Washington Landlord Repair Laws: 24-Hour to 10-Day Repair Rules

By Steve Levine · Updated November 3, 2026

Short answer: Washington landlord repair laws put the landlord on a stopwatch: after your written notice, repairs must begin within 24 hours for lost heat, water or electricity, 72 hours for a broken refrigerator, stove or major plumbing fixture, and 10 days for everything else, under RCW 59.18.070. If the landlord misses the deadline, you may repair and deduct up to two months’ rent under RCW 59.18.100, end the lease, or, for certified dangerous conditions, pay rent into escrow under RCW 59.18.115.

Washington’s Residential Landlord-Tenant Act is detailed and procedural. You must be current on rent and agreed utilities before using any of these remedies, so start there and then follow the steps below in order.

Washington landlord repair laws by the numbers

Rule	Washington	Statute
Habitability duties	Fit for habitation; codes, structure, weathertight, pest control, heat and hot water	RCW 59.18.060
Repair start deadlines	24 hours / 72 hours / 10 days after written notice	RCW 59.18.070
Tenant must be current	Rent and agreed utilities paid before using remedies	RCW 59.18.080
Repair and deduct (hired)	Up to two months’ rent per repair and per 12 months	RCW 59.18.100(2)
Repair and deduct (do it yourself)	Up to one month’s rent per repair and per 12 months	RCW 59.18.100(3)
Rent escrow	After a local inspector certifies a dangerous condition	RCW 59.18.115
Retaliation presumption	90 days after a complaint or resulting inspection	RCW 59.18.250
Entry notice	Two days’ written notice with a time window	RCW 59.18.150(6)

The landlord’s duty list

RCW 59.18.060 requires the landlord to keep the premises fit for human habitation at all times. Among other things, the landlord must substantially comply with codes where a violation endangers health or safety, keep roofs, floors, walls, chimneys and foundations in reasonably good repair, keep common areas clean and safe, provide adequate locks and keys, keep supplied electrical, plumbing and heating systems and appliances working, keep the unit reasonably weathertight, and provide facilities for heat, water and hot water.

Pest control is split. The landlord must provide a reasonable pest control program at the start of every tenancy, and in buildings other than a single-family home must also control infestations during the tenancy unless you caused them. The landlord must also give you Department of Health information on controlling indoor mold, and for leases entered after December 31, 2026, disclose flood-hazard and renters-insurance information.

A heat-wave rule is new and distinctive. Under RCW 59.18.060(11), a landlord may not cut off electric or water service for nonpayment on a day the National Weather Service has issued a heat-related alert for your area, and you may request reconnection on such a day.

How to give notice and the three deadlines

Notice must be written and delivered to the person who collects rent or the landlord’s designated agent. Under RCW 59.18.070, it must identify the premises, the owner’s name if you know it, and the defect. The landlord must then begin remedial action as soon as possible and no later than:

24 hours if you have no hot or cold water, heat or electricity, or the condition is imminently hazardous to life.
72 hours if you have lost the use of a landlord-supplied refrigerator, range and oven, or major plumbing fixture.
10 days in all other cases.

Circumstances beyond the landlord’s control, including unavailable financing, can extend completion, but the statute places the burden on the landlord to finish promptly. Before any remedy, RCW 59.18.080 requires you to be current on rent and any utilities you agreed to pay.

Repair and deduct: two versions

Hiring someone. Under RCW 59.18.100(1)-(2), you give the landlord, by first-class mail or in person, a good-faith estimate from a licensed or registered professional (or a capable person if no license applies). You can send it with your notice. If the landlord does not begin repairs within the applicable deadline after receiving both, you may hire the work out. After completion and a chance for the landlord to inspect, you may deduct up to two months’ rent per repair, with a total of two months’ rent in any 12 months. For a 10-day defect, you cannot contract until 10 days after notice or two days after the landlord gets the estimate, whichever is later.

Doing it yourself. Subsection (3) lets you make the repair in a workmanlike manner, without an estimate, if the cost (labor at the prevailing community rate plus materials) does not exceed one month’s rent, the work does not legally require a licensed person, and the defect is inside your unit. The cap is one month’s rent per repair and one month’s rent total in any 12 months.

All work must comply with codes, and if your negligent repair damages the property, the landlord can recover actual damages under subsection (5).

