Landlord Stuff Forum - The Rental Agreement - Washington State Landlords

An up-to-date written rental agreement, designed for use in the State of Washington, is essential for effective landlording.

Today's business environment is complex, and the day of the handshake agreement is gone, particularly when dealing with a valuable asset such as real estate.

Most of the pre-printed rental forms available through office supply stores do not contain all the verbiage which is required by law in this state; nor can they be customized to meet your particular rental situation.

The Resource Exchange has designed a rental agreement carefully drafted to comply with state law, and reviewed by a real estate attorney.

Since the laws governing the Landlord/Tenant relationship are subject to change, we also monitor Landlord/Tenant legislation and update our agreement to keep it current.

Real estate can be viewed as a "bundle of rights." When you rent your property to a tenant you give them one of those rights, the right to temporary possession.

Once the tenant takes possession of the rental unit, they are obligated to uphold their agreement.

If they fail to do this, and refuse to vacate, there is only one legal way to get them out. Consequently, the time to execute a good written agreement is before the tenant takes possession.

The Washington State Landlord/Tenant Act defines and regulates the landlord/tenant relationship in this state.

The Act describes the responsibilities of the landlord and the tenant.

It regulates notice requirements and how notices must be served, deposit requirements and much more.

Our rental agreement restates the necessary items from the Act, as well as other items which are essential to a good agreement, in terms that are easy to understand.