Your Security Deposit Rights in Washington

Washington sets no statewide limit on how much a landlord can charge as a security deposit, but a landlord can collect one only if your rental agreement is in writing and you both sign a move-in checklist describing the unit's condition. After the rental agreement ends and you move out, the landlord has 30 days to refund the deposit or send a full and specific statement of what it kept, with copies of estimates or invoices for any damage charges. A landlord who misses that deadline owes you the full deposit, and a judge can award up to twice the deposit if the landlord intentionally refused to send the statement or refund.

What must a landlord give you before taking a deposit?

Under RCW 59.18.260, a landlord who collects a deposit must provide two documents at the start of the tenancy:

• A written rental agreement that states when the landlord can keep all or part of the deposit, including whether it can be used for damage you are responsible for.
• A written move-in checklist or statement describing the condition and cleanliness of the unit and any existing damage, covering at least the walls (including paint and wallpaper), carpets and other flooring, furniture, and appliances. You and the landlord both sign and date it, you get a copy, and you can ask for one free replacement copy later.

If the landlord collects a deposit without giving you the checklist, the landlord owes you the amount of the deposit, and the side that wins a lawsuit over it can recover court costs and reasonable attorney's fees.

The checklist is your record of damage that was there before you moved in, so add any stain, chip, or broken part the form leaves out before you sign, and back it up with dated photos. It also limits deductions later: no deposit money can go toward repairing or replacing a fixture, appliance, or furnishing whose condition the checklist did not reasonably document. Our guide to documenting your apartment's condition lists what to photograph and how to store it.

How much can a Washington landlord charge?

State law sets no dollar cap for apartments and houses. The limit Washington passed in 2025, one month's rent for deposits and move-in fees combined (two months if you have pets), applies only to manufactured or mobile home lot rentals entered into on or after May 7, 2025.

Some cities set their own limits. In Seattle, the deposit and nonrefundable move-in fees together cannot exceed one month's rent, move-in fees cannot exceed 10 percent of the first month's rent and can pay only for tenant screening or cleaning at move-out, and a pet deposit cannot exceed 25 percent of the first month's rent. If you rent elsewhere, check your city's rental code before you pay.

Money labeled nonrefundable follows its own rule. A nonrefundable fee, such as a cleaning fee, is allowed only if your written rental agreement clearly says it is nonrefundable, and the landlord cannot call it a deposit or part of one. If the agreement does not say the fee is nonrefundable, it is treated as a refundable deposit. If there is no written agreement, the landlord owes you any fees it collected as nonrefundable. See nonrefundable deposits and fees for how other states treat these charges.

Can you pay the deposit in installments?

Yes, if you ask in writing. RCW 59.18.610 requires a landlord to let you split deposits, nonrefundable fees, and last month's rent into installments that start when the tenancy begins:

Each installment is due with your rent. The schedule must be in writing and signed by both of you, and the landlord cannot charge a fee or interest for it. The landlord can refuse only when your deposits and nonrefundable fees total 25 percent or less of the first full month's rent and no last month's rent is due at move-in. A landlord who refuses a valid written request owes you a penalty of one month's rent plus reasonable attorney's fees.

Example: on a 12-month lease at $2,000 a month, the landlord asks for a $2,000 deposit, a $300 nonrefundable cleaning fee, and $2,000 for last month's rent, a total of $4,300. You can pay $1,433.34 with your first month's rent and $1,433.33 in each of the next two months ($1,433.34 + $1,433.33 + $1,433.33 = $4,300).

Seattle requires longer plans: 6 equal monthly installments for agreements of 6 months or longer, 4 for agreements of 30 days to 6 months, and 2 for a month-to-month renter's deposit and move-in fees.

Some landlords let you pay a monthly fee instead of a deposit. That option must be voluntary, and you can always choose to pay the full deposit instead. The fee is not a deposit, and the disclosure form the landlord must give you states that it will not be refunded when you move. It pays for insurance that covers the landlord, not you, so you still owe any unpaid rent and the cost of damage beyond ordinary wear. You can stop the fee at any time by paying the deposit amount listed on that form, and the fee ends the following month. Our guide to security deposit alternatives compares these programs.

