Landlord laws by city — verified 2026-10-15
Landlord laws in Seattle, Bellevue and the Eastside for 2026, with the code section for every rule
Washington sets the 2026 rent-increase cap at 9.683% and the notice floor at 90 days; Seattle, Kirkland, Redmond and Issaquah add longer notice periods and their own caps, while Bellevue and Sammamish add nothing. Six city pages below, each dated and section-cited, plus a calculator that tells you whether an increase is legal and when it can start.
Written and verified by
Grisel Castro
Property Manager · WA Lic. #137529
Author · RexMont Property Management
Adriano Tori
Designated Broker · WA Lic. #27660
Reviewer · accountable for every account
Last verified 2026-10-15 against the sources listed at the foot of this page. This is RexMont Property Management's working summary for owners, not legal advice; a lease or a notice with money on it goes past a Washington landlord-tenant attorney. Questions to pm@rexmont.com.
Pick your city
Six cities, six rulebooks.
Landlord rules in Seattle →
Seattle layers its own rules on Washington's. In 2026 a Seattle landlord registers under RRIO ($126 plus $31.50 per extra unit), gives 180 days' notice for any rent increase, attaches an EDRA notice at 10% or more, keeps deposits and fees inside one month's rent, screens first-in-time, ends tenancies only for just cause, and stays under the state's 9.683% cap.
Landlord rules in Bellevue →
Bellevue has no rental registration or inspection program and no city rent-notice ordinance; Washington law governs a Bellevue rental. What the city does require is a business licence (BCC 4.09) and a B&O filing, and it bans whole-home stays under 30 nights (LUC 20.20.800). The state sets the 9.683% cap and the 90-day notice.
Landlord rules in Kirkland →
Kirkland adds two local rules to Washington law under KMC Chapter 7.75 (Ordinance O-4810, 2022): 120 days' written notice for a rent increase over 3% and 180 days over 10%, and a one-month cap on move-in fees plus deposits, payable in installments. Every rental also needs a Kirkland business licence. The state caps 2026 increases at 9.683%.
Landlord rules in Redmond →
Redmond, Washington regulates four things under RMC Chapter 9.54 (Ordinance 3091, 2022): 120 days' notice for a rent increase over 3% and 180 over 10%; a one-month cap on move-in fees plus deposits; late fees capped at 1.5% of monthly rent; and a due-date accommodation clause. Rental businesses post tenant-rights material (RMC 5.04.070). The state caps 2026 increases at 9.683%.
Landlord rules in Issaquah →
Issaquah has one local landlord rule: IMC 5.52.030 (Ordinance 2986, effective October 6, 2022) requires 120 days' written notice for a rent increase greater than 3%. There is no city move-in cap, late-fee cap or registry, and rentals of nine or fewer units need no city business licence. Washington's 9.683% cap and 90-day floor apply.
Landlord rules in Sammamish →
Sammamish has no landlord-tenant ordinance of its own: the Sammamish Municipal Code has no tenant-protection chapter, no rental registry and no local notice rule. A Sammamish rental runs on Washington law, the 9.683% cap for 2026, 90 days' notice, RCW 59.18 just cause, plus a city business-licence endorsement above $4,000 a year in gross revenue.
| City | Rent-increase notice | Move-in costs | Late fees | Registration / licence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | 180 days, any increase | Deposit + fees ≤ 1 month; pet ≤ 25% | $10 / month | RRIO: $126 + $31.50/unit, 2 years |
| Bellevue | 90 days (state) | State rules | State rules | None; business licence $119 one-time |
| Kirkland | 120 days > 3%; 180 days > 10% | Fees + deposit ≤ 1 month (KMC 7.75.040) | State rules | None; business licence required |
| Redmond | 120 days > 3%; 180 days > 10% | Fees + deposit ≤ 1 month (RMC 9.54.040) | ≤ 1.5% of rent (RMC 9.54.050) | None; licence only at 5+ units |
| Issaquah | 120 days > 3% | State rules | State rules | None; licence only at 10+ units |
| Sammamish | 90 days (state) | State rules | State rules | None; licence endorsement above $4,000 |
| Rule | Number | Section | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum rent increase in any 12 months (covered tenancies) | 9.683% for Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2026 | RCW 59.18.700(1)(a)(ii); WA Commerce | 2026-01-01 |
| No rent increase during the first 12 months of a tenancy | 12 months | RCW 59.18.700(1)(a)(i) | 2025-05-07 |
| Minimum written notice before any rent increase | 90 days | RCW 59.18.140(3)(a) | 2025-05-07 |
| Rent increase notice must use the state form and state any exemption with supporting facts | Form in the statute | RCW 59.18.720; RCW 59.18.700(2) | 2025-05-07 |
| Cap exemption: first certificate of occupancy issued 12 or fewer years before the notice | 12 years | RCW 59.18.710(1)(a) | 2025-05-07 |
| Cap exemption: owner-occupied single-family residence renting no more than two units or bedrooms (incl. an ADU) | 2 units or bedrooms | RCW 59.18.710(1)(f) | 2025-05-07 |
| Cap exemption: owner-occupied duplex, triplex or fourplex; not available to REITs, corporations or LLCs with a corporate member | 2–4 units | RCW 59.18.710(1)(g), (2) | 2025-05-07 |
| Notice to end a tenancy for owner or immediate-family move-in, or to sell a single-family home | 90 days | RCW 59.18.650(2)(d)–(e) | 2021 (as amended) |
| Tenant may pay deposits, non-refundable fees and last month's rent in installments (3 on a lease of 3+ months, 2 on a shorter term); holding fee capped | 3 / 2 installments; holding fee ≤ 25% of first month's rent | RCW 59.18.610 | 2020 (c 169) |
| Deposit refund or itemized statement after move-out | 30 days | RCW 59.18.280 | 2023 amendment |
| Notice before entering the unit (1 day to show it to prospective tenants or buyers) | 2 days | RCW 59.18.150(6) | 2011 amendment |
The rules, handled
A manager who treats the notice as a compliance document.
