Fourteen-Day Notice to Pay Rent or Vacate (Washington)

FOURTEEN-DAY NOTICE TO PAY RENT OR VACATE THE PREMISES

(Washington Residential Landlord-Tenant Act — RCW 59.18.057, RCW 59.12.030(3))

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Identification of Parties and Premises
2. Statutory Notice — RCW 59.18.057 Form
3. Itemization of Amount Due
4. Demand to Pay or Vacate
5. Where and How to Pay
6. Required Tenant Resource Disclosures
7. Just Cause Eviction Statement (RCW 59.18.650)
8. Local Ordinance Notices (Seattle / Tacoma / Other)
9. Reservation of Rights
10. Signature Block
11. Declaration / Certificate of Service
12. Washington Practice Notes
13. Sources and References

1. IDENTIFICATION OF PARTIES AND PREMISES

2. STATUTORY NOTICE — RCW 59.18.057 FORM

FOURTEEN-DAY NOTICE TO PAY RENT OR VACATE THE PREMISES

TO: [TENANT NAME(S)]
ADDRESS OF THE PREMISES: [STREET ADDRESS, UNIT, CITY, WA, ZIP]

You are receiving this notice because the landlord alleges you are not in compliance with the terms of the lease agreement by failing to pay rent and/or utilities or other periodic charges that are part of your rental agreement.

You must pay the TOTAL AMOUNT DUE to your landlord within FOURTEEN (14) DAYS after service of this notice or you must vacate the premises. Any payment you make to the landlord must be applied first to the back rent shown on this notice. Payment cannot be applied to rent that is not yet due, late fees, attorneys' fees, or other charges, until the full back rent set out in this notice has been paid. (RCW 59.18.063.)

If you do not pay the total amount due or vacate the premises within fourteen (14) days after service of this notice, the landlord may commence a judicial proceeding (an unlawful detainer action) under chapter 59.12 RCW and chapter 59.18 RCW that could lead to your eviction from the premises.

3. ITEMIZATION OF AMOUNT DUE

The total amount you must pay to comply with this notice is itemized as follows. Do not include late fees, attorneys' fees, security deposits, or any other non-rent charge in this itemization.

4. DEMAND TO PAY OR VACATE

You must, within FOURTEEN (14) DAYS after service of this notice (the day after service is day 1), do ONE of the following:

(a) Pay the TOTAL AMOUNT DUE of $[__________] in full to the landlord at the location identified in Section 5 below; OR

(b) Vacate the premises and deliver possession to the landlord.

If neither (a) nor (b) is accomplished within the 14-day period, the landlord may file an unlawful detainer action against you in [COUNTY] County Superior Court under RCW 59.12.030(3) and RCW 59.18.650(2)(a).

5. WHERE AND HOW TO PAY

Payment of the TOTAL AMOUNT DUE must be tendered to:

The tenant may pay by any method the lease authorizes. The landlord must accept any tender of the full amount due within the 14-day period. Partial payment does NOT cure the default unless the landlord accepts it in writing as a cure.

6. REQUIRED TENANT RESOURCE DISCLOSURES

The following resources are available to you. (RCW 59.18.057.)

• Washington State Office of the Attorney General — Landlord/Tenant resources: https://www.atg.wa.gov/landlord-tenant
• Eviction Defense Screening Line (free legal aid intake): (855) 657-8387
• Northwest Justice Project — Apply for civil legal aid: https://nwjustice.org/apply-online
• Statewide directory of dispute resolution centers: https://www.resolutionwa.org
• 211 (Washington 2-1-1): Dial 2-1-1 for rental-assistance referrals.
• Office of Civil Legal Aid — Eviction Defense Right to Counsel: https://ocla.wa.gov/programs/eviction-defense (RCW 59.18.640 — appointed counsel for indigent tenants).
• Washington Law Help (free self-help materials): https://www.washingtonlawhelp.org

Reasonable accommodation. If you have a disability and need this notice in an alternative format, or need a reasonable accommodation in the eviction process, contact the landlord at the number above and contact the Washington State Human Rights Commission (1-800-233-3247) or the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (1-800-877-0246).

Language access. If you need this notice translated, contact the Eviction Defense Screening Line at (855) 657-8387 or 211.

7. JUST CAUSE EVICTION STATEMENT (RCW 59.18.650)

This notice is given pursuant to RCW 59.18.650(2)(a) — default in the payment of rent, which is a statutorily enumerated "just cause" for terminating a residential tenancy in Washington.

