What has the tenant lost? In Washington, the answer to that one question sets your repair deadline before anyone picks up a wrench.
Washington landlord repair obligations are set by RCW 59.18.060, which requires a landlord to keep a rental fit for human habitation. After the tenant gives written notice, RCW 59.18.070 sets three deadlines to start the repair. You get 24 hours when the tenant has lost hot or cold water, heat or electricity, or faces an imminent hazard. You get 72 hours for a broken refrigerator, range and oven, or major plumbing fixture you supplied. Everything else gets 10 days. Miss the deadline and the tenant may repair and deduct, end the lease, go to court, or use rent escrow. This guide reflects the RCW as of October 2026. Confirm local rules and talk to counsel before you act on a dispute.
Find the clock before you dispatch
The statute says "commence remedial action." That means real work has started within the window, such as a technician on site or a part on order. It does not mean the job is finished. The burden is on you to finish promptly. If something outside your control holds up completion, such as an unavailable part, you must still fix it as soon as possible.
24 hours: water, heat, power or danger
No hot water, no cold water, no heat and no electricity all fall here. So does any condition that is imminently hazardous to life. Think of a gas smell, exposed live wiring or a ceiling about to fall. Answer these calls at night and on weekends. A Friday evening report does not wait for Monday.
72 hours: the kitchen and the bathroom
This clock covers the refrigerator, the range and oven, and any major plumbing fixture you supplied. A toilet that will not flush in a one bathroom unit is the classic example. If the unit has a second working toilet, the call is closer. Treating it as a 72 hour job is the safer choice.
10 days: everything else
A torn screen, a sticking door, a leaking faucet that still runs and a broken blind all fall in the last group. Ten days is the outer limit. A small job done in two days costs less goodwill than one done on day nine.
RCW 59.18 at a glance
These are the sections a Washington property manager reaches for when a repair turns into a dispute. Each link goes to the official text on the Washington Legislature site.
| Section | What it says | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| 59.18.060 | The landlord's duties: codes, structure, common areas, pests, locks, electrical, plumbing and heating, weathertight units, garbage bins, heat and hot water, smoke detector and mold notices | Your full repair scope. No duty arises for damage the tenant caused, or if the tenant unreasonably refuses access. |
| 59.18.070 | Written notice from the tenant, and the 24 hour, 72 hour and 10 day clocks | Log the time notice arrived, not the time someone read it. |
| 59.18.080 | The tenant must be current on rent and agreed utilities to use these remedies | Check the ledger before you respond to a remedy threat. |
| 59.18.090 | After the deadline and a reasonable time, the tenant may end the lease or go to court | A tenant who leaves is owed prorated prepaid rent and a deposit statement. |
| 59.18.100 | Repair and deduct | Up to two months' rent per repair with licensed work and an estimate, or one month's rent for work the tenant does |
| 59.18.110 | Court or arbitrator sets a diminished rental value | Rent above that value may be ordered back from the date of notice. |
| 59.18.115 | Rent escrow after a local government inspection | The inspection happens within 5 days of the tenant's request. |
| 59.18.240 and 59.18.250 | Retaliation | Action within 90 days of a good faith complaint is presumed retaliatory, subject to rebuttal. |
Deposits have their own rules in RCW 59.18.260 and 59.18.280. Our guide to Washington security deposit law covers the move in checklist and the 30 day return.
Friday, 4:50 p.m., no heat in Spokane
This is a fictional example. Jordan rents unit 3 in a 12 unit Spokane building for $1,400 a month. Each unit has its own gas furnace. On Friday 16 January 2026 at 4:50 p.m., Jordan sends a portal message and tapes a note to the office door. "Furnace quit around 3. It's 58 in here and dropping."
No heat puts this on the 24 hour clock. Remedial action has to start by 4:50 p.m. on Saturday. The on call technician arrives at 8:10 p.m. on Friday. The inducer motor has failed, and the supply house is closed until Monday.
At 9:30 p.m. the manager calls Jordan. "The part comes in Monday morning. I'm bringing two oil filled heaters over tonight, and I'll check on you tomorrow at noon."
On Saturday Jordan writes back. "I'll get my own HVAC company out and take it off February's rent." The manager replies in writing the same day. Repair and deduct under RCW 59.18.100 applies only if the landlord fails to start work within the deadline. Work started within four hours. She attaches the technician's notes and photos of the failed motor.
