Washington’s housing laws protect victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, unlawful harassment, and stalking.¹ For the purpose of these housing laws, the definition of unlawful harassment is expanded to also include any request for sexual favors to a tenant or household member in exchange for changing a lease or carrying out the terms of a lease.²

The laws apply to tenants who are victims themselves or to tenants who have a household member who is a victim.¹

¹ R.C.W. § 59.18.575(1)(a)
² R.C.W. § 59.18.570(9)

You must make the request to terminate the rental agreement, providing the proper notice and required documents, within ninety days of the domestic violence, sexual assault, unlawful harassment, or stalking.¹

¹ R.C.W. § 59.18.575(1)(b)

In order to end (terminate) your lease under the protections of these housing laws, you need to do both of the following:

1. You must notify the landlord in writing that:
   • you or your household member was a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, unlawful harassment, or stalking, as defined by law; and
   • you are requesting to terminate your lease on a specific date.
2. You must show the landlord a copy of one of the following:
   
   • a valid protection order related to:
     • domestic violence;
     • sexual assault;
     • stalking;
     • harassment;
     • a parentage proceeding;
     • a criminal harassment case;
     • a criminal no contact order issued at arraignment for a harassment crime;
     • a criminal no contact order due to domestic violence charges; or
     • a restraining order issued as part of a divorce (dissolution) proceeding; or
   • a report signed by a qualified third party to whom you or your household member reported the domestic violence, sexual assault, unlawful harassment, or stalking.¹

Note: You must make the request to terminate the rental agreement within 90 days of the domestic violence, sexual assault, unlawful harassment, or stalking.²

¹ R.C.W. § 59.18.575(1)(a)(i), (1)(a)(ii)
² R.C.W. § 59.18.575(1)(b)

If the person who committed sexual assault, stalking, or unlawful harassment against you or your household member is your landlord, or their agent, employee, property manager, or residential manager, you can terminate the rental agreement and leave immediately.¹ You can do this even before you provide the required protection order or report from a qualified third party to the landlord. You then must deliver the documents to the landlord within seven days of leaving the property. You can deliver the documents by mail, fax, or by having someone personally deliver them.²

In terms of the rent that you owe, you only have to pay rent through whichever of these two events comes later:

• the day that you leave (vacate) the unit; or
• the date you deliver the required documents, including a written notice that you have vacated the unit, to the landlord by mail, fax, or personal delivery by a third party.³

If you already paid rent for the full month but either of these events take place before the month ends, you are entitled to a partial (pro rata) refund of the rent for the remaining days that you already paid.³

Another option that you have when the landlord or their agent, employee, or manager has victimized you is to change or add locks to your unit at your own expense. Then, within seven days, you must deliver to the landlord by mail, fax, or personal delivery by a third party both of the following:

• a written notice that you changed or added locks; and
• required protection order or report from a qualified third party.⁴

If you change or add locks, your rental agreement will automatically end on the 90th day after providing the written notice and required documents unless within 60 days, you take one of these steps:

• you notify the landlord in writing that you do not want to terminate your rental agreement. In this case, you must give the landlord a copy of the new keys only if:
  • the person who victimized you is no longer working for the landlord; or
  • the protection order against the landlord or their employee expires; or
• give notice and follow the proper steps to inform the landlord that you want to terminate the rental agreement on a date before the 90th day.⁵

¹ R.C.W. §§ 59.18.575(3)(a); 59.18.570(4); 59.18.030(16)
² R.C.W. § 59.18.575(3)(a)
³ R.C.W. § 59.18.575(3)(b)
⁴ R.C.W. § 59.18.575(4)(a)
⁵ R.C.W. § 59.18.575(4)(b)

You will have to pay rent only for the month in which you terminate your lease but not for the following months.¹ So, for example, let’s say you usually pay your rent on the first of the month and you want to terminate your lease in the month of January. You will still have to pay a full month’s rent whether you leave the rental property on January 2^nd or January 31^st. But you will not have to pay rent for February or the remaining months on the lease.

However, if you don’t pay rent monthly, then you may have to pay rent for a shorter period of time. For example, if you pay weekly, then you’d have to pay for the week period when the termination takes place.²

¹ R.C.W. § 59.18.575(2)(a)
² R.C.W. § 59.18.575(2); see R.C.W. § 59.18.200(1)(a)

If there are other tenants who have signed the lease, they are still bound by the lease. The termination doesn’t affect their duty to pay rent for the rest of the lease. The only exception to this is if the other tenant is the “household member” of yours who is the victim of sexual assault, stalking, unlawful harassment, or domestic violence.¹

¹ R.C.W. § 59.18.575(2)(c)