The 16 enumerated just causes under RCW 59.18.650(2) are:

The landlord asserts ground (a) — default in the payment of rent as the just cause for this notice.

8. LOCAL ORDINANCE NOTICES (SEATTLE / TACOMA / OTHER)

8.1. Seattle (if premises are within City of Seattle)

This notice is also given pursuant to Seattle Just Cause Eviction Ordinance, SMC 22.206.160(C)(1)(a) (failure to comply with material lease term — nonpayment of rent). The landlord certifies that the rental property is registered under the Rental Registration and Inspection Ordinance (RRIO), SMC 22.214.

Seattle 6-Month Rent Increase Notice. Any future increase in rent (regardless of amount) requires written notice at least 180 days (six months) before the effective date. SMC 7.24.030.

Economic Displacement Relocation Assistance (EDRA). If a rent increase equals or exceeds 10% (alone or cumulatively within 12 months), tenant households at or below 80% of Area Median Income may be eligible for EDRA equal to three months' rent. SMC 22.212; see https://www.seattle.gov/sdci.

8.2. Tacoma (if premises are within City of Tacoma)

The Tacoma Landlord Fairness Code Initiative (Initiative 1), Tacoma Mun. Code ch. 1.100 (effective December 8, 2023), prohibits:

• Eviction (including for nonpayment) where the writ of restitution would execute during the school year for a household with school-age children, subject to exceptions.
• Eviction during cold-weather periods (November 1 – April 1) for nonpayment, subject to exceptions.
• Rent increases without two notices (210–180 days and 120–90 days before effective date) and without graduated relocation assistance for increases of 5%, 7.5%, or 10%+.

The landlord must comply with these provisions before pursuing eviction within Tacoma city limits.

8.3. Other Local Ordinances

Burien, Federal Way, Kenmore, Auburn, Bellingham, Olympia, and several other cities have enacted just-cause, rent-increase notice, late-fee caps, and/or relocation-assistance ordinances. Verify local code before service.

9. RESERVATION OF RIGHTS

Acceptance by the landlord of any partial payment shall NOT constitute a waiver of the landlord's right to pursue an unlawful detainer action for the remaining unpaid balance unless waiver is set forth in a signed writing executed by the landlord. The landlord expressly reserves all rights and remedies under chapter 59.12 RCW, chapter 59.18 RCW, the rental agreement, and applicable local ordinance.

This notice is NOT a notice of termination of tenancy. If the tenant cures by paying the TOTAL AMOUNT DUE in full within 14 days, the tenancy continues on existing terms.

10. SIGNATURE BLOCK

Dated this ____ day of __________________, 20____.

[LANDLORD / AUTHORIZED AGENT NAME]

By: _________________________________________
Print Name: [____________________________]
Title: ☐ Owner ☐ Property Manager ☐ Authorized Agent
Address: [______________________________________]
Telephone: [____________________________]
Email: [____________________________]

11. DECLARATION / CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

DECLARATION OF SERVICE OF FOURTEEN-DAY NOTICE TO PAY RENT OR VACATE

I, [SERVER NAME], declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of Washington that the following is true and correct:

1. I am over the age of 18 and not a party to this action.

2. On [__/__/____] at approximately [__:__ ☐ AM ☐ PM], I served the foregoing Fourteen-Day Notice to Pay Rent or Vacate the Premises on tenant [TENANT NAME] at the premises located at [PREMISES ADDRESS] by the following method (check one) under RCW 59.12.040:

| ☐ | (a) PERSONAL SERVICE — by handing a true copy to the tenant personally. |
| ☐ | (b) SUBSTITUTE SERVICE — by leaving a true copy with [NAME / DESCRIPTION], a person of suitable age and discretion residing at the premises, AND by depositing a true copy in the U.S. Mail, first-class postage prepaid, addressed to the tenant at the premises on [__/__/____]. |
| ☐ | (c) POST-AND-MAIL — after attempting personal and substitute service in good faith without success on [__/__/____ — list dates/times of attempts], by affixing a true copy in a conspicuous place on the premises AND by depositing a true copy in the U.S. Mail, first-class postage prepaid, addressed to the tenant at the premises on [__/__/____]. |

3. I retained a copy of the Notice and a record of service.

Executed at [CITY], Washington, on [__/__/____].

_________________________________
[SIGNATURE OF SERVER]
Print Name: [_________________________]

12. WASHINGTON PRACTICE NOTES

1. Computation of the 14-day period. Day 1 is the day after service. If the 14th day is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the period extends to the next non-holiday business day. (CR 6(a).)

