A Washington 120 Day Notice To Vacate is a letter which complies with state legal requirements to terminate a lease due to a condo conversion, demolition or rehabilitation of the premises. The non-terminating party must receive notice at least one hundred twenty (120) calendar days before the date of termination.
When To Use a Washington 120 Day Notice To Vacate
A Washington 120 Day Notice to Vacate terminates a rental agreement in these situations:
- Demolition (all locations, except Seattle)
- Substantial rehabilitation of the premises (all locations, except Seattle)
- Condo conversion
For a condo conversion, the landlord must also provide the tenant with:
- Tenant-to-homeowner program information, delivered at the same time as the notice of termination
- An option to purchase the unit within sixty (60) calendar days of delivering the notice of termination
- Relocation assistance (amount determined by local regulation and tenant income level)
Some types of Washington lease termination notice may allow different reasons for termination, or different notice periods. This may also apply to an eviction notice issued because of a lease or legal violation.
How To Write a Washington 120 Day Notice To Vacate
To ensure the legal compliance of a Notice To Vacate:
- Use the full name of the receiving party, and address of record, if known
- Specify the termination date of the lease or tenancy
- Specify the basis for terminating the tenancy
- Fill in the full address of the rental premises
- Provide updated/current address and phone number information
- Print name and sign the notice
- Complete the certificate of service by indicating the date and method of notice delivery, along with printed name and signature
It is easy to lose an otherwise justified legal action because of improper notice. Check carefully to ensure enough time after notice is delivered, not when it’s sent.
How To Serve a Washington 120 Day Notice To Vacate
Washington landlords may deliver a Notice To Vacate using any of these methods:
- Hand delivery to the tenant
- Only if the tenant is unavailable: Hand delivery to a person of suitable age who can accept the notice on behalf of the tenant, PLUS delivery by mail
- Only if the above forms of hand delivery are not possible: Posting the notice in a conspicuous place on the premises, PLUS delivery by mail, PLUS (if available) leaving a copy of the notice with a resident at the premises
- Service by electronic means, ONLY when this method of notice has been consented to for this purpose, in writing, by the receiving party
Electronic service is not effective if the delivering party has reason to believe the receiving party did not receive the notice (such as an email that returns as undeliverable). Mailed notice extends the notice period by (1) calendar day, to account for variable delivery times.
Sources
- 1 WA Rev Code § 59.18.200
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Whenever a landlord plans to change any apartment or apartments to a condominium form of ownership, the landlord shall provide a written notice to a tenant at least 120 days before the tenancy ends, in compliance with RCW 64.34.440(1), to effectuate such change. The 120-day notice is in lieu of the notice required in subsection (1) of this section. However, if after providing the 120-day notice the change to a condominium form of ownership is delayed, the notice requirements in subsection (1) of this section apply unless waived by the tenant.
Whenever a landlord plans to demolish or substantially rehabilitate premises or plans a change of use of premises, the landlord shall provide a written notice to a tenant at least 120 days before the tenancy ends. This subsection (2)(c)(i) does not apply to jurisdictions that have created a relocation assistance program under RCW 59.18.440 and otherwise provide 120 days’ notice.
Source Link - 2 WA Rev Code § 64.34.440
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Conversion Condominiums – Notice to Tenants & Relocation Assistance.
