Free Washington Eviction Notice Forms

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Table of Contents:

Washington Eviction Notice Types
Washington Eviction Laws
Washington Eviction Process
Washington Eviction Notice Sample
Related Documents
FAQs About Washington Eviction Notices

Washington Eviction Notice Types

It’s necessary to provide the correct type of Washington eviction notice to the tenant you’re removing from your property. If you don’t, the eviction could be overturned or take significantly longer to complete.

You must give your tenant the precise legal document for the situation, detailing a valid legal reason for the eviction under WA statutes. This will also affect how long you must give the resident as notice before they have to leave the property.

As seen below, there are a few different options in Washington when completing an eviction.

14-Day Notice to Quit (Non-Payment)

If a tenant doesn’t comply with the rental payment schedule, the landlord may present them with a 14-Day Notice to Quit. This obliges them to pay rent or quit within 14 days.

If the tenant complies and pays the rent then the notice will be nullified. If they refuse to pay or vacate the property, the landlord will be able to pursue the matter further through the courts.

14-Day Notice to Quit (Emergency Assistance)

Tenants who are on rental assistance either from a non-profit or government program will be given up to 14 days to pay or quit.

Previously the notice period was 7 days, however, that has been changed (§SB-5197), and if a tenant provides proof that they are receiving assistance from a non-profit or federal program they must be given at least 14 days' notice.

10-Day Notice to Quit (Non-Compliance)

If the tenant commits a lease violation the landlord can issue a 10-Day Notice to Quit. This will give the resident 10 days to leave the property or to cure the problem that the landlord has raised (if allowed).

This can be conditional or unconditional depending on the severity of the infraction. In the case of an incurable notice, the tenant will have no chance to cure or fix the violation. If they refuse to comply within the time given, the landlord will then be able to file a court case against them.

20-Day Notice to Quit (Month-to-Month)

20 Day-Notice to Quit documents are used to evict month-to-month tenants or those who don’t have a fixed lease without providing any given cause. This allows the landlord to inform the tenant that they must vacate the property within 20 days or face a legal challenge.

Washington Eviction Laws

An eviction notice in Washington is only legally valid if it provides the correct amount of notice based on the purpose for the lease termination. The reason you evict the resident must also comply with WA law.

In Washington, you may evict someone for the following reasons:

Nonpayment of rent: 14 days’ notice
Lease violations: 10 days’ notice
Termination of a lease: 20 days’ notice
Waste or nuisance violations: 3 days’ notice

Washington Eviction Process

Evicting a tenant in Washington follows a strict legal process. When issuing an eviction notice, you must make sure that you correctly:

Detail the reason the lease is being terminated.
Provide sufficient time for the tenant to respond.
Serve the notice in a legally appropriate manner.

In most cases, that is enough to make a tenant vacate on their own. However, as an eviction is a lawsuit procedure, it may be necessary to take additional steps if the resident refuses to leave.

To complete an eviction process in Washington, you will need to:

Serve an eviction notice with the correct notice period and a legal reason to evict.
File for an eviction in a local court if the tenant doesn’t obey the notice.
Attend the court hearing in person to make your case to the judge.
Request a Writ of Restitution from the clerk of the court if the judge rules in your favor.
Deliver the Writ to local law enforcement, so they may carry out a forced eviction.

Washington Eviction Notice Sample

When you prepare your own Washington

eviction notice, it can be hard to have a clear idea of what the final document will look like. If you need a little extra guidance on how your legal document will appear, simply review our eviction notice sample below.

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FAQs About Washington Eviction Notices

Before starting your eviction notice for real, it is sensible to understand the ins and outs of these important legal documents. Read more about Washington’s eviction notices in our FAQs below and learn how to use these forms effectively.

How to Evict Someone in Washington?

To successfully evict a tenant in Washington state, the landlord or property manager must serve a legally valid WA eviction notice. This must provide the correct number of days’ notice and a legitimate reason to evict. It can be served in person, to a family member, someone else living on the premises, or left in a conspicuous location.

If the tenant doesn’t comply and vacate the property as instructed, the landlord will then have to petition a court. If the judge rules in their favor they will then be able to use a local marshal or sheriff to forcibly evict the tenant.

How Long is the Eviction Process in Washington?

The eviction process in Washington usually only takes around 3 weeks to complete. If a valid eviction notice is delivered, this is often enough to get the tenant to leave or cure the issue (if allowed). This can reduce the time down to as little as 3 days from when the notice has been served.

How Many Days Notice Does a Landlord Need to Give in Washington?

The notice period a landlord needs to give in Washington always depends on their reason to evict. When a Washington eviction notice is served it must provide the correct duration for the infraction or it won’t be valid. This can be as few as 14 days for a missed rental payment and up to 20 days when terminating a lease.

You are only a few steps away from your own Washington Eviction Notice!

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Preview of your Washington Eviction Notice

14 DAY NOTICE TO PAY RENT OR VACATE

_________

_________
_________
_________, Washington _________

TO TENANT(S), ALL OTHER RESIDENTS AND UNNAMED OCCUPANTS OF THE PREMISES LOCATED AT:

_________, _________, Washington _________

You are receiving the attached notice because the landlord alleges you are not in compliance with the terms of the lease agreement dated _________ by failing to pay rent and/or utilities and/or recurring or periodic charges that are past due.

Monthly rent due for _________ to _________: $_________

TOTAL AMOUNT DUE: $0

Note - payment must be by cash, cashier's check, money order, or certified funds pursuant to the terms of the rental agreement.

You must pay the total amount due to your landlord within fourteen (14) days after service on you of this notice or you must vacate the premises. Any payment you make to the landlord must first be applied to the total amount due as shown on this notice. Any failure to comply with this notice within fourteen (14) days after service of this notice may result in a judicial proceeding that leads to your eviction from the premises.

The Washington state Office of the Attorney General has this notice in multiple languages on its web site. You will also find information there on how to find a lawyer or advocate at low or no cost and any available resources to help you pay your rent. Alternatively, for no-cost legal assistance for low-income renters call 211 or the Northwest Justice Project CLEAR Hotline outside King County (888) 201-1014 weekdays between 9:15 a.m. 12:15 p.m., or (888) 387-7111 for seniors (age 60 and over). You may find additional information to help you at http://www.washingtonlawhelp.org. State law provides you the right to receive interpreter services at court.

______________________________	_____________
OWNER/LANDLORD: _________	DATE

WHERE TOTAL AMOUNT DUE IS TO BE PAID:
_________
_________
_________, _________, _________

Dated: _________

By: ______________________________
_________

_________
_________, _________, _________
_________

PROOF OF SERVICE

I, the undersigned, declare under penalty of perjury that I served the above notice, of which this is a true copy, on the following tenant(s) in possession in the manner(s) indicated below:

On _____________, I handed the notice to the tenant(s) personally.

On _____________, after attempting personal service, by delivering it on the premises to a member of suitable age of his/her family or household or an employee of suitable age and discretion at the residence/business of the tenant(s), with a request that it be delivered to the person in possession of said premises, AND deposited a true copy in the U.S. Mail, in a sealed envelope with postage fully prepaid, addressed to the tenant(s) at his/her place of residence.

On _____________, after attempting service in both manners indicated previously, I served this notice by posting it in a visible place at the residence of the tenant(s), AND I deposited a true copy through Certified U.S. Mail, in a sealed envelope with postage fully prepaid, addressed to the tenant(s) or the person(s) in possession of the property at his/her/their place of residence.

Executed on ____________________
Served by ______________________