2. Self-help is prohibited. RCW 59.18.290(1) makes it unlawful for the landlord to remove or exclude the tenant from the premises except by court order. Lockouts, utility shutoffs, removal of doors, or removal of belongings expose the landlord to treble actual damages plus attorneys' fees. Do not engage in self-help during or after the 14-day period.

3. Rent must be applied to back rent first (RCW 59.18.063). If the tenant tenders less than the full TOTAL AMOUNT DUE, the landlord must apply that payment to the rent (in chronological order) before any application to fees, deposits, or other charges. Misapplication invalidates a subsequent unlawful detainer.

4. No notice combination. Do not combine the 14-day pay-or-vacate with a 10-day cure-or-quit (lease breach), 3-day waste/nuisance, or any termination notice. Each ground requires its own notice.

5. Habitability and retaliation defenses. Tenants may raise warranty-of-habitability defenses under RCW 59.18.060–.090 (including repair-and-deduct under RCW 59.18.100), retaliation under RCW 59.18.240 (90-day rebuttable presumption when adverse action follows a good-faith complaint), and discrimination defenses under the Washington Law Against Discrimination (RCW 49.60.222) and the federal Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. § 3601 et seq.).

6. Security deposit setoff. A tenant cannot use the security deposit as last month's rent unless the rental agreement so authorizes (RCW 59.18.260–.285). The landlord must return the deposit (or itemized statement) within 30 days of termination of the tenancy (RCW 59.18.280).

7. ERPP (RCW 59.18.660) expired July 1, 2023. No DRC certificate is required statewide for nonpayment cases. Some superior courts (e.g., King County, Pierce County) maintain local-rule mediation tracks. Always confirm local rules before filing.

8. Right to counsel. A tenant who is "indigent" (≤200% federal poverty level or receiving public assistance) is entitled to court-appointed counsel under RCW 59.18.640. Do not assume an unrepresented tenant will remain unrepresented.

9. Federal CARES Act notice (if applicable). If the property is a "covered dwelling" under 15 U.S.C. § 9058(a)(2) (federally backed mortgage or LIHTC/Section 8/USDA participation), the tenant is entitled to 30 days notice to vacate for nonpayment under 15 U.S.C. § 9058(c). Many federal courts have held this requirement remains in effect post-moratorium. Substitute a 30-day federal notice for the 14-day notice for covered dwellings.

10. Service of process versus notice service. RCW 59.12.040 governs service of pre-suit notices. RCW 59.18.365 governs service of the summons and complaint in the unlawful detainer action that follows. The two are distinct; both must be done correctly.

13. SOURCES AND REFERENCES

Statutes

• RCW 59.12.030 — Unlawful detainer grounds: https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=59.12.030
• RCW 59.12.040 — Service of notice: https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=59.12.040
• RCW 59.18.057 — 14-day notice form: https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=59.18.057
• RCW 59.18.063 — Order of payment application: https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=59.18.063
• RCW 59.18.240 — Retaliation prohibited: https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=59.18.240
• RCW 59.18.290 — Self-help eviction prohibited: https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=59.18.290
• RCW 59.18.365 — Unlawful detainer summons: https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=59.18.365
• RCW 59.18.380 — Show-cause hearing: https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=59.18.380
• RCW 59.18.640 — Right to counsel: https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=59.18.640
• RCW 59.18.650 — Just Cause Eviction: https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=59.18.650
• RCW 49.60.222 — WLAD housing: https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=49.60.222

Local Ordinances

• Seattle Mun. Code 22.206.160 (Just Cause): https://library.municode.com/wa/seattle
• Seattle SDCI Just Cause Eviction Ordinance: https://www.seattle.gov/sdci
• Tacoma Mun. Code ch. 1.100 (Landlord Fairness Code): https://cms.cityoftacoma.org

Tenant Resources

• Washington Attorney General — Landlord/Tenant: https://www.atg.wa.gov/landlord-tenant
• Northwest Justice Project / WashingtonLawHelp: https://www.washingtonlawhelp.org
• Eviction Defense Screening Line: (855) 657-8387
• Resolution Washington — DRC directory: https://www.resolutionwa.org
• Office of Civil Legal Aid: https://ocla.wa.gov

Federal

• 15 U.S.C. § 9058 (CARES Act 30-day notice): https://www.govinfo.gov

END OF NOTICE