Before you sign a lease

Before you sign a written rental agreement (often called a lease), you should understand the terms, rules, fees, and penalties. You can negotiate with a potential landlord and ask for changes to the agreement, but it’s much easier to do this before you sign it. 

This guide will teach you about some important terms and fees to look for and will also teach you what kinds of terms are illegal for a landlord to put in a lease.

This guide also explains whether Washington’s Residential Landlord Tenant Act (RLTA) applies to your living situation and gives you additional protections under the law.

Washington’s Residential Landlord Tenant Act (RLTA) covers most situations where a residential tenant regularly pays rent to a landlord for a place to live, whether they have a verbal or written rental agreement and whether the time period is a fixed term (like 1 year) or is month to month. You can read the RLTA at RCW 59.18.

Some living arrangements are not covered by the RLTA. You can read about these exemptions at RCW 59.18.040.

The RLTA probably does not apply if: 

• You live and rent space in a mobile home park, but own your mobile home, manufactured home, or trailer.
• You live in an RV or trailer that you own but rent the space where it is parked.
• You get housing as part of your job and live where you work (for example, a property manager you gets an apartment as part of the job)
• You are in a medical facility, like a nursing home or hospital
• You are in a correctional facility, like a jail or prison
• You are in an educational facility, like a university dorm
• You are in a recreational facility, like a state park or private campground
• You signed a contract to buy the place where you are living (a “rent to own” contract)
• You rent the land around your home but it is mainly used for farming
• You are a temporary agricultural worker and your employer gives you housing as part of your job
• You lease commercial space for a business.