Housing · Repair and Deduct
Repair and Deduct in Washington
How much of the rent a tenant can spend on a repair and subtract in Washington, how often, the notice required, and the alternative if the state has no statutory remedy. Cited to the statute.
How repair and deduct works in Washington
The cost cap or the alternative remedy, the notice steps, and the limits that apply.
| How it works | What it means |
|---|---|
| The landlord must have failed a repair duty | The remedy applies when the landlord fails to carry out a duty under RCW 59.18.060 and does not act within the time set by RCW 59.18.070 for that class of defect. |
| Wait the notice period, and for a contractor add the estimate step | For the 10-day class the tenant cannot contract for 10 days after notice or two days after the landlord receives the estimate, whichever is later. Faster classes carry shorter clocks. |
| Two routes, two caps | A hired contractor is capped at two months’ rent per repair. Doing the work yourself is capped at one month’s rent, including materials and your own labor at the prevailing community rate. |
| Each cap is also a yearly budget | The total deducted in any 12-month period cannot exceed the same figure, two months’ rent on the contractor route and one month’s rent on the do-it-yourself route. The headline number is an annual budget, not a fresh per-repair allowance. |
| Limits and alternatives | What it means |
|---|---|
| Contractor route requires an estimate first | Before the landlord’s clock runs, the tenant must submit a good-faith estimate of the repair cost by first-class mail or in person. Skip it and the clock has not started. No estimate is required for the do-it-yourself route. |
| Some work is off-limits to the tenant | The do-it-yourself route is limited to defects within the leased premises and is unavailable where law requires a licensed or registered person to do the work. Certain landlord duties are excluded from the remedy entirely. |
| Negligent repairs can rebound on the tenant | Work must comply with all applicable codes, and a landlord whose property is damaged by negligent repairs may recover actual damages from the tenant. |
What you can do right now
Concrete, neutral steps if the landlord will not repair in Washington. This is legal information, not legal advice.
- Put the defect in writing to the landlord
Send a dated written notice describing the problem and keep a copy. The waiting period depends on the defect class under RCW 59.18.070.
- If hiring a contractor, mail a good-faith estimate
Send the landlord a good-faith estimate of the cost by first-class mail or in person. The landlord’s deadline runs from receipt of that estimate, so this step starts the clock.
- Choose your route and track the yearly total
Contractor route caps at two months’ rent, do-it-yourself at one month, and each is also a 12-month ceiling. Keep receipts and watch how much of the annual budget you have used.
- Get advice for bigger or disputed repairs
For costs above the cap or a disputed defect, a Washington legal-aid office or attorney can advise on withholding and other remedies. The resource below can point you to help.
Repair remedies have strict notice steps, and using the wrong one can put your tenancy at risk. This resource can connect you with a tenant hotline or a licensed attorney.
→ Washington LawHelpThis is general legal information, not legal advice. Notice steps, caps, and local ordinances can change the answer, so confirm your situation with a tenant resource or a licensed attorney.
What Washington tenants get wrong about repair and deduct
Washington pays a renter more for hiring someone than for doing the work themselves, two months’ rent against one, and it is one of the few states that lets a renter charge for their own labor at all, at the going community rate. What almost no guide prints is that both numbers are annual as well as per-repair. Spend the two months’ rent on a furnace in October and there is nothing left under that route until the following October. The other thing to lead with is the estimate. Washington is the only state that makes the renter send the landlord a good-faith costing before the clock starts, by first-class mail or in person, and a renter who skips it has not started the clock at all. The waiting period itself is set by RCW 59.18.070 and depends on the defect class, with a 10-day class confirmed in the deduct section. Repairs must meet code, and a renter whose sloppy work damages the property can be sued for it. Notice, then estimate, then repair, and keep track of the yearly ceiling.
Common questions
Do I get two months’ rent or one in Washington?
Two months’ rent if a hired contractor does the work, one month’s rent if you do it yourself. Each figure is a per-repair cap and also a 12-month ceiling.
Can I charge for my own time in Washington?
Yes. On the do-it-yourself route the one-month cap includes materials and your own labor computed at the prevailing rate in the community for that work.
Is the limit per repair or per year?
Both. The total deducted in any 12-month period cannot exceed the same dollar figure as the per-repair cap, so the headline number is really an annual budget.
What has to be in the good-faith estimate?
A good-faith estimate of the cost to perform the repairs, delivered by first-class mail or in person before the landlord’s deadline runs. The contractor route requires it, the do-it-yourself route does not.
Not legal advicePlainStatute provides plain-language summaries of public law for general information only. This is not legal advice. Statutes change; always confirm current requirements with the official source linked above before acting.