Be:Seattle & Legal Action Center

BEST PRACTICES
Read the lines before you sign

Put it in writing, get it in writing

Send via certified mail

Keep copies of everything

Document, document, document

Pictures when moving in/out, keep
track of damages, ask for receipts

Prioritize paying rent and do not

withhold

Landlords can only enforce rules

in lease
Moving in
Screening
Criteria must be clearly stated in writing, applied equally, and cannot result in
discrimination against protected groups

Landlords must state in writing what information will be assessed and what could
result in denial

Cost: can only be charged the actual cost (no profit can be made)

If a landlord rejects you, they are legally required to give you written notice that
explains why

Recent Fair Housing Act in Seattle

Protected classes
It is ILLEGAL for a landlord to discriminate against a tenant based on:

Race Marital status Age

Color Sexual orientation Section 8

+ +
National origin Gender identity Use of service
Religion Sex animal
Sex Veteran/military Ancestry
Disability status Political ideology*
Familial status Criminal
Conviction*

Everywhere in the US In Washington State In Seattle* & King County

Leases
Fixed-term
Specific and finite amount of of time
May become month to month or renew
following the the initial term
Anything longer than 1 year must be
notarized
Worth trying if you want to stay in place
long-term
Month-to-month
Tenants rent for an indefinite amount of
time
Requires 20 days notice to terminate (just
cause exception)
Rent can be raised with proper notice
Just Cause Eviction Protections

Just Cause Eviction Protections

Deposits & fees
Deposit:
Money collected at the beginning of your tenancy to ensure against damages at the
end of your tenancy. Always refundable.
To collect a deposit, a landlord must provide:

a receipt for each deposit

a written rental agreement

a checklist or statement describing the rental units condition

a statement that says the name and address of the bank or escrow company where the deposit
is held
Fee:
Non-refundable (and must be designated as such)
In Seattle,
Security deposit + move-in fees = or < 1st full
months rent

Pet deposits = or < 25% of 1st full months rent

(and service animals exempt)

Total fees = or < 10% of 1st full months rent

Payment plan required:

6+ month lease:

6 consecutive and equal payments

30 days - 6 month lease:

4 consecutive and equal payments

Month to month:

2 equal installments (except for pet deposits 3 equal

monthly installments)
During your tenancy
Tenant duties
Pay rent and any utility bills agreed upon

Follow city, county and state regulations

Keep the unit clean and sanitary

Dispose of garbage properly

Pay for spraying of any infestations (pests) you caused

Properly use plumbing, electrical and heating systems

Restore the place to the same condition as when you moved in, except for normal wear
and tear
Repairs
Landlord must make repairs unless there is damage that you or a guest caused
(including accidental damage)

The process:

Document the need for a repair

Best practice: certified mail
Notify the landlord with a written repair request letter and explain the need
Best practice: include a good faith estimate and keep a copy
Wait the appropriate time frame (reasonable time)
`Hazardous to life, no heat, water, or electricity - 24 hours
Deprives use of major appliance - 72 hours
All other situations - 10 days
What if repairs arent getting done?
You can:
Negotiate with your landlord
Seek mediation
Call code enforcement
Repair and deduct:
Must provide landlord w/ estimates; maximum 2 months of rent
Litigate or arbitrate
Seek compensation for unmade repairs, reduced rental value
Break your lease and move
Requires substantial habitability issues and can have costly consequences
Code Enforcement
What is it? A city agency that assists in making sure
landlords keep rentals up to code

Most Cities have departments that deal with

code compliance through complaint-generated
systems

Seattle
Department of Construction & Inspections

206-615-0808
Privacy
Your apartment is your home, and you can refuse entry if your landlord has not provided the required notice
or if the entry is intended to harass you.

You cannot refuse the landlords entry to your unit to repair, improve/service the unit, or if theres an
emergency.

Proper notice:

48 hours written notice to inspect the property or do agreed upon repairs

Date
Time
Phone number
Written Signature

24 hours written notice to show the apartment

If the LL violates your right to privacy, a tenant can write a written letter that documents when landlord
violated privacy. If LL violates privacy again, tenant can sue for $100 every time in small claims court.
Rule/Rent Changes
Fixed-term Month-to-month
Rent and all rules cannot change Can receive rent increases and rule
except by written mutual agreement. changes with a 30 day written notice

60 days notice is required in writing for

rent increase of 10% or more within a
rolling 12 month period

No limit to rent increases

Rent stabilization (tying rent increases to inflation) is banned in the state of Washington.
Month-to-month rent increase timeline

Notice received New rent takes effect

April 15th June 1st

April May

Last month w/ current rent begins

May 1st
Utilities
READ LEASE CAREFULLY

Know who is responsible for what charges (water, sewer, garbage, electric)

Ensure that bill is in your name if you are paying directly to the utility provider

Ensure that no charges on utility bills are carried over from a prior tenant

Your landlord cannot cut-off utilities to get you to move

Seattles Utility Discount Program (UDP)

