Just Cause for Eviction: RCW 59.18.650 Summary
Washington law limits the circumstances under which a landlord may end a tenancy. The following summary organizes the grounds and notice periods identified in RCW 59.18.650.
(1) Landlord may end tenancy at end of initial lease term without just cause IF AND ONLY IF
lease term is between 6-12 months AND Landlord provides 60 day written notice AND the
tenancy has not converted to a month-to-month
(2) Just Cause: once it converts to month-to-month, you need one of these grounds to evict:
(a) Nonpayment of rent + 14 or 30-day pay/vacate notice
(b) Breach of material term of lease + 10-day notice to cure
(c) Waste/nuisance + 3-day notice
(d) Immediate family will occupy unit + 90-day notice
i. Family members must take occupancy within 90 days.
ii. Family members must remain for at least 60 days.
(e) Owner elects to sell the property + 90-day notice
i. Owner must list property within 30 days at reasonable (market value) price
ii. Owner cannot withdraw property from market before 90 days
(f) One of allowances set forth in RCW 59.18.200:
i. Notice to change policy excluding children from residence + 90-day notice
ii. Plan to change rental unit to condominium + 120-day notice
iii. Plan to demolish/remodel unit or change of use + 120-day notice
(g) Owner plans to convert to condo or other use per RCW 64.30.440 or 64.90.655
(h) Premises condemned by municipal/county authority + written notice
(i) Tenant is renting a bedroom in a house and shares a common kitchen or bathroom
with owner + 20-day notice
(j) Transitional housing + Expiration of transitional housing program
(k) Expiration of rental agreement + tenant refuses to sign new rental agreement provided
30 days before expiration of old agreement
(l) Intentional, knowing misrepresentations in rental application + 30-day notice
(m) Legitimate economic or business reason + 60-day notice
(n) Tenant has committed 4 or more violations of a material term of the lease (or a legal
obligation), with written notice given for each violation followed by the tenant curing
the breach, all within a 12-month period (+ 60-day notice of this cause).
(o) Tenant was required to register as sex offender or fails to disclose sex offender status
on application + 60-day notice
(p) Unwanted sexual advances by tenant on owner, prop manager, employee, or other
tenant + 20-day notice
(3) When tenant vacates/evicted, other remaining occupants can be evicted with 30-day notice or
be screened and required to sign new agreement
(4) If eviction for any other reason except as listed above, landlord liable for treble rent damages
(5) Landlord and tenant can mutually agree in writing to end lease + tenant given 60 days to
vacate.
(6) All notices must comply with RCW 59.12 and specify the cause so tenant knows with
specificity the grounds for eviction.