Washington landlord entry laws
How much notice your landlord owes you before coming in, when they may enter without it, and what Washington law lets you do about it.
Notice required
2 days (1 day to show the unit)
The landlord must give at least two days' written notice before entering, and only one day's notice to show the unit to a prospective buyer or tenant.
RCW 59.18.150
When they may enter
Not between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m., not on Saturday or Sunday, and not on a legal holiday.
When they may enter without notice
Entry without consent is allowed in an emergency or where the unit has been abandoned.
What you can do about a violation
A landlord who keeps violating the section after being served with one written notification alleging violations in good faith and listing the date and time of each is liable for up to $100 for each later violation.
Worth knowing: The liability runs both ways — a tenant can owe it too.
RCW 59.18.150(8)
Why putting it in writing matters here
Washington is the clearest case in the country for putting it in writing: the $100-per-violation liability does not exist until the landlord has been served with a written notification listing the date and time of the violation. The letter does not prove the violation — it creates the exposure for every entry that follows.
What to do right now
Write down the date and time of every entry. Washington's penalty is measured per violation after notice, so a dated log is what turns a pattern into a number.
Put it in writing
We'll write a letter citing RCW 59.18.150, listing each entry with its date and time, and stating what the statute provides. Free to generate and download.
Write my Washington entry letterOther Washington tenant rights
Landlords who get one of these wrong often get another wrong too.
How this page was checked
- Read from the source. Every deadline, cap and penalty here was taken from Washington's published text — the statute, session law or administrative code itself.
- No legal-information websites. Commercial summaries were used only to find a provision, never as authority for it. An automated check fails our build if any state we serve cites a secondary source.
- Locked against drift. The verified figures are pinned by regression tests, so a later edit cannot quietly change a deadline or a penalty.
- Last verified August 21, 2026. Laws change — confirm the current text before relying on it.
General information, not legal advice. We are not a law firm.
Compare all 51 jurisdictions — notice periods range from 12 hours to 72, and thirteen states have no rule at all.