What are my rights as a tenant in Washington State?

[Davinder Singh]

Hi,

I live in Washington State. I started living in this home last year. And i signed my lease for 2 years, as i was new to US i was not aware of lease rules and systems. So when i signed the i never notarized it and the lease given by my landlord doesn't has the landlord's signatures on it. And now the landlord is ask that she is selling the property, I'm okay with it but she's saying that the real estate agent will come to show house to the buyers and i said no, that's not happening because of this covid. What are my rights as a tenant? What can i do in this situation? As of I don't have lease notarized and signed by the landlord. Please help me out guys. Thanks

[Jon Pierre]

In the State of Washington, Any lease over 12 months Must Be Notarized.

1. Does a rental agreement need to be notarized?

Not usually. Washington State Law recognizes both residential and non-residential leases that are under a year. This helps make year-long leases more accessible to renters and loosens restrictions on landlords who are open to shorter-term leases. This is covered in Washington State Law under RCW 59.18.210, RCW 59.18.010.

1. Does a rental agreement for a period of more than one year need to be notarized/When does a rental agreement need to be notarized?

Yes. To be valid for the entire period of the lease, if a lease is for a term of more than one year, it must be notarized. If the lease is over a year and not notarized, it will be legally recognized as month-to-month. This doesn’t make the lease void, it simply questions the validity of the lease term. This is covered in Washington State Law under RCW 59.18.210, RCW 59.18.010.