After a tenant moves out, Washington gives you a fixed number of days to account for their deposit and refund what you are not keeping. Enter the move-out date and this tool shows the exact deadline and what has to reach the tenant by then.
Within 30 days after the tenancy ends and the tenant vacates, you must give the tenant a full and specific written statement of the basis for keeping any of the deposit, together with documentation of damage charges, and refund the rest (RCW 59.18.280). Personal delivery or first-class mail to the tenant's last known address both count, as long as it happens within the 30 days.
Two rules from move-in day shape what you can withhold at move-out. You may not keep any of the deposit for wear resulting from ordinary use of the unit, and you may only charge for damage that is reasonably documented in the written condition checklist both parties signed at move-in (RCW 59.18.260). If no signed checklist exists, the deposit should never have been collected, and the tenant can recover it.
Missing the deadline makes you liable for the full deposit, and a court may award up to two times the deposit for an intentional refusal to provide the statement, documentation, or refund.
Move-out date. The date the rental agreement terminated and the tenant vacated the premises. The 30-day clock runs from there. If termination and vacation happened on different days, use the later one.
GiveProperNotice tracks rent-increase notice deadlines, the state cap, and Seattle compliance dates for every unit you own. Move-out tracking is coming to the paid calendar.
Planning a rent increase instead? The notice deadline calculator shows the last legal day to serve the increase notice.
