How much notice a rent increase requires in Washington depends on where the property sits, not just on state law. Real owners quote Seattle's 180 day rule as if it applied statewide, and it does not. Washington State sets the floor at 90 days' written notice for any rent increase under RCW 59.18.140, and several Puget Sound cities stack longer, percentage-based requirements on top of it.
The short answer: Washington State requires at least 90 days' written notice for any rent increase; Seattle requires 180 days for every increase; Kirkland and Redmond require 120 days for increases over 3 percent and 180 days over 10 percent; Auburn requires 120 days for increases over 5 percent. Where the rules overlap, the longest notice period controls. That is the map Sagareus Property Management serves notices from across 800+ units, and the full table is right here.
| Jurisdiction | Increase Size | Minimum Written Notice | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington State (baseline, everywhere) | Any increase | 90 days | RCW 59.18.140 |
| Seattle | Any increase | 180 days | SMC 7.24 |
| Kirkland | Over 3% / Over 10% | 120 days / 180 days | KMC 7.75.030 |
| Redmond | Over 3% / Over 10% | 120 days / 180 days | RMC 9.54.030 |
| Auburn | Over 5% | 120 days | ACC 5.23.040 |
| Unincorporated King County | Over 3% | 120 days | KCC 12.25.070 |
Two footnotes apply everywhere. Increases at or below a city's local threshold still need the state's 90 days. And for subsidized tenancies where rent is based on the tenant's income, the state and each of these codes set a 30 day minimum instead.
This article is information about the rules as we verified them in August 2026, not legal advice. For decisions about a specific tenancy, talk to a landlord-tenant attorney.
RCW 59.18.140 requires a minimum of 90 days' prior written notice for any increase in rent, for every residential tenancy in Washington State. The old 60 day standard is gone; 90 days is the statewide floor no matter how small the increase is.
The one statewide exception is subsidized housing where the rent is set by the tenant's income or household circumstances. There, 30 days' written notice is the minimum.
If your rental sits in a city with no local ordinance, the state rule is your rule: 90 days, in writing, properly served.
Seattle doubled the state timeline. Under SMC 7.24, every housing cost increase in Seattle requires at least 180 days' advance written notice, a rule in force since November 2021. The city counts full days: to raise rent on June 1, the tenant must receive the notice no later than December 2 of the prior year.
Seattle adds a second layer. An increase of 10 percent or more within 12 months requires an Economic Displacement Relocation Assistance (EDRA) notice attached to the increase notice. A qualified tenant who moves out after such an increase can claim relocation assistance of up to three months of housing costs from the owner.
Seattle's 180 day rule stops at the city limits. It is quoted constantly as Washington law, and it is not. Our Seattle rent increase rules guide covers the city's full stack.
Three cities in our service area have their own ordinances, each tied to the size of the increase.
KMC 7.75.030 requires 120 days' written notice for a rent increase greater than 3 percent, and 180 days for an increase greater than 10 percent. The notice must state the actual dollar amount of the new rent or the increase, not just a percentage. More in our Kirkland landlord rules guide.
RMC 9.54.030 mirrors Kirkland: 120 days over 3 percent, 180 days over 10 percent, 30 days for income-based subsidized tenancies. Redmond adopted the rule in 2022 and it has not changed since.
ACC 5.23.040 sets a single local tier: an increase of more than 5 percent requires 120 days' notice. Increases of 5 percent or less follow state law, which now means 90 days. The subsidized-tenancy minimum is 30 days under RCW 59.18.140. Our Auburn landlord rules guide covers the city's other requirements.
One caution on the 180 day tiers: they are not permission. Washington's statewide rent cap usually makes an increase over 10 percent unlawful for covered tenancies regardless of how much notice you give. More on that below.
Pockets of unincorporated King County, places like Fairwood, Skyway, and the East Renton Highlands, follow county code instead of any city's. KCC 12.25.070 requires 120 days' notice for a rent increase greater than 3 percent, with the same 30 day minimum for income-based subsidized tenancies. Increases of 3 percent or less fall back to the state's 90 days.
Jurisdiction here runs parcel by parcel, not by mailing address. A "Renton" mailing address can sit on an unincorporated parcel, so check the parcel's actual jurisdiction before you count days.
The strictest rule that applies to your parcel controls. These ordinances all set minimums, so the longest applicable notice period is the one you must satisfy:
Serving more notice than required is always compliant. Serving less, even by one day, means the increase cannot lawfully take effect on your intended date.
Notice is only half the test. Under RCW 59.18.700, rent for most existing tenancies cannot increase at all during the first 12 months, and after that it is capped within any 12 month period at 7 percent plus inflation or 10 percent, whichever is less, with the exact figure published by the Washington State Department of Commerce each year. An increase must satisfy both the cap and the notice rules; a perfectly noticed increase above the cap is still unlawful, and a lawful-sized increase with short notice is too. The mechanics and the annual figure are covered in our Washington lease renewal and rent increase notice guide.
Washington State now prescribes the content, not just the timing. Under RCW 59.18.720, a rent increase notice must be substantially in the statutory form, which includes:
City rules add their own content. Kirkland, for example, requires the actual dollar amount on the notice. A notice that shows only a percentage, or arrives by plain text message, does not meet the standard.
Informationally, three things tend to follow from a short, vague, or improperly served notice:
The practical cost is usually the quiet one: a renewal cycle that slips a month or two because the clock had to restart.
The state's 90 day baseline applies, but verify before you serve. Puget Sound cities have been adding tenant protection ordinances steadily since 2021, and the list above reflects what we verified in August 2026, not a permanent map. Check your city's municipal code, or ask whoever manages your property to confirm the current rule before every increase. That is part of what professional management is for.
No. The 180 day rent increase notice rule is Seattle's, under SMC 7.24, and it applies only inside Seattle city limits. Kirkland and Redmond require 180 days only when an increase exceeds 10 percent. Everywhere else in Washington State the minimum is the state's 90 days under RCW 59.18.140.
180 days' advance written notice for any housing cost increase, of any size. If the increase is 10 percent or more within 12 months, an EDRA relocation assistance notice must be attached, and a qualified tenant who moves out may claim up to three months of housing costs.
The increase cannot take effect until a compliant notice runs its full period, so the immediate cost is delay. A tenant may also terminate with 20 days' notice and pursue statutory remedies under RCW 59.18.700, including recovery of excess rent, damages, and attorney fees.
Where the rent is based on the tenant's income or household circumstances, Washington State and each of the city ordinances above set a 30 day minimum written notice for a rent increase.
We treat every renewal as a deliberate decision, not a deadline we react to. A signed lease is binding, and once it lapses to month-to-month your options narrow, so we renew or end each lease on purpose, well before it expires:
Then the required notices go out on time and delivered properly. Washington sets a minimum, but several Puget Sound cities require much longer, so we serve to the strictest rule that applies. A late or botched notice resets the clock and can cost you a month.
Rent should keep pace with the market every cycle, and the renewal should be planned, not scrambled.
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