Late-fee rules changed under Seattle's 2023 fee ordinance, and a fee your lease has carried for years may now be unlawful. Enter the rent and this tool shows the maximum you can charge, with the rules behind it.
In Seattle, a late fee for residential rent may not exceed $10 per month, and landlords may not charge any fee for preparing or delivering a notice (SMC 7.24.034, added by Council Bill 120541 in 2023).
Statewide, Washington bars charging a late fee at all when rent is paid within 5 days of its due date (RCW 59.18.170). If rent comes later than that, fees may run from the first day after the due date.
Outside Seattle we found no statewide dollar or percentage cap we could pin to current statutory text, so this tool will not invent one. Several cities set their own caps by ordinance, so always check your city.
Where the property is. Seattle has its own cap; the rest of Washington answers from the state baseline plus a pointer to local ordinances.
Monthly rent. Used only if a percentage-based cap applies where you are. Seattle's cap is a flat $10 regardless of rent.
The expensive mistakes are missed notice deadlines and cap violations. GiveProperNotice tracks every date for every unit and updates when the law changes.
Raising the rent instead of chasing fees? Check the increase against the state rent cap first.