RexMont manages single-family homes across these six cities at a published 8–10% of rent, and lists the home when selling wins. Every renewal, increase and deposit return on this page is handled on the day the code requires.
Your property management team
The people managing your rental.
Grisel Castro
Property Manager · WA Lic. #137529
Leads leasing, pricing, renewals, and owner strategy
Real people, not a call center. Adriano Tori, Designated Broker (WA Lic. #27660), is accountable for every account.
FAQ
Landlord law — questions owners ask first
How much notice do I need to raise rent, by city, in 2026?
Seattle: 180 days for any increase (SMC 7.24.030). Kirkland and Redmond: 120 days over 3%, 180 days over 10% (KMC 7.75.030, RMC 9.54.030). Issaquah: 120 days over 3% (IMC 5.52.030). Bellevue, Sammamish and the rest of Washington: 90 days (RCW 59.18.140). Every notice uses the state form in RCW 59.18.720.
What is the Washington rent increase cap for 2026?
9.683% in any 12-month period on a covered tenancy, set by the Department of Commerce under RCW 59.18.700 (7% plus Seattle-area CPI, or 10%, whichever is less). No increase in the first 12 months of a tenancy. Commerce publishes the next year's figure each July.
Which cities have rental registration?
Of the six, only Seattle: RRIO registration at $126 per property plus $31.50 per additional unit, renewed every two years, with a City inspection once in the first five years. Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Issaquah and Sammamish have no registration or inspection program; some require a business licence.
Is a single-family rental exempt from the Washington rent cap?
Not because it is a house. The exemptions in RCW 59.18.710 are a home whose first certificate of occupancy is 12 or fewer years old, an owner-occupied home renting no more than two units or bedrooms, and an owner-occupied duplex to fourplex. A rented house the owner does not live in is covered.
Do Seattle's first-in-time and just-cause rules apply on the Eastside?
No. First-in-time (SMC 14.08.050), the Just Cause Eviction Ordinance (SMC 22.205), EDRA and the 180-day notice stop at Seattle's city limit. Eastside tenancies follow the statewide just-cause list in RCW 59.18.650 and the city overlays described on each city's page.
Sources and verification
Every rule above was read at its source on 2026-10-15.
Statutes and codes change; a figure that fails its next check is removed from this page rather than left to age. Washington Commerce publishes the following year's rent-increase maximum each July, and the 2026 figure of 9.683% is replaced here when the next one is announced.
- WA Commerce — Commerce announces 9.683% rent cap for 2026 — checked 2026-10-15
- RCW 59.18.700 — Rent increase limits (cap formula, 12-month freeze, Commerce publication) — checked 2026-10-15
- RCW 59.18.710 — Exemptions from the rent increase limit — checked 2026-10-15
- RCW 59.18.720 — Rent and fee increase notice form — checked 2026-10-15
- RCW 59.18.140 — Notice requirements for rent increases (90 days) — checked 2026-10-15
- RCW 59.18.650 — Just cause to end a tenancy — checked 2026-10-15
- RCW 59.18.610 — Installment payments of deposits and fees; holding fee cap — checked 2026-10-15
- RCW 59.18.280 — Deposit refund and itemized statement — checked 2026-10-15
- RCW 59.18.150 — Landlord's right of entry — checked 2026-10-15
Last verified 2026-10-15. Not legal advice.