LOCAL RULES

Washington security deposit statement requirements

Your Washington security deposit statement has 2 rules to meet. ReportDraft puts every one on your checklist and checks your draft before you sign.

  • A full and specific statement with copies of estimates or invoices within 30 days
  • No charge for wear or for items the move-in checklist did not document
Start free: draft your Washington report

ReportDraft Landlord from $9 a month. 14-day free trial with your first report and up to 5 template downloads. Card required, nothing charged today, cancel anytime. Need just one? One security deposit statement for $19, no subscription.

Washington gives a landlord 30 days after the rental agreement ends and the tenant moves out to send a full and specific statement of why any of the deposit is kept, with copies of the estimates or invoices, together with any refund.

Last reviewed October 23, 2026 against the official sources listed below.

Security deposit statementWASHINGTON / SAMPLE

Sample notes, 123 words

Move-out statement
Rental unit: 410 Maple Avenue, Apt 3, Olympia, WA
Landlord: Pinecrest Property Management
Tenants: Jordan Lee and Priya Raman
Moved out Oct 31, 2026, keys returned. Lease ended Oct 31, 2026.
...
FREE PREVIEW OF THESE NOTES
80%of your draft is ready from these notes

We found 4 deductions totaling $577.40: refund due to the tenant $1,222.60.

2 Washington rules on your checklist, including a full and specific statement with copies of estimates or invoices within 30 days.

Still to add

  • RecommendedNotes for move-out condition
  • RecommendedNotes for refund and questions

Filled in for you

Landlord or property managerPinecrest Property Management
Tenant namesJordan Lee and Priya Raman
Rental unit address410 Maple Avenue, Apt 3, Olympia, WA
Tenant's forwarding address88 Elm Street, Nampa, ID 83651
Start free and draft yours

14 days free, nothing to pay today. After your first report, your name, license and company details fill in by themselves. Or preview your own notes first, no sign-up.

What Washington requires

  • Within 30 days after the rental agreement ends and the tenant moves out, the landlord gives a full and specific statement of the basis for keeping any of the deposit, with copies of estimates or invoices that support the damage charges, together with any refund dueRevised Code of Washington 59.18.280 (1) (a) and (b)
  • Nothing may be withheld for wear from ordinary use, for carpet cleaning unless wear beyond ordinary use is documented, or for repairing or replacing fixtures, equipment, appliances and furnishings whose condition was not reasonably documented in the move-in checklistRevised Code of Washington 59.18.280 (1) (c)
  • A landlord who misses the 30 days is liable for the full deposit, and a court may award up to twice the deposit for an intentional refusal to give the statement or refundRevised Code of Washington 59.18.280 (2)
  • No deposit may be collected unless the rental agreement is in writing and the landlord gives the tenant, at the start of the tenancy, a written checklist or statement describing the condition and cleanliness of, or existing damage to, the premises, fixtures, equipment, appliances and furnishingsRevised Code of Washington 59.18.260 (2)
  • A landlord who collects a deposit without giving a written checklist at the start of the tenancy is liable to the tenant for the amount of the deposit, and the winning side may recover court costs and reasonable attorneys' feesRevised Code of Washington 59.18.260 (5)

The 30-day statement with invoices

Within 30 days after the rental agreement ends and the tenant moves out, give the tenant a full and specific statement of the basis for keeping any of the deposit, with copies of the estimates or invoices that support the damage charges, together with any refund due.

The move-in checklist decides what you can charge

No deposit may be collected unless the rental agreement is in writing and the tenant got a written checklist or statement of the unit's condition at the start. A landlord who collected a deposit without that checklist is liable to the tenant for the amount of the deposit.

Nothing may be withheld for repairing or replacing fixtures, equipment, appliances or furnishings whose condition was not reasonably documented in the move-in checklist.

Wear and carpet cleaning

Nothing may be withheld for wear from ordinary use, or for carpet cleaning unless wear beyond ordinary use is documented.

Missing the 30 days

A landlord who misses the 30 days is liable for the full deposit, and a court may award up to twice the deposit for an intentional refusal to give the statement or refund.

Common mistakes

  • Sending a statement without copies of the estimates or invoices.
  • Charging carpet cleaning without documented wear beyond ordinary use.
  • Charging for an appliance or fixture the move-in checklist never described.
  • Counting the 30 days from the lease end when the tenant stayed later.

Sources

Last reviewed October 23, 2026. Next review due January 23, 2027. This page explains published rules to help you write your report. It is not legal advice; the official text linked above governs.