Housing Laws

A “qualified third party” means any of the following people acting in their official capacity:

• law enforcement officers;
• health professionals;
• court employees in a Washington court;
• licensed mental health professionals or other licensed counselors;
• employees of victim/witness programs who are trained as advocates; and
• members of the clergy.¹

If you are going to show your landlord a report from a qualified third party instead of showing a valid protection order, these are the specific criteria that the report must meet:

• The report must be signed and dated by the qualified third party and state all of the following:

1. that the tenant or the household member notified the qualified third party that s/he was a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, unlawful harassment, or stalking;
2. the time, date, and location where the act(s) took place;
3. a brief description of the act(s) of domestic violence, sexual assault, unlawful harassment, or stalking; and
4. that the tenant or household member informed the qualified third party of the name of the abuser. Note: The report should not include the name of the abuser. The abuser’s name is only supposed to be noted on the copy of the report kept in the records of the qualified third party and revealed to the landlord only under certain circumstances.²

To see a sample form that the qualified third party can use, go to section (1)(b) of the law on our Selected Washington Statutes page.

¹ R.C.W. § 59.18.570(5)
² R.C.W. § 59.18.575(1)(b), (3)(a)(ii)