Does Sammamish have its own landlord-tenant rules?
No. We read the Sammamish Municipal Code table of contents on 2026-10-15 and it contains no tenant-protection chapter, no rental registration or inspection program, no rent-notice tiers and no move-in or late-fee caps. The industry list of Washington cities with local landlord-tenant ordinances does not include Sammamish either. That is unusual on the Eastside, where Kirkland (KMC 7.75), Redmond (RMC 9.54) and Issaquah (IMC 5.52) each added rules in 2022, and it means a Sammamish owner's rulebook is Chapter 59.18 RCW and nothing else.
We say so plainly because a page that invents a Sammamish ordinance costs an owner a wasted 120-day wait, or worse, a notice served short. If the City Council adopts one, this page changes the same week.
How much can I raise rent in Sammamish, and with how much notice?
Washington's limit: at most 9.683% in any 12-month period during 2026 on a covered tenancy (7% plus Seattle-area CPI, or 10%, whichever is less; Commerce publishes the figure each July), and no increase in the first 12 months after the tenancy begins (RCW 59.18.700). The notice is the state form in RCW 59.18.720, served at least 90 days before the effective date (RCW 59.18.140(3)(a)), and any claimed exemption is stated on it with supporting facts.
The exemptions in RCW 59.18.710 are narrow: 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, an owner-occupied duplex to fourplex. A rented single-family house on the Plateau that the owner does not live in is covered, and the exemption does not pass to a corporation, REIT or LLC with a corporate member.
Do I need a Sammamish business licence to rent out my house?
Sammamish licenses through the state's Business Licensing Service, and the code's definition of engaging in business includes owning, renting or leasing real property located in the city and managing real property (SMC 5.05.020(4)(c)). The city's own FAQ adds the threshold: a business generating less than $4,000 a year in gross revenue from activity inside the city limits does not need the Sammamish endorsement; above that, it does. Rent on one house clears $4,000 in the first month, so the endorsement is added to the state licence before the lease is signed.
How does a Sammamish tenancy end?
By the statewide just-cause list in RCW 59.18.650: 90 days' written notice for the owner or immediate family to move in, 90 days to sell a single-family house (with the duty to list within 30 days of the tenant leaving), 60 days at the end of an initial lease of 6 to 12 months when the agreement does not roll over, 14-day pay-or-vacate for non-payment, 10 days to cure a material breach, 3 days for waste or nuisance. Deposits are refunded or itemized within 30 days (RCW 59.18.280). Entry needs two days' notice, one for showings (RCW 59.18.150).
What else shapes a Sammamish rental that the city does not regulate?
Association covenants. Much of Sammamish is under homeowner associations whose CC&Rs may cap the number of rented homes, set a minimum lease term or require the lease to be registered with the association; those rules bind the owner whatever the city code says, and we read them before pricing. The second is the house itself: a certificate of occupancy 12 or fewer years old makes the home exempt from the cap, which on the Plateau's newer streets is common, and the exemption is claimed on the notice each time.