(1)(a) A declarant of a conversion condominium, and any dealer who intends to offer units in such a condominium, shall give each of the residential tenants and any residential subtenant in possession of a portion of a conversion condominium notice of the conversion and provide those persons with the public offering statement no later than 120 days before the tenants and any subtenant in possession are required to vacate. The notice must:(i) Set forth generally the rights of tenants and subtenants under this section;(ii) Be delivered pursuant to notice requirements set forth in RCW 59.12.040;(iii) Inform the residential tenants and subtenants about the resources and information available under the condominium conversion tenant-to-homeowner program created in RCW 43.180.245; and(iv) Expressly state whether there is a county or city relocation assistance program for tenants or subtenants of conversion condominiums in the jurisdiction in which the property is located. If the county or city does have a relocation assistance program, the following must also be included in the notice:(A) A summary of the terms and conditions under which relocation assistance is paid; and(B) Contact information for the city or county relocation assistance program, which must include, at a minimum, a telephone number of the city or county department that administers the relocation assistance program for conversion condominiums.(b) No tenant or subtenant may be required to vacate upon less than 120 days’ notice, except by reason of nonpayment of rent, waste, conduct that disturbs other tenants’ peaceful enjoyment of the premises, or act of unlawful detainer as defined in RCW 59.12.030, and the terms of the tenancy may not be altered during that period except as provided in (c) of this subsection.(c) At the declarant’s option, the declarant may provide all tenants in a single building with an option to terminate their lease or rental agreements without cause or consequence after providing the declarant with 30 days’ notice. In such case, tenants continue to have access to relocation assistance under subsection (6)(e) of this section.(d) Nothing in this subsection shall be deemed to waive or repeal RCW 59.18.200(2). Failure to give notice as required by this section is a defense to an action for possession.(e) The city or county in which the property is located may require the declarant to forward a copy of the conversion notice required in (a) of this subsection to the appropriately designated department or agency in the city or county for the purpose of maintaining a list of conversion condominium projects proposed in the jurisdiction.(2) For 60 days after delivery or mailing of the notice described in subsection (1) of this section, the person required to give the notice shall offer to convey each unit or proposed unit occupied for residential use to the tenant who leases that unit. If a tenant fails to purchase the unit during that 60-day period, the offeror may offer to dispose of an interest in that unit during the following 180 days at a price or on terms more favorable to the offeree than the price or terms offered to the tenant only if: (a) Such offeror, by written notice mailed to the tenant’s last known address, offers to sell an interest in that unit at the more favorable price and terms, and (b) such tenant fails to accept such offer in writing within ten days following the mailing of the offer to the tenant. This subsection does not apply to any unit in a conversion condominium if that unit will be restricted exclusively to nonresidential use or the boundaries of the converted unit do not substantially conform to the dimensions of the residential unit before conversion.(3) If a seller, in violation of subsection (2) of this section, conveys a unit to a purchaser for value who has no knowledge of the violation, recording of the deed conveying the unit extinguishes any right a tenant may have to purchase that unit but does not affect the right of a tenant to recover damages from the seller for a violation of subsection (2) of this section.(4) If a notice of conversion specifies a date by which a unit or proposed unit must be vacated and otherwise complies with the provisions of this chapter and chapter 59.18 RCW, the notice also constitutes a notice to vacate specified by that statute.(5) Nothing in this section permits termination of a lease by a declarant in violation of its terms.(6) Notwithstanding RCW 64.34.050(1), a city or county may by appropriate ordinance require with respect to any conversion condominium within the jurisdiction of such city or county that:(a) In addition to the statement required by RCW 64.34.415(1)(a), the public offering statement shall contain a copy of the written inspection report prepared by the appropriate department of such city or county, which report shall list any violations of the housing code or other governmental regulation, which code or regulation is applicable regardless of whether the real property is owned as a condominium or in some other form of ownership; said inspection shall be made within 45 days of the declarant’s written request therefor and said report shall be issued within 14 days of said inspection being made. Such inspection may not be required with respect to any building for which a final certificate of occupancy has been issued by the city or county within the preceding 24 months; and any fee imposed for the making of such inspection may not exceed the fee that would be imposed for the making of such an inspection for a purpose other than complying with this subsection (6)(a);(b) Prior to the conveyance of any residential unit within a conversion condominium, other than a conveyance to a declarant or affiliate of a declarant: (i) All violations disclosed in the inspection report provided for in (a) of this subsection, and not otherwise waived by such city or county, shall be repaired, and (ii) a certification shall be obtained from such city or county that such repairs have been made, which certification shall be based on a reinspection to be made