Available for income-qualified residential households

60% discount on Seattle City Light and 50% discount on Seattle Public Utilities
Ownership change or condo conversion
The sale of the property does not automatically end a tenancy
Deposit transfers with ownership
Tenant must get notice identifying new owner
If an owner of a single-family residence decides to sell the place, month-to-month
tenants must get at least 90 days written notice to vacate.
A landlord who wants to convert the unit to a condominium must give you 120 days notice
if on a lease, or 90 days if month-to-month.
Tenant Relocation Assistance Ordinance applies to households making under 50% AMI
Current assistance is ~$3,500
Does not apply to roommates - AMI calculated individually
Extended Seattle
protections
Carl Haglund Law

A landlord cannot increase housing costs

for any housing unit that does not meet
the minimum habitability standards of the
Residential Rental Inspection Program.

Tenant Relocation Protection

Property owners and developers cannot

increase housing costs to avoid applying
for a Tenant Relocation License where a
rental property is going to be demolished,
rehabilitated, changed in use, or where
use restrictions are going to be removed.
Right to organize
It is 100% legal to form a tenant union or in your
building.

You can:

Pass out/post flyers to your neighbors & in

common areas, create connection with your
neighbors and invite them to get involved

Hold meetings that are unattended by

management or agents of the landlord in the
building

If the landlord takes any undue negative action

against a tenant who has participated in one of these
organizing activities, it is automatically assumed to be
retaliation and is illegal.
Landlord Retaliation
Be wary of retaliation by the landlord when asserting your rights.

Landlords may be put on guard if you immediately put your exchanges in writing,
so it can be a good idea to ramp up to that.

Retaliation against tenants who assert their rights is prohibited. If a landlord takes a
negative action within 90 days of a tenant asserting their rights, a court may find that a
they illegally retaliated

Document EVERYTHING
Moving out
Vacating
Fixed-term
If you vacate before the end of your
lease, you may be liable for:
Rent until the lease ends; or,
Rent until the unit is re-rented +
cost associated with re-renting
Month-to-month
Either party gives 20-day written notice
prior to the end of the rental period
Seattle landlords must give a just cause
reason for ending the tenancy:
- 4 or more Pay or Vacate notices in 12 mos
- 3 or more Comply or Vacate notices
- Creating waste/nuisance
Read your lease carefully
There are often additional clauses
and fees associated with early
termination
Take pictures of the unit after you have
removed all of your belongings and
cleaned
Get your deposit back
Things to remember:

Provide landlord with a forwarding address!

Wait 21 days from the date you move

Landlord must provide letter and itemized statement explaining the reasons that any
or all of the deposit is being withheld

Can withhold for damages beyond normal wear and tear, but must sent itemized list
within 21 days

Nothing in 21 days? You have a right to your full deposit!

Demand for Return of Deposit & Small Claims
Eviction Myths
Myth #1: A termination of tenancy is the same as an eviction.

Myth #2: If a LL violates the lease or the law, the lease is no longer enforceable.

Myth #3: A LL can lock a tenant out after a termination notice expires.

Myth #4: It takes a long time for a LL to evict a tenant in Washington.

Myth #5: If a tenant wins their eviction case, the eviction is removed from their record.
Take action
Power concedes nothing
without a demand. It never
did and it never will.
-Frederick Douglass
Relocation assistant
for roommates
Did you know?

City/State tenant relocation assistance laws

combine roommates income when determining
need for assistance.

This means that most roommates, who would

otherwise qualify for assistance, will not qualify for
individual tenant relocation assistance.

What can you do?

If you live with roommates, share your story

with Be:Seattle.

Help us collect roommate stories.

Join the coalition to amend this law at the state

level.
Economic eviction
relocation assistance
Did you know?

According to the WA Low Income Housing

Association, every $100 regional rent increase =
15% increase in metro homelessness.

According to a 2017 UW study, a 5% annual rent

increase = 258 new homeless neighbors

What can you do?

If you have experienced economic eviction or

worry about it, share your story with Be:Seattle
or Councilmember Sawants office.

Help us collect economic eviction stories.

Join the Affordable Housing Alliance to fight for

this change.
Rent transparency
Did you know?

The city has no clue what actual rent trends

look like, while Seattles rents are the fasting
rising in the country.

A pro-landlord company surveys select

landlords about rent increases, giving the
public biased and inaccurate results

Be:Seattle is working w/ City Council to get rent

tracking, incl. how much tenants pay in property tax.
This can help the city create greater protections,
including a repeal of the ban on rent stabilization.

What can you do?

Share your rent increase story with Be:Seattle.

Sign a support card.

Join the Whats In My Rent Coalition.

 Thank you.
Information provided by
Be:Seattle
Presentation created by
Be:Seattle, Legal Action Center, & Hana Alicic

Tenant Rights Bootcamp 2017

More info: admin@beseattle.com