Washington Rent Increase Rules: Notice Requirements, Relocation Assistance, and What Seattle and Tacoma Landlords Must Do

Raising rent in Washington is not a simple administrative task. The state has layered requirements on top of each other over the past four years, and two of its largest cities — Seattle and Tacoma — have added their own ordinances that impose substantial financial penalties on landlords who increase rents above specific thresholds. Getting this wrong does not result in a minor correction. It can result in a direct financial liability of up to three times the monthly rent per tenant.

Here is the full compliance picture for 2026.

Statewide Rent Increase Notice Requirements

Washington does not cap the amount a landlord can raise rent, but it does require advance written notice. The minimum notice period depends on the tenancy type:

• Month-to-month tenancy: The landlord must provide written notice of a rent increase at least 20 days before the first date of the rental period in which the increase takes effect. For a standard month-to-month tenancy with rent due on the first of the month, notice must be delivered at least 20 days before the month in which the increase begins.

• Fixed-term lease: Rent cannot be increased during the fixed term unless the lease specifically allows it. At the end of a fixed-term lease, if the tenancy converts to month-to-month, the 20-day notice requirement applies to any subsequent increases.

The statewide 20-day notice is the floor. Seattle and Tacoma significantly exceed it.

Seattle's Rent Increase Rules and EDRA

Seattle's municipal code adds two separate burdens: a notice requirement and a relocation assistance obligation.

Notice requirement: Seattle does not specify a notice period separate from the state minimum in its current code — the statewide 20-day minimum applies in Seattle for standard rent increases.

Economic Displacement Relocation Assistance (EDRA): This is the critical Seattle-specific rule. If a landlord increases a tenant's total housing costs — which includes base rent plus any recurring monthly fees — by 10% or more within the same 12-month period, and the tenant is a qualifying low-to-moderate income household, the tenant may apply for relocation assistance.

The qualifying income threshold is based on Seattle's Area Median Income (AMI). For 2026, the relevant threshold is 80% AMI — defined as $81,700 for a single individual or $116,650 for a family of four. If the tenant's household income is at or below these figures and they choose not to pay the increased rent, they may apply to the City of Seattle for relocation assistance.

The payment mechanism: The City of Seattle provides the tenant with a lump sum equal to three times the tenant's pre-increase monthly housing cost — then bills the landlord directly for reimbursement. The landlord has no say in whether the payment is made; the city determines tenant eligibility and the landlord receives the bill.

On a $2,000 per month unit, a 10% or greater rent increase that prompts a qualifying tenant to vacate generates a direct $6,000 charge to the landlord. On a $2,500 unit, the liability is $7,500. For investors operating a value-add strategy — buying an underperforming property and raising rents to market — this ordinance can eliminate the entire first year of income improvement on a single unit.

Practical impact: Seattle investors have adapted in one of three ways. Some cap annual increases at 9.9% to stay below the EDRA trigger. Others underwrite acquisitions with a relocation reserve that assumes full EDRA liability on every unit where an increase above 10% is planned. The third group avoids tenanted Seattle acquisitions entirely and focuses on vacant-at-close transactions.

Exception for small landlords: Landlords with an ownership interest in fewer than four rental properties in Seattle are exempt from the seasonal eviction moratorium — but the EDRA ordinance does not have a comparable small-landlord exemption for rent increases.

Tacoma's Rent Increase Rules (Measure 1 / LFCI)

Tacoma's Landlord Fairness Code Initiative (Measure 1, effective with major updates in 2026) is more operationally burdensome than Seattle's regime in several respects.

Dual Notice Requirement: Tacoma requires landlords to provide two separate written notices before a rent increase takes effect:

• First notice: Must be delivered between 210 and 180 days prior to the date the rent increase takes effect
• Second notice: Must be delivered between 120 and 90 days prior to the effective date

This requirement means landlords must begin the notice process roughly six to seven months before the intended increase date. An investor who decides in October to raise rents starting May 1 must have already delivered the first notice no later than mid-October — before the decision is typically made.

Missing either notice window renders the rent increase procedurally defective. Tacoma enforces this through the municipal court and tenant rights organizations that monitor compliance actively.

Tacoma Relocation Assistance Schedule: Tacoma's relocation assistance threshold is lower than Seattle's and scales more aggressively:

A $1,800 per month unit where the landlord raises rent by 7% triggers a $3,600 relocation assistance obligation if the tenant chooses to vacate. At 10% or above, the liability is $5,400.

Unlike Seattle, Tacoma does not route the payment through the city — the landlord pays the tenant directly.

Late fee cap: Tacoma caps late fees at 1.5% of unpaid monthly rent, removing any meaningful financial incentive for tenants to pay rent on time.

Burien and Other Western Washington Municipalities

The City of Burien has also enacted tenant protections that include notice requirements beyond the statewide minimum. Burien requires 180 days' notice for any rent increase over 10%, and 120 days' notice for increases over 3%. Relocation assistance applies for increases exceeding 10%.

Investors evaluating properties in the south King County suburban ring — including Burien, Renton, and White Center — should verify whether city-level ordinances apply before finalizing any acquisition that involves a tenanted property and planned rent corrections.

Navigating the layered rent increase obligations across Washington markets requires property-specific analysis, not just statewide generalizations. The Washington Investment Property Guide includes a complete municipality-by-municipality compliance matrix, sample notice templates, and a financial model for underwriting EDRA and Tacoma relocation assistance exposure before acquisition.

Summary: What Landlords Must Do Before Raising Rent

1. Identify which city your property is in — statewide law, Seattle law, Tacoma law, and Burien law are materially different
2. Calculate the percentage increase — the EDRA and Measure 1 triggers are percentage-based, not dollar-based
3. Issue the correct advance notice — 20 days (statewide minimum), 90–210 days (Tacoma dual-notice), or 180 days (Burien, for increases above 10%)
4. Model relocation assistance exposure — if the increase exceeds the trigger threshold, budget for the liability before deciding whether to proceed
5. Verify tenant income eligibility — in Seattle, EDRA applies only to qualifying low-to-moderate income households; the landlord bears the burden of knowing whether this applies

Washington permits rent increases without a percentage cap. But it has engineered the financial consequences of large increases in urban markets to be severe enough that they function as de facto rent constraints for prudent investors.

The Washington Investment Property Guide covers every aspect of Washington rent increase compliance, including the exact notice language, documentation requirements, and the relocation assistance payment process in Seattle and Tacoma.

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