Free Washington Tenant Notice to Vacate
The 20 days written notice Washington tenants use to properly end a periodic tenancy under RCW 59.18.200. Fillable PDF, move-out date calculator, and security deposit guidance under RCW 59.18.280 — built for tenants giving notice, not landlords.
The notice period runs from delivery, not from your last day in the unit. If you give 20 days’ notice on the 10th of the month and intend to move out before the period ends, you are still on the hook for rent through the end of the rental period your notice ends. Moving out early without paying through the period can lead to a small claims action or a security deposit deduction. Pay rent through the full notice period, document delivery, and surrender keys on or before the last day; the 30-day security deposit clock runs from termination of the rental agreement and vacation of the premises under RCW 59.18.280.
WA Notice Period
20-Day
Day Type
Calendar
Statute
RCW 59.18.200
SD Return
30 Days
On this page
- What this form does and when to use it
- Washington statute and legal authority
- Step-by-step: writing your notice to vacate
- Fillable form & PDF download
- Required information that makes the notice valid
- How to deliver the notice to your landlord
- Move-out timeline and key dates
- What happens after the notice period ends
- Security deposit return under RCW 59.18.280
- Common mistakes that cost tenants money
- Tenant rights during the notice period
- Frequently asked questions
- Washington statute reference table
A Washington Tenant Notice to Vacate is the written 20 days notice a tenant gives a landlord to end a periodic tenancy under RCW 59.18.200. It identifies the rental unit, sets the last day of tenancy, provides a forwarding address for the security deposit, and creates the documentary record that protects you if the move-out is later disputed. The form on this page handles the statutory content automatically — you fill in the blanks, the PDF generates a clean, signature-ready notice, and you deliver it to your landlord.
In Washington, a tenancy for an indefinite time with monthly or other periodic rent ends by written notice of 20 days or more given by the tenant to the landlord before the end of any month or rental period (RCW 59.18.200(1)(a)). A servicemember, spouse or dependent may give less than 20 days’ written notice when permanent change of station or deployment orders do not allow 20 days (RCW 59.18.200(1)(b)). Within 30 days after the rental agreement ends and you vacate, the landlord must give a full and specific statement of any deposit retained, with supporting documentation, and any refund (RCW 59.18.280(1)).
What this form does and when to use it
The Washington Tenant Notice to Vacate is a written notice from the tenant to the landlord ending a periodic (typically month-to-month) tenancy under RCW 59.18.200. It serves three purposes at once: it gives the landlord the statutorily required 20 days’ notice that the tenancy will end, it specifies the last day of tenancy so rent obligations stop on a defined date, and it provides the forwarding address for the landlord’s statement and refund, due within 30 days after the rental agreement ends and you vacate, under RCW 59.18.280. Without a properly written and delivered notice, a tenant who simply moves out remains exposed to claims for additional rent and may have a harder time recovering the security deposit.
Use this notice when you have a periodic tenancy — month-to-month is the most common form, but the same rule applies to week-to-week or other periodic arrangements (RCW 59.18.200(1)(a) applies the same 20 days’ written notice to every rental period, weekly included). The 20 days notice applies regardless of how long you have lived in the unit. Many states impose longer notice obligations on landlords than on tenants — those longer landlord rules do not flow back to tenants. As a tenant on a periodic tenancy in Washington, you give the 20 days period stated in RCW 59.18.200 every time.
This is not the right form for a fixed-term lease. If you have a lease with a defined end date and you intend to leave at the natural end of the term, the lease itself sets the end date — although it is good practice to send a written notice anyway to confirm your intent and trigger the security deposit clock. If you want to leave a fixed-term lease early, the 20 days notice does not apply: you need either a lease provision authorizing early termination, the landlord’s written agreement to release you, or a statutory ground (uninhabitable conditions, domestic violence early termination, or military deployment under federal SCRA at 50 U.S.C. § 3955). Sending a RCW 59.18.200 notice on a fixed-term lease without one of those grounds typically does not end your rent liability under Washington law.
Tenant notice vs. landlord notice: A common point of confusion. In most states the rules are asymmetric — landlords often face longer notice obligations (sometimes scaled to length of tenancy or limited to “just cause” grounds) while tenants on a periodic tenancy give a single fixed notice period. Washington requires a tenant to give 20 days’ written notice under RCW 59.18.200 regardless of how long you have lived in the unit. Any longer landlord notice rule does not flow back to you — your obligation is the 20 days stated in the statute.
Related Resources
- Washington lease termination laws
- Washington eviction notice laws
- Washington breaking lease laws
- Washington landlord tenant laws
- Washington habitability laws
- Lease termination laws by state
Document the move-out
A clean move-out is mostly about evidence. Date-stamped photos of every room, a wr