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.