Washington Notice to Quit

Washington Notice to Quit - What is it?

The Washington Notice to Quit is a type of eviction notice form used by landlords, property managers, and property management companies to notify tenants that they must either comply with an order, or quit and give up possession of the rental property within a certain period of time. Washington Notice to Quit forms are commonly used to inform the tenant of nonpayment of rent, lease termination, and health hazard or injury to the property.

Washington Notice to Quit - Why is it important?

You can use the notice to quit form to end your Washington Residential Lease if the tenant has failed to pay rent. The Washington Notice to Quit Form should not be confused with the "Writ of Possession" (read more about Washington eviction notice) which is issued by the courts. The Notice to Quit Form is the beginning of the eviction process, and it communicates the intention to initiate eviction proceedings if a tenant does not comply with an order and remains on the premises beyond the specified date. If the tenant does not comply with the notice (for example they must pay rent or quit the lease and vacate the premises), you may be forced to take legal action to have the tenant removed from the property. If the notice has been ignored by the tenant and the move out date in the notice has passed, you have grounds to bring forth a lawsuit for "unlawful detainer", in which case the tenant has the option to fight the eviction in court.

Serving a Notice to Quit is one of the first steps Washington property management companies can take to regain possession of rental property from the tenant.
Washington Notice to Quit notifies tenants they have violated the terms of the lease agreement and must vacate the premises within a certain period of time if they cannot comply with the remedy order.

Washington Notice to Quit - When should it be used?

Before the eviction process, when a landlord or property manager in Washington wants a tenant to either comply with an order or vacate the rental property if they cannot comply, they will use the Washington Notice to Quit Form to inform tenants they must remedy the problem within a short period of time (often 3-7 days), or leave the premises (quit) by a certain date (usually 30 days).

Washington Notice to Quit can be used when a tenant in Washington hasn’t paid the rent.
Washington Notice to Quit can be used when a tenant causes damage or injury to the property.
Washington Notice to Quit can be used when a tenant in Washington hasn't left the rental property after the lease has expired or if the tenant doesn't have a written Washington Lease Contract.

Property managers can use property management software to track each individual Washington rental lease and make sure their tenants are paying the correct amount of rent and on time.

Washington Notice to Quit - What should be included?

The Washington Notice to Quit Form must contain the reason for serving the Notice to Quit and the amount of time the tenant has. The problem must be clearly stated on the notice, so the tenant has reasonable awareness and can either correct the issue, or vacate the rental property. Here are some of the basic details that should be included if the rental property is in Washington:

Name of Tenant and Other Persons who need to comply with the order or vacate the property
Address of the Rental Property in Washington
Reason for ending the Washington Rental Agreement
Number of days the Tenant has to correct the issue
Date for Tenant to vacate the Rental Property if the problem cannot be resolved
Date that Notice to Quit is served
Signature of person serving Notice to Quit

Washington Notice to Quit - What should I do with it?

The Notice to Quit Form must be "served" to the tenant by either Personal Service or Mail Service. In some states you can leave it at the rental property right on the front door, but in most cases it is better for you to have an independent party take two copies of the Washington Notice to Quit to the rental property, give one to the tenant in person, and get their signature on second copy so that you can retain for your records. If you are mailing the Notice to Quit, you should send the Washington Notice to Quit Form using First Class Certified Mail and retain the receipt.

Washington Notice to Quit - What else should I know?

There are generally three types of Washington Notice to Quit Forms. The Washington Notice to Quit for Nonpayment of Rent can be used when rent is not paid, and the tenant may be given a short period to either pay up or move out. The Washington Notice to Quit Form for Termination of Tenancy is similar to the Washington Notice to Vacate Form and can be used to inform the tenant to leave after the lease is up (common with month to month leases in Washington), or if there is no lease and you just want the tenant to leave. It is different from the Washington Lease Termination Form, which terminates the Washington Lease Agreement when there are other breaches in contract. The Washington Notice to Quit Form for Health Hazard and Physical Injury should be used if the tenant creates a health hazard or physical injury to the property which is serious or continuing. These forms must be detailed and specific, because an inaccurate or incomplete statement of the problems could cause a later eviction complaint to be dismissed.

After receiving the Notice to Quit, the amount of time a tenant has until they have to comply or vacate the property will vary by state, so you should be sure to check with the laws in Washington. In some states, tenants are given a 30 Day Notice to Quit, while in other states, a 3 Day Notice to Quit is acceptable.

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