A Washington rental application is a document that local property owners and landlords use to collect the necessary information to decide to whom they want to offer a lease agreement. If you own property, you want to ask vital questions, but you also need to make sure you do not violate the rights of the rental applicants.
Laws
- Application Fee – Not specified if non-refundable or refundable.
- Fee Limits – The fee must not exceed the actual cost of the screening.
- Security Deposit – State statutes do not specify a maximum limit for security deposits.
Application Fee
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Limits: The application fee can only be as much as the actual costs of obtaining the background check and other screening reports. [1]
- The landlord must be transparent in communicating the information they’re collecting with the screening reports.
Fair Housing Protections
A landlord can’t discriminate against a prospective tenant, whether acting for themselves or another person, because of color, race, creed, sexual orientation, sex, families with children status, marital status, national original, military status, the presence of any disability (physical, mental, or sensory), or the use of a trained service animal or dog guide by a person with a disability. [2]
Specifically, people with these characteristics receive protection from the following acts by a landlord:
- Refusing to rent a unit
- Refusing to negotiate
- Refusing to transmit a bona fide offer
- Falsely representing that a property is unavailable
- Advertising a limitation, specification, or discrimination when it comes to a rental unit
The law also requires landlords to permit reasonable accommodations for tenants with disabilities.
Exemptions
Some situations are exempt from the above guidelines, such as housing meant for older individuals and small-scale rentals that the owner will also occupy.
Security Deposit Limits
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No Limit: A landlord can charge any amount for a security deposit.
- Exception: In Seattle, a landlord can’t charge a security deposit that’s worth more than one month’s rent. [3]
- Handling: The security deposit has to be placed in a trust account for security deposits with a Washington licensed escrow agent or in a state or federal financial institution that is adequately protected. [4]
- Return: The return of the security deposit from the landlord to the tenant must occur within 30 days of the end of the tenancy or the tenant’s departure. [5]
Pet Deposits
Pet Deposit: Landlords may charge a pet deposit. They must provide the tenant with a written agreement stating the deposit amount, terms, and conditions under which the renter may return the deposit.
Sample
