Washington Lease Renewal Notice Template: Renewal Offer and Rent Increase Notice (RCW 59.18.700 Rent Cap)

Lease Renewal Notice (Washington)

Landlord’s Renewal Offer, Rent and Fee Increase Notice, or Notice of End of Term

Date of notice: [Date]

To: [Full name of each tenant]
Premises: [Street address, unit], [City], Washington [ZIP]
Current rental agreement: dated [date], ☐ term ends on [date] ☐ month to month
Tenancy began on: [date]

☐ Seattle property. Any housing cost increase requires at least 180 days’ written notice, and an increase of 10% or more within 12 months requires the city’s Economic Displacement Relocation Assistance notice to be attached.

1. Renewal Decision (check one)

☐ Offer to renew. We offer you a new rental agreement for [number] months, from [date] to [date], on the same terms as your current agreement except for the changes in Sections 2 and 3. This offer is made at least 30 days before your current agreement expires and stays open until [date].

☐ Notice that the tenancy will end at the end of the term. Your tenancy will be deemed expired at the end of the specified period, on [date]. This notice is given at least 60 days before that date and is used only where RCW 59.18.650(1)(b) or (1)(c) allows a tenancy to end without cause. [In every other case, a notice to vacate must state a cause listed in RCW 59.18.650(2).]

2. Rent and Fee Increase Notice to Tenants (RCW 59.18.720)

Complete this section if rent or any other recurring or periodic charge will increase. It must be given at least 90 days before the increase takes effect (180 days in Seattle).

This notice is required by Washington state law to inform you of your rights regarding rent and fee increases. Your rent or rental amount includes all recurring and periodic charges, sometimes referred to as rent and fees, identified in your rental agreement for the use and occupancy of your rental unit. Washington state limits how much your landlord can raise your rent and any other recurring or periodic charges for the use and occupancy of your rental unit.

(1) Your landlord can raise your rent and any other recurring or periodic charges identified in the rental agreement for use and occupancy of your rental unit once every 12 months by up to seven percent plus consumer price index, or 10 percent, whichever is less, as allowed by RCW 59.18.700. Your landlord is not required to raise the rent or other recurring or periodic charges by any amount.

(2) Your landlord may be exempt from the limit on increases for rent and other recurring or periodic charges for the reasons described in RCW 59.18.710. If your landlord claims an exemption, your landlord is required to include supporting facts with this notice.

(3) Your landlord must properly and fully complete the form below to notify you of any increases in rent and other recurring or periodic charges and any exemptions claimed.

Your landlord [name] intends to raise your rent and/or other recurring or periodic charges: your total increase for rent and other recurring or periodic charges effective [date] will be [percent]%, which totals an additional $[amount] per month, for a new total amount of $[amount] per month for rent and other recurring or periodic charges. This increase is allowed by state law and is (check one):

☐ A lower increase than the maximum allowed by state law.
☐ The maximum increase allowed by state law.
☐ Authorized by an exemption under RCW 59.18.710 (complete below).

Exemptions claimed by landlord. I, [landlord name], certify that I am allowed under Washington state law to raise your rent and other recurring or periodic charges by [percent]%, which is more than the maximum increase otherwise allowed by state law, because I am claiming the following exemption under RCW 59.18.710 (check one; facts or documents supporting the exemption must be included or attached):

☐ The first certificate of occupancy for your dwelling unit was issued on [date], which is 12 or less years before the date of this notice.
☐ You live in a dwelling unit owned by a public housing authority, public development authority, or nonprofit organization where maximum rents are regulated by other laws or affordable housing program requirements, or in a qualified low-income housing development owned by one of them.
☐ You live in a qualified low-income housing development allocated federal low-income housing tax credits by the Washington state housing finance commission, with an enforceable regulatory agreement.
☐ You share a bathroom or kitchen facility with the owner, who maintains a principal residence at the property.
☐ You live in a single-family owner-occupied residence in which the owner-occupant rents no more than two units or bedrooms, including an accessory dwelling unit.
☐ You live in a duplex, triplex, or fourplex in which the owner occupied one of the units as a principal residence at the beginning of your tenancy and continues to live there.

Supporting facts: [describe or list attached documents]

3. Other Changes (if renewing)

Term	Current	Proposed
Lease term	[Months]	[Months]
Late fee	[Amount]	[Amount; not charged for rent paid within 5 days of the due date]
Security deposit	$[Amount]	$[Amount]
Utilities and services	[List]	[List]
Other changes	[Describe]	[Describe]

If we offer both a month-to-month and a fixed-term agreement, the rent for the two differs by no more than 5% (RCW 59.18.700(4)).

4. Your Response

Please return this section by [date].

☐ I/We accept the renewal on the terms above and will sign the new rental agreement.
☐ I/We would like to discuss the terms. Best way to reach me/us: [phone or e-mail].
☐ I/We will not renew and will move out on or before [date], giving at least 20 days’ written notice before the end of the term.

Tenant: ____________________ Date: __________ Tenant: ____________________ Date: __________

5. Landlord or Agent

Name: [Name] · Address: [Address] · Phone: [Phone] · E-mail: [E-mail]

Signed: ___________________________ (landlord or authorized agent) Date: __________

6. Certificate of Service (RCW 59.12.040)

I served this notice on [Date] by (check one):

☐ delivering a copy personally to [name]
☐ leaving a copy with [name], a person of suitable age and discretion at the premises, and also mailing a copy to the tenant at the premises
☐ posting a copy in a conspicuous place on the premises, because no person of suitable age could be found, and also mailing a copy to the tenant at the premises

Served by: ___________________________ (name and signature)

Before You Send (Delete This Section)

• Check the date of the last increase. No increase during the first 12 months of the tenancy, and only one within any 12-month period, capped at 9.683% for 2026 and 10% for 2027 unless an exemption applies (RCW 59.18.700).

• Count 90 days before the increase takes effect (180 in Seattle), not counting the day of service.

• Ending the tenancy? Confirm that RCW 59.18.650(1)(b) or (1)(c) applies; otherwise a cause under RCW 59.18.650(2) and the state notice to vacate are required.

• Check the last 90 days for code complaints before raising rent, and state reasonable grounds for the increase (RCW 59.18.250).