Where does the landlord keep your deposit?

The landlord must promptly place your deposit in a trust account that it keeps for tenants' security deposits, at a financial institution or licensed escrow agent (a company licensed to hold money for others) located in Washington. You are entitled to a written receipt and to written notice of the name, address, and location of the institution holding the money, plus notice if that changes. Unless your written agreement says otherwise, the landlord keeps any interest the account earns.

If the landlord changes during your tenancy, for example through a sale, the deposit moves to the new landlord's trust account, and the new landlord must tell you where it is held. After a foreclosure, the former owner must either transfer your deposit to the new owner or refund it in full right away; a former owner who does neither can owe you up to twice the deposit.

What must the landlord send within 30 days?

The deadline in RCW 59.18.280 is 30 days after both your rental agreement has ended and you have moved out. If you move out before the agreement ends, the 30 days start when it ends. If you abandon the unit, they run from when the landlord learns of it. By the deadline, the landlord must hand you, or mail by first-class mail to your last known address, any refund due plus a full and specific statement of why it kept any part of the deposit.

For damage charges, the statement must include proof of cost:

• Copies of estimates received or invoices paid for the repairs.
• A bill, invoice, or receipt for materials, when the landlord or its employee did the work. For supplies already on hand, a vendor price list or similar record can show the cost.
• The time spent and the reasonable hourly rate charged, when the landlord or its employee did the repairs.

A statement without that documentation does not satisfy the law, even if it arrives on time. The documentation rules do not apply to money kept for unpaid rent or other charges you owe under the lease.

Some deductions are not allowed even with receipts. The landlord cannot keep deposit money for wear from ordinary use, for carpet cleaning unless it documents carpet wear beyond ordinary use, or for more than the cost to repair the damaged part of an item, such as one burned section of carpet rather than the whole room.

The 30-day period has applied since July 23, 2023. Tenancies that ended earlier had 21 days and no documentation requirement, which is why older guides show the shorter deadline. A statement mailed to your last known address on time counts even if you never see it, so give the landlord your new address in writing before you leave and set up mail forwarding with the U.S. Postal Service. To compare Washington's deadline with other states, see security deposit return timelines by state.

What happens if the landlord breaks these rules?

A landlord who misses the 30-day deadline also loses the right to argue, in your lawsuit for the deposit, that it was entitled to keep any of it, unless it shows that circumstances beyond its control prevented a timely statement or that you abandoned the unit. It can still sue you separately for damage that costs more than the deposit. For rental agreements that began on or after July 23, 2023, that suit must be filed within three years after the tenancy ends. Charges for ordinary wear, or damage charges without the required documentation, cannot be billed to you, reported to a credit bureau, tenant screening service, or prospective landlord, or sent to a collection agency.

In a lawsuit you bring to recover the deposit, the winning side, you or the landlord, can recover court costs and reasonable attorney's fees, so collect your checklist, photos, and the landlord's statement before you file.

How to get your deposit back in Washington

1. At move-in, review and correct the checklist before you sign it, keep your copy, and take dated photos of every room.
2. Before you move out, give the written notice your rental agreement and state law require (see Washington lease rights), clean, return every key, and give your new address in writing.
3. If 30 days pass with no refund or statement, or with a statement that lacks receipts or estimates, send a written demand by certified mail with a return receipt. State the deposit amount, your move-out date, and where to send the money. The Northwest Justice Project's guide on WashingtonLawHelp.org has sample letters for this and for disputing charges.
4. Dispute charges you disagree with in writing, and attach your move-in checklist and photos.
5. File in small claims court if the landlord does not pay. A district court's small claims department hears claims up to $10,000 brought by an individual. The Northwest Justice Project's guide says you have three years after your tenancy ends to sue.

For how Washington compares with other states, see our overview of state security deposit laws.