Skip to main content
Start free
Start free

How to serve a notice on a tenant in Washington: three tiers of service and a 14-day pay or vacate clock

DoorKeeping team

3 min read

Washington's service rule, RCW 59.12.040, works in tiers: deliver a copy personally; if the tenant is absent, leave a copy with a person of suitable age and discretion and mail one; and if the tenant's residence is unknown or no such person is found, post a copy, deliver one to a resident if possible, and mail one. For a rent default on a residential tenancy, RCW 59.12.030(3) gives 14 days after service.

The three tiers of service

  1. Personal delivery to the person entitled to the notice.
  2. If the tenant is absent from the premises, leave a copy with a person of suitable age and discretion and send a copy by mail to the tenant's place of residence.
  3. If the tenant's place of residence is not known, or a person of suitable age and discretion cannot be found, affix a copy in a conspicuous place on the premises, also deliver a copy to a person residing there if one can be found, and mail a copy to the tenant at the premises.

RCW 59.12.040 also covers a corporation, which is served by delivering a copy to an officer, agent or person in charge of the business at the premises, and a subtenant in the same way. Proof of service may be made by the affidavit of the person who served, in the same way as proof of service of a summons, so write down who did what and when. A termination notice must also specify the date by which the tenant must vacate or, if applicable, comply.

How do the clocks run?

  • Rent default: RCW 59.12.030(3) requires a written notice requiring payment or surrender, served as RCW 59.12.040 provides, which remains uncomplied with "for the period of 14 days after service" for tenancies under chapter 59.18. It can be served at any time after the rent becomes due.
  • Other breaches: 59.12.030(4) gives 10 days after service to perform the covenant or surrender.
  • Ending a periodic tenancy: 59.12.030(2) requires service more than 20 days before the end of the month or period, in the manner RCW 59.12.040 provides. Other Washington statutes can lengthen that period, so check RCW 59.18.650.

Example a made-up Seattle owner personally serves a rent notice on Monday, May 3. The 14 days after service end on Monday, May 17. A tenant who pays before then ends the default. Mail adds time: when a copy is sent through the mail, service is deemed complete when it is deposited in the U.S. mail from within Washington, properly addressed with postage prepaid, but "five additional days shall be allowed before the commencement of an action based upon such notice." If the owner leaves a copy with an adult at the unit and mails a copy on May 3, service is complete May 3, the 14 days end May 17 and the owner waits five more days, to Saturday, May 22, before filing.

What about a rent increase notice?

RCW 59.18.140 and 59.18.720 require rent increase notices to be served in accordance with RCW 59.12.040, in addition to the 90-day timing and the statutory form. Treat a rent increase like any other formal notice: use one of the three tiers and keep proof.

What should you keep?

Keep a dated copy of the notice, proof of how it was sent or handed over, and a note of who received it. Those three items are what you show a court. For the second and third tiers, keep the mailing receipt, the name of the person who received the copy, and a dated photo of any posting. The affidavit of service should describe which tier you used.

How DoorKeeping helps in Washington

DoorKeeping keeps each lease's notices, dates and ledger together, so you can ask Claude or ChatGPT what notice a tenant has been given and when the clock ends. Any notice waits for your one-tap approval before it goes out. DoorKeeping never holds your money and sends a payment only when you approve it. This is general information, not legal advice: check the current statute and your own lease.

Sources

  1. RCW 59.12.040, Service of notice, proof of service (Washington State Legislature), read Oct 30, 2026
  2. RCW 59.12.030, Unlawful detainer defined (Washington State Legislature), read Oct 30, 2026
  3. RCW 59.18.720, Notice of rent increases, form (Washington State Legislature), read Oct 30, 2026

Questions

How can a Washington landlord serve a notice on a tenant?
By personal delivery; or, if the tenant is absent, by leaving a copy with a person of suitable age and discretion and mailing a copy; or by posting, delivering to a resident if found, and mailing (RCW 59.12.040).
How many days is Washington's pay or vacate notice?
14 days after service for tenancies under chapter 59.18 (RCW 59.12.030(3)).
Can a Washington landlord just post a notice?
Not alone. Posting is the third tier and also requires delivery to a resident if one can be found and mailing a copy.

Keep reading