pests away from the place as much as possible.
• provide locks and keys that work.
• keep electrical, plumbing, heating systems and appliances in good working condition.
• keep the rental place as weather tight as possible.
• provide garbage cans.
• provide adequate heat, water and electricity.
• provide his/her contact information
• tell you if he/she lives out of state.
  

Your responsibilities
As a tenant, you must do the following:

• pay the full amount of rent on time.
• keep the area you are renting clean and sanitary.
• properly use the utilities, fixtures and appliances provided by the landlord.
• when you move out, you must return the place you rented in as good a condition as when you moved in, with exception to normal wear and tear.
• follow the terms of any written agreement with the landlord

 

 

 

1. What is my landlord not allowed to do?

2.What if my rent payment is late?

3. What if I think my landlord's lease is unfair?

Repairs

Landlords have to start repairs within the following timelines:
-24 hours to repair heat, hot/cold water, electricity or other endangering problem.
-72 hours to repair a refrigerator, range and oven or major plumbing.
-10 days for all other problems.