How much notice is required to raise the rent in Washington?

Verified July 8, 2026 All Washington topics →

Washington became the third statewide rent-stabilization state in May 2025: rent cannot be raised at all during the first 12 months of a tenancy, and after that annual increases for non-exempt units are capped at 7% plus CPI or 10%, whichever is less — 10% through the end of 2025 and 9.683% for 2026, as published each year by the Department of Commerce.

Every increase, of any size, requires at least 90 days' written notice on the state-prescribed form, served like an eviction notice (personal service, or posting plus mail — email alone is invalid), with exemption claims documented in the notice itself; income-based subsidized tenancies use a 30-day notice instead. New construction is exempt for 12 years from its first certificate of occupancy, month-to-month and fixed-term rents for the same unit may not differ by more than 5%, and violations carry tenant remedies of excess rent plus three months' damages plus attorney's fees, with Attorney General penalties up to $7,500 per violation. Local rent control remains separately preempted by RCW 35.21.830 — the cap is state law, not a license for city ordinances — though cities may and do require longer notice (Seattle: 180 days).

Washington rent increase notice at a glance

Notice — month-to-month	90 days
Varies by increase size	Not addressed by statute
Fixed-term leases	The cap and notice rules apply regardless of lease type: rent may not be increased at all during the first 12 months of a tenancy whether month-to-month or fixed-term, and afterward increases in any 12-month period are capped for non-exempt units. HB 1217 also imposes lease-type parity: rent may not differ by more than 5% between month-to-month and fixed-term arrangements for the same unit, and payment terms may not be more burdensome for one type.
Statewide rent control / stabilization	Yes
Rent control details	Since May 7, 2025 (EHB 1217, codified at RCW 59.18.700-.730), Washington has statewide rent stabilization: no increase during the first 12 months of any tenancy, and thereafter no more than the lesser of 7% plus CPI or 10% in any 12-month period. The Department of Commerce publishes the annual maximum (10% through 2025-12-31; 9.683% for calendar 2026). Exemptions (RCW 59.18.710) include units whose first certificate of occupancy issued 12 or fewer years before the increase, and public-housing-authority, public-development-authority, nonprofit, and qualified low-income housing where rents are otherwise regulated — exemptions must be claimed with supporting facts in the increase notice. Manufactured/mobile-home lot rents are capped at 5% under parallel ch. 59.20 provisions. Remedies: tenants recover excess amounts paid plus mandatory damages of three months of any unlawful rent or fees charged plus attorney's fees; the Attorney General enforces with civil penalties up to $7,500 per violation. The act's provisions carry statutory expiration dates (sunset reported as 2040).
Local rent control preempted	Yes
Frequency limits	No more than one effective increase window per 12-month period: rent may rise at most once in any 12-month period of the tenancy, and never in the first 12 months (RCW 59.18.700).

Notes and caveats

The most recent major-change state in the dataset — quarterly sweeps must re-check the Commerce-published cap each July (the annual figure publishes shortly after June CPI data) and the exemption list. notice_days_month_to_month is 90 per amended RCW 59.18.140(3)(a) (30 days for income-based subsidized tenancies under (3)(b)); this is a true rent-increase notice statute, not a derivation. rent_control_state is true and local_control_preempted is ALSO true — an unusual combination (statewide cap + local preemption) that page copy should call out to avoid confusion with CA/OR. Service mechanics matter: notices must comply with RCW 59.12.040. The sunset date (reported 2040) and annual cap belong in page copy with the Commerce link as the living source.

Statute citations

How this record was verified: Direct read of statute text on the official Washington Legislature site (app.leg.wa.gov): RCW 59.18.280 (full text, current through the 2023 c 331 amendments), RCW 59.18.610 and 59.18.253 (full text). HB 1217 (2025) rent stabilization provisions (RCW 59.18.700-.730, amended 59.18.140) verified against the Washington Attorney General's official landlord-tenant page and Know Your Responsibilities flyer and the Department of Commerce's official HB 1217 Landlord Resource Center (which publishes the annual cap). RCW 59.18.260, .270, .285, .150, and .170 confirmed across the official AG page, Seattle SDCI, and consistent legal-aid sources. IMPORTANT verification note: committee-stage bill reports of HB 1217 describe a one-month residential deposit cap and a 1.5% late-fee cap that are NOT in the enacted law for standard residential tenancies — those limits apply to manufactured/mobile-home tenancies (ch. 59.20 RCW) per the AG's post-enactment flyer; current legal-aid guidance confirms no statewide residential deposit or late-fee amount cap.