Tenant law in plain language
Washington

Rent Increases in Washington: What Are My Rights?

Published by Nazanin · September 24, 2026

Washington's 2025 rent stabilization law limits how much and how often your landlord can raise your rent in most homes. This page covers the yearly cap and the notice your landlord must give you. It also covers which homes the cap does not apply to, and what you can do if your landlord breaks the rules.

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Not legal advice. Each answer below links to where it comes from. Read it before you act.

  1. Washington's rent stabilization law limits how much your landlord can raise your rent in most rented homes. It took effect on May 7, 2025. Your landlord cannot raise your rent at all during the first 12 months of your tenancy. This is true whether you rent month-to-month or under a lease with an end date.

    Washington State Legislature RCW 59.18.700(1)(a)(i) Washington State Office of the Attorney General Washington's Rent Stabilization Law section

    ✓ Sources checked September 21, 2026

  2. The maximum increase allowed from January 1 to December 31, 2026 is 9.683%. For example, 9.683% of $1,500 rent is $145.25, so your rent could go from $1,500 to $1,645.25.

    Washington State Department of Commerce Commerce announces 9.683% rent cap for 2026 (published July 18, 2025)

    ✓ Sources checked September 21, 2026

  3. The Department of Commerce recalculates this maximum every year based on price changes in the Seattle area. It publishes the new number each year, usually in mid-July, for the following calendar year.

    Washington State Legislature RCW 59.18.700(1)(c) Washington State Department of Commerce Commerce announces 9.683% rent cap for 2026 (published July 18, 2025)

    ✓ Sources checked September 21, 2026

  4. Your landlord must give you written notice at least 90 days before a rent increase takes effect. The increase cannot start before the end of your current lease term. If your rent is subsidized and based on your income, the notice is at least 30 days instead.

    Washington State Office of the Attorney General Washington's Rent Stabilization Law section Washington State Legislature RCW 59.18.140(3)(b)

    ✓ Sources checked September 22, 2026

  5. If you have a lease with an end date, your landlord cannot raise your rent before the lease ends. This is true even if the 90-day notice period has already passed.

    Washington State Legislature RCW 59.18.140(3)(a)

    ✓ Sources checked September 21, 2026

  6. The rent cap does not apply to a new building for 12 years after it is built. This 12-year clock starts when the building gets its first certificate of occupancy (the government's approval that it is ready to live in). It also does not apply to homes owned by a public housing authority or similar programs that already limit rent.

    Washington State Legislature RCW 59.18.710(1)(b)(i)

    ✓ Sources checked September 21, 2026

  7. The rent cap does not apply if you share a bathroom or kitchen with the owner, and the owner's main home is on the property. It does not apply to a single-family home where the owner lives. This includes an owner who rents out no more than 2 units or bedrooms there, such as an accessory unit.

    Washington State Legislature RCW 59.18.710(1)(e)-(f)

    ✓ Sources checked September 22, 2026

  8. The rent cap also does not apply to a duplex, triplex, or fourplex where the owner lives in one unit as their main home. The owner must have lived there when your tenancy began. The owner must still live there.

    Washington State Legislature RCW 59.18.710(1)(g)

    ✓ Sources checked September 22, 2026

  9. Some homes where the owner also lives are left out of the rent cap. One is a home where you share a bathroom or kitchen with the owner, who lives there. Another is a single-family home where the owner lives. Another is a duplex, triplex, or fourplex where the owner lived when your tenancy began and still lives. An owner that is a corporation, a real estate investment trust (REIT), or an LLC with a corporate member cannot use these rules.

    Washington State Legislature RCW 59.18.710(1)

    ✓ Sources checked September 24, 2026

  10. If you own a manufactured or mobile home and rent the lot it sits on, a different cap applies. Your landlord cannot raise your lot rent by more than 5% in any 12-month period. For example, 5% of $500 lot rent is $25.

    Washington State Office of the Attorney General Washington's Rent Stabilization Law section Washington State Legislature RCW 59.20.370(1)(b)

    ✓ Sources checked September 21, 2026

  11. If your landlord raises your rent more than the law allows, you must first act in writing. Give your landlord a written demand to reduce the increase to the legal amount.

    Washington State Legislature RCW 59.18.700(3)

    ✓ Sources checked September 23, 2026

  12. If your landlord raises your rent more than the law allows, you can also end your rental agreement. You can do this at any time before the increase takes effect. To do this, give your landlord written notice at least 20 days before the day you move out. You will owe rent for the full month in which you move out. Your landlord cannot charge you a fine or fee for ending the agreement this way. If you do not give proper written notice, you can owe more rent.

    Washington State Legislature RCW 59.18.700(3) Northwest Justice Project (WashingtonLawHelp.org) Tenants' rights: Moving out

    ✓ Sources checked September 23, 2026

  13. If your landlord breaks the rent cap law, you or the Washington Attorney General can sue in court. The court must order your landlord to repay any excess rent, fees, or costs you paid. The court must also award you up to 3 months of any unlawful rent, fees, or costs your landlord charged. For example, if the unlawful part of your rent is $100 a month, 3 months of that is $300. That is on top of repaying what you paid.

    Washington State Legislature RCW 59.18.700(5)(a)

    ✓ Sources checked September 23, 2026

  14. You or the Attorney General can sue if your landlord breaks Washington's rent increase limit. If a court finds your landlord broke it, the court must order the landlord to pay your attorney's fees and costs. You get this money only if you win your case and your landlord pays. The Attorney General can also recover a penalty of up to $7,500 for each violation.

    RenterLaw editorial Washington State Legislature RCW 59.18.700(5)(a)

    ✓ Sources checked September 23, 2026

  15. Your landlord cannot raise your rent to punish you for a good-faith, lawful act. That means a complaint to a government agency about unsafe conditions, or using your rights under the landlord-tenant law. This protection applies only while you follow the landlord-tenant law yourself. If your landlord raises your rent within 90 days after that act, the law starts by treating it as retaliation. The law does not start there if the notice states reasonable grounds. Your landlord still cannot raise your rent to punish you.

    Washington State Legislature RCW 59.18.250 Washington State Legislature RCW 59.18.240

    ✓ Sources checked September 23, 2026

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