Free Washington Eviction Notice Forms

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. 

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

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:

1. Serve an eviction notice with the correct notice period and a legal reason to evict.

2. File for an eviction in a local court if the tenant doesn’t obey the notice.

3. Attend the court hearing in person to make your case to the judge.

4. Request a Writ of Restitution from the clerk of the court if the judge rules in your favor.

5. Deliver the Writ to local law enforcement, so they may carry out a forced eviction.

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.

There are several other legal documents that can be useful for landlords or when managing real estate. If you are currently renting out a home, or plan to do so in the future, use the following documents below to ensure your property is properly looked after: 

• Washington Rental Application

• Washington Residential Lease Agreement