Does Washington have rent control?

Yes — Washington has statewide rent control or stabilization. Washington has had statewide rent stabilization since May 7, 2025. Rent cannot rise during the first 12 months of any tenancy, and after that increases are capped at the lesser of 7% plus CPI or 10% in any 12-month period.

Does Washington preempt local rent control ordinances?

Washington cities and counties are barred from enacting local rent control, but since May 7, 2025 state law itself caps most residential rent increases — no increase in a tenancy's first 12 months, then the lesser of 7% plus CPI or 10% per year (5% for manufactured-home lot rents) — so, apart from publicly owned or managed housing, low-income housing provided under public-private agreements, and rent agreements a city or county makes with private owners, the state sets the only rent limits and localities may not add their own.

Can a landlord raise the rent during a fixed-term lease in Washington?

Rent may not be increased at all during the first 12 months of a tenancy, month-to-month or fixed-term, and afterward increases in any 12-month period are capped for non-exempt units. During a fixed term, an increase also may not take effect before the term ends, and it still needs at least 90 days' prior written notice (RCW 59.18.140(3)(a)).

How often can a landlord raise the rent in Washington?

Rent may not be increased at all during the first 12 months of a tenancy, and after that the increases in any 12-month period may not add up to more than the annual cap (RCW 59.18.700(1)(a)). The notice form the statute prescribes tells tenants that rent can be raised once every 12 months (RCW 59.18.720(3)).

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

Verified October 1, 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 — 9.683% for 2026 and 10% for 2027, as published each year by the Department of Commerce (for 2027, inflation pushed the 7%-plus-CPI figure above 10%, so the flat 10% ceiling applies).

Cited to RCW 59.18.700 (1), (8) and 5 more cited sources · Verified October 1, 2026

Every increase, of any size, requires at least 90 days' written notice on the state-prescribed form, served the way an eviction notice is served (personal delivery; if the tenant is absent, a copy left with a person of suitable age and discretion plus a copy by mail; and only if neither is possible, posting plus mailing — email alone is not a permitted method), 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 damages of up to three months of the unlawful rent or fees 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	Rent may not be increased at all during the first 12 months of a tenancy, month-to-month or fixed-term, and afterward increases in any 12-month period are capped for non-exempt units. During a fixed term, an increase also may not take effect before the term ends, and it still needs at least 90 days' prior written notice (RCW 59.18.140(3)(a)). 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	Washington has had statewide rent stabilization since May 7, 2025. Rent cannot rise during the first 12 months of any tenancy, and after that increases are capped at the lesser of 7% plus CPI or 10% in any 12-month period. The scheme is EHB 1217, 2025 c 209, codified at RCW 59.18.700-.730. The Department of Commerce publishes the annual maximum (10% through 2025-12-31; 9.683% for calendar 2026; 10% for calendar 2027 — the June 2026 Seattle CPI pushed 7% + CPI to 11.53%, so the 10% ceiling controls). Exemptions (RCW 59.18.710) include units whose first certificate of occupancy was issued 12 or fewer years before the date of the rent-increase notice, 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 damages of up to 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 stabilization scheme is temporary by its own terms: the cap (RCW 59.18.700(8)), its exemptions (RCW 59.18.710(3)), and the notice-form section (RCW 59.18.720(4)) each expire July 1, 2040; the landlord-resources section (RCW 59.18.730) carries no expiration date.
Local rent regulation	Washington cities and counties are barred from enacting local rent control, but since May 7, 2025 state law itself caps most residential rent increases — no increase in a tenancy's first 12 months, then the lesser of 7% plus CPI or 10% per year (5% for manufactured-home lot rents) — so, apart from publicly owned or managed housing, low-income housing provided under public-private agreements, and rent agreements a city or county makes with private owners, the state sets the only rent limits and localities may not add their own.
Frequency limits	Rent may not be increased at all during the first 12 months of a tenancy, and after that the increases in any 12-month period may not add up to more than the annual cap (RCW 59.18.700(1)(a)). The notice form the statute prescribes tells tenants that rent can be raised once every 12 months (RCW 59.18.720(3)).

Cite this page: "Landlord Atlas, Washington Rent Increase Notice Laws (verified October 1, 2026), landlordatlas.com/laws/rent-increase-notice/washington/" — free to cite and quote with a link (how these records are verified). Everything above is cited in the citations section below.

Create a Washington rent-increase notice — free, no signup, built on the same verified Washington law as this page.