within seven days of the declarant’s written request therefor and which certification shall be issued within seven days of said reinspection being made;(c) The repairs required to be made under (b) of this subsection shall be warranted by the declarant against defects due to workmanship or materials for a period of one year following the completion of such repairs;(d) Prior to the conveyance of any residential unit within a conversion condominium, other than a conveyance to a declarant or affiliate of a declarant: (i) The declarant shall establish and maintain, during the one-year warranty period provided under (c) of this subsection, an account containing a sum equal to 10 percent of the actual cost of making the repairs required under (b) of this subsection; (ii) during the one-year warranty period, the funds in such account shall be used exclusively for paying the actual cost of making repairs required, or for otherwise satisfying claims made, under such warranty; (iii) following the expiration of the one-year warranty period, any funds remaining in such account shall be immediately disbursed to the declarant; and (iv) the declarant shall notify in writing the association and such city or county as to the location of such account and any disbursements therefrom;(e)(i) A declarant shall pay relocation assistance, in an amount to be determined by the city or county, which may not exceed a sum equal to three months of the tenant’s or subtenant’s rent at the time the conversion notice required under subsection (1) of this section is received, to tenants and subtenants:(A) Who do not elect to purchase a unit;(B) Who are in lawful occupancy for residential purposes of a unit; and(C) Whose annual household income from all sources, on the date of the notice described in subsection (1) of this section, was less than an amount equal to 80 percent of:(I) The annual median income for comparably sized households in the standard metropolitan statistical area, as defined and established by the United States department of housing and urban development, in which the condominium is located; or(II) If the condominium is not within a standard metropolitan statistical area, the annual median income for comparably sized households in the state of Washington, as defined and determined by said department.The household size of a unit shall be based on the number of persons actually in lawful occupancy of the unit. The tenant or subtenant actually in lawful occupancy of the unit shall be entitled to the relocation assistance. Relocation assistance shall be paid on or before the date the tenant or subtenant vacates and shall be in addition to any damage deposit or other compensation or refund to which the tenant is otherwise entitled. Unpaid rent or other amounts owed by the tenant or subtenant to the landlord may be offset against the relocation assistance;(ii) Elderly or special needs tenants who otherwise meet the requirements of (e)(i)(A) of this subsection shall receive relocation assistance, the greater of:(A) The sum described in (e)(i) of this subsection; or(B) The sum of actual relocation expenses of the tenant, up to a maximum of $1,500 in excess of the sum described in (e)(i) of this subsection, which may include costs associated with the physical move, first month’s rent, and the security deposit for the dwelling unit to which the tenant is relocating, rent differentials for up to a six-month period, and any other reasonable costs or fees associated with the relocation. Receipts for relocation expenses must be provided to the declarant by eligible tenants, and declarants shall provide the relocation assistance to tenants in a timely manner. The city or county may provide additional guidelines for the relocation assistance; - 3 Wash. Rev. Code § 59.12.040
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Any notice provided for in this chapter shall be served either (1) by delivering a copy personally to the person entitled thereto; or (2) if he or she be absent from the premises unlawfully held, by leaving there a copy, with some person of suitable age and discretion, and sending a copy through the mail addressed to the person entitled thereto at his or her place of residence; or (3) if the person to be notified be a tenant, or an unlawful holder of premises, and his or her place of residence is not known, or if a person of suitable age and discretion there cannot be found then by affixing a copy of the notice in a conspicuous place on the premises unlawfully held, and also delivering a copy to a person there residing, if such a person can be found, and also sending a copy through the mail addressed to the tenant, or unlawful occupant, at the place where the premises unlawfully held are situated.
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When a copy of notice is sent through the mail, as provided in this section, service shall be deemed complete when such copy is deposited in the United States mail in the county in which the property is situated properly addressed with postage prepaid: PROVIDED, HOWEVER, That when service is made by mail one additional day shall be allowed before the commencement of an action based upon such notice.
Source Link - 4 Wash. Sup. Ct. Civ. R. CR 5(b)(7)
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Service under this rule may be made by delivering a copy by any other means, including facsimile or electronic means, consented to in writing by the person served or as authorized under local court rule. Service by facsimile or electronic means is complete on transmission when made prior to 5:00 p.m. on a judicial day. Service made on a Saturday, Sunday, holiday, or after 5:00 p.m. on any other day shall be deemed complete at 9:00 a.m. on the first judicial day thereafter. Service by other consented means is complete when the person making service delivers the copy to the agency designated to make delivery. Service under this subsection is not effective if the party making service learns that the attempted service did not reach the person to be served.
Source Link