Rent escrow for dangerous conditions

RCW 59.18.115 is described in the statute itself as an extraordinary remedy. It applies when a failure substantially endangers health or safety, such as unsafe structural members, exposure to weather, sanitation defects, no water or hot water, nonfunctional or hazardous heating or ventilation, hazardous wiring, inadequate exits, or fire risks.

Give written notice to the landlord or where you pay rent.
If the landlord does not fix it within the RCW 59.18.070 time, ask your local government for an inspection. It must inspect and certify within five days of your request.
Make a good-faith determination that the repair-and-deduct remedy cannot fix the problem.
Deposit all rent due into escrow with an escrow company, financial institution, attorney, or the district or superior court clerk, and send the landlord a sworn “Notice to Landlord of Rent Escrow” within 24 hours of the deposit.

Choosing escrow makes it your exclusive remedy for the certified defects, though you may still sue for reduced rental value.

Ending the lease

If the deadline passes and the landlord still does not fix the defect within a reasonable time, RCW 59.18.090 lets you terminate on written notice and move out. You owe no rent after you leave, get a pro rata refund of prepaid rent, and receive the deposit accounting required by RCW 59.18.280. You may instead sue, or arbitrate if you agreed to, for any remedy under the Act.

What you must take care of

Under RCW 59.18.130, you must keep your space clean and sanitary, dispose of garbage properly, pay for extermination of any infestation you caused, use fixtures and appliances properly, maintain the smoke detector, and never intentionally or negligently damage the unit or let family members or guests do so. Pest control during the tenancy is your cost if you caused the infestation, and in a single-family rental the landlord’s in-tenancy pest duty does not apply.

The landlord needs access for repairs. RCW 59.18.150(6) requires at least two days’ written notice stating the date and time window and a phone number for objections, except in emergencies or where impracticable.

Retaliation protection

RCW 59.18.240 protects you from eviction, rent increases, reduced services or added obligations made primarily in reprisal for a good-faith complaint to a government authority about code violations, or for asserting your rights under the Act. Under RCW 59.18.250, a landlord action within 90 days of that act, or of an inspection it triggers, is presumed retaliatory. The presumption flips if you were behind on rent or in breach when the landlord served a termination notice. Our retaliation guide explains how to document it.

Worked example: a dead refrigerator in Tacoma

Priya pays $1,800 a month and is fully current. Her landlord-supplied refrigerator stops cooling on Monday, March 8. That afternoon she hands the property manager a written notice naming the unit, the owner, and the problem, along with a $650 written estimate from an appliance repair company.

A refrigerator is a 72-hour item. By Thursday afternoon, March 11, nobody has started work, so she hires the company. After the repair she gives the manager a chance to inspect, then deducts $650 from April rent with the invoice attached. Her limit was two months’ rent, $3,600, for this repair and for all hired repairs over the next 12 months.

Repair notice outline for Washington

The unit address and the owner’s name, if known.
A clear description of the defect and whether it is a 24-hour, 72-hour or 10-day condition.
A good-faith repair estimate attached, if you may use repair and deduct.
A statement that your rent and agreed utilities are paid.
Your contact details for access scheduling and proof of delivery.

Our repair request letter generator builds this notice for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the 24-hour deadline mean the repair must be finished in a day?

No. RCW 59.18.070 requires the landlord to commence remedial action within 24 hours and to see that it is completed promptly. Delays beyond the landlord’s control, such as unavailable financing, can extend completion.

Can I withhold rent in Washington instead of using escrow?

No general withholding right exists. RCW 59.18.080 requires you to be current on rent before any remedy, and the escrow route in RCW 59.18.115 requires a local inspector’s certification and deposit with an authorized escrow holder or court clerk.

Who pays for bedbugs in a Washington apartment?

In a multi-unit building, RCW 59.18.060(4) requires the landlord to control infestations during the tenancy unless the tenant caused them. If you caused it, RCW 59.18.130(2) makes extermination your cost.

How many times a year can I repair and deduct?

As often as needed, but the total deducted for hired repairs cannot exceed two months’ rent in any 12 months, and self-performed repairs cannot exceed one month’s rent in 12 months, under RCW 59.18.100(2)-(3).

This guide is general information, not legal advice. If you face eviction after a repair complaint, Washington courts must appoint a lawyer for indigent tenants in eviction cases, subject to state funding, under RCW 59.18.640; contact WashingtonLawHelp.org or use LSC’s legal help finder, and send your written notice today. See also our Washington security deposit guide and the repairs and habitability hub.

Sources

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