Notes and caveats

The annual cap is a published number, not a fixed one — the Department of Commerce publishes the maximum increase each year, shortly after the June CPI data lands — the Commerce page linked in the citations is the living source. The next annual figure, for 2028, publishes around July 2027.
2027 is the first year the 10% ceiling has bound — Commerce has published 10% for 1/1/2027-12/31/2027. Its posted calculation: June 2025 index 364.344, June 2026 index 380.849, so 7% plus CPI came to 11.53% — above the 10% statutory ceiling, which therefore controls. The 2026 figure is unchanged at 9.683%.
90 days is the statute's own number — amended RCW 59.18.140(3)(a) sets the 90-day rent-increase notice — this is a true rent-increase notice statute, not a figure derived from a general termination rule. Income-based subsidized tenancies get 30 days instead, under (3)(b).
Statewide cap and local preemption at the same time — rent control and local preemption are both in force here — an unusual combination that is easy to confuse with the California and Oregon arrangements.
Service mechanics matter — the increase notice must comply with RCW 59.12.040.
The act carries a sunset — July 1, 2040 — the cap, its exemptions, and the notice-form requirement each expire on July 1, 2040 by their own terms (RCW 59.18.700(8), 59.18.710(3), 59.18.720(4)) — the cap is not a permanent fixture of Washington law, though the legislature could extend it before then.
Currency of the Commerce cap page — the Department of Commerce cap page carries a last-updated date of July 15, 2026, and the annual figures shown here are the ones it publishes.

Common questions: Washington rent increase notice

Each answer is the verified value from the table above, restated as a direct answer. Free to quote with a link to this page.

How many days' notice must a landlord give before raising rent in Washington?: 90 days.
Does Washington have rent control?: Yes — Washington has statewide rent control or stabilization. Washington has had statewide rent stabilization since May 7, 2025. Rent cannot rise during the first 12 months of any tenancy, and after that increases are capped at the lesser of 7% plus CPI or 10% in any 12-month period.
Does Washington preempt local rent control ordinances?: Washington cities and counties are barred from enacting local rent control, but since May 7, 2025 state law itself caps most residential rent increases — no increase in a tenancy's first 12 months, then the lesser of 7% plus CPI or 10% per year (5% for manufactured-home lot rents) — so, apart from publicly owned or managed housing, low-income housing provided under public-private agreements, and rent agreements a city or county makes with private owners, the state sets the only rent limits and localities may not add their own.
Can a landlord raise the rent during a fixed-term lease in Washington?: Rent may not be increased at all during the first 12 months of a tenancy, month-to-month or fixed-term, and afterward increases in any 12-month period are capped for non-exempt units. During a fixed term, an increase also may not take effect before the term ends, and it still needs at least 90 days' prior written notice (RCW 59.18.140(3)(a)).
How often can a landlord raise the rent in Washington?: Rent may not be increased at all during the first 12 months of a tenancy, and after that the increases in any 12-month period may not add up to more than the annual cap (RCW 59.18.700(1)(a)). The notice form the statute prescribes tells tenants that rent can be raised once every 12 months (RCW 59.18.720(3)).

Citations

RCW 59.18.700 · (1), (8) (verified 2026) Official source
RCW 59.18.710 · (3) (verified 2026) Official source
RCW 59.18.720 · (4) (verified 2026) Official source
RCW 59.18.700-.730 (EHB 1217, 2025) and RCW 59.18.140 (90-day notice), per the Washington Attorney General's official landlord-tenant guidance (verified 2026) Official source
Department of Commerce HB 1217 Landlord Resource Center (official annual cap publication) (verified 2026) Official source
RCW 59.18.140 · (3)(a)-(b) (verified 2026) Official source

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); RCW 59.18.170 and RCW 59.18.150 full texts read 2026-07-09 (upgrading them from the 2026-07-08 multi-source corroboration). 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; re-read directly 2026-07-16 — 9.683% for calendar 2026, and the 2027 figure is now published: 10%, because 7% + June 2026 Seattle CPI = 11.53% exceeds the 10% statutory ceiling, so the ceiling controls). RCW 59.18.260, .270, and .285 initially corroborated across the official AG page, Seattle SDCI, and consistent legal-aid sources, then read directly and in full on the official app.leg.wa.gov pages 2026-08-05 (each read twice, all dependent claims confirmed verbatim, and the three sections added to the deposit topic's citations); the rent-stabilization sunset was pinned the same day from the statute text itself (RCW 59.18.700(8), 59.18.710(3), 59.18.720(4) each expire July 1, 2040; session law 2025 c 209). Committee-stage reports on 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. For manufactured/mobile-home tenancies the enacted law caps move-in fees and deposits at one month's rent, two with pets (RCW 59.20.170(1)), and sets tiered late-fee limits of 2%, 3% and 5% (RCW 59.20.060(2)(j)); chapter 59.18 RCW, read in full, sets no statewide residential deposit or late-fee amount cap. October 1, 2026: RCW 59.18.030, .125, .140, .150, .170, .253, .260, .270, .280, .285, .610, .700, .710, .720 and .730, RCW 59.12.040, RCW 35.21.830 and 36.01.130 and RCW 59.20.060 and 59.20.170 were read again on app.leg.wa.gov (site last updated July 15, 2026, with the 2026 session included), and the 2026 and 2027 maximum increases on the Department of Commerce's page.