The heaters keep the unit warm, but they do not fix the furnace. The work order stays open. The new motor goes in on Monday 19 January at 11:30 a.m., and the technician records the thermostat reading before leaving. The work order closes with three timestamps: notice at 4:50 p.m. Friday, technician on site at 8:10 p.m., heat restored Monday. Nobody had to argue about the deadline, because the file answered it.
When the deadline passes
If you do not start work in time, the tenant has several options. Each one has its own conditions. All of them require the tenant to be current on rent under RCW 59.18.080.
Repair and deduct with an estimate
For work that needs a licensed or registered contractor, the tenant first gives you a good faith estimate. It can arrive with the notice or later, by first class mail or in person. If you still fail to start in time, the tenant may hire the contractor. After the work and a chance for you to inspect, they deduct the cost. The limit is two months' rent per repair, and two months' rent in total over any 12 months. For a 10 day defect, the tenant must wait 10 days after notice or 2 days after the estimate, whichever is later.
Small repairs the tenant does
A tenant may do the repair themselves when the work does not legally require a licensed person. The cost, at local labor rates, must not exceed one month's rent. No estimate is needed. The work must be inside the unit and done in a workmanlike way. The cap is one month's rent per repair and per 12 months.
Rent escrow after an inspection
RCW 59.18.115 is for conditions that substantially endanger health or safety. Lack of hot water and heating that does not work are both on its list. The tenant asks the local government for an inspection, which must take place within 5 days. If the inspector certifies the condition, the tenant can pay rent into escrow. They must notify you within 24 hours of the deposit. You can apply for release once the repair is certified.
Leaving or going to court
Under RCW 59.18.090 the tenant may end the lease with written notice and owe no rent after moving out. They may instead sue or use arbitration. Under 59.18.110 a court can set a diminished rental value and order back the difference from the date of notice.
On call checklist for Washington repair calls
- Record the date and time the written notice arrived, including portal messages and notes left at the office.
- Match the defect to a clock: 24 hours, 72 hours or 10 days.
- Send someone, or order the part, inside the clock. Save proof of both.
- Tell the tenant in writing what happens next and when.
- Offer a workaround if completion will slip, such as a space heater, a vacant unit or a hotel night.
- Check the ledger before you answer any repair and deduct or escrow message.
- Note any refused access with dates and times. It affects whether a duty arose.
- Close the work order only when the tenant confirms the fix or a technician verifies it.
Spokane winters put extra weight on heat calls. Our guide to landlord heat requirements covers temperature rules in cities that set a number.
How RIOO keeps the clocks visible
RIOO turns each portal request into a work order linked to the property, unit, asset and lease in NetSuite. Requests are prioritised by urgency, and each work order type can carry its own priorities. A Washington team can line those priorities up with the three RCW clocks: 24 hour, 72 hour and 10 day. The status history shows when the request arrived, who was assigned and when the work closed.
Vendor bills attach to the work order and post to the property's books. If you agree a rent credit, it posts to the tenant ledger. The work order management page walks through the full cycle. RIOO records the timeline. Whether a defect falls in a given clock is still your call, and your counsel's.
Repair crew FAQ
Does a text or portal message count as written notice?
The statute asks for written notice to the landlord's designated person or whoever collects rent. It does not list email or portal messages. In practice, start the clock from any written message you receive. Arguing over the format rarely helps you at a hearing.
Can a tenant withhold rent in Washington?
Not simply by keeping it. The tenant must follow a set path: repair and deduct, rent escrow after an inspection, or a court finding of diminished value. A tenant who stops paying outside those paths may face a pay or vacate notice.
What if the tenant blocks access?
RCW 59.18.060 says no duty arises where a tenant unreasonably refuses access for repairs. Give proper entry notice and record each refusal. Two days' written notice is the usual requirement for repairs under RCW 59.18.150.
Is anything new in RCW 59.18.060 for 2027 leases?
Yes. A 2026 amendment adds disclosures for leases signed after 31 December 2026. The property may lie in a flood hazard area. The landlord's insurance does not cover the tenant's belongings. Hazard information is available from the county. Add them to your lease templates now.
Does just cause law change any of this?
Repair rules and eviction grounds are separate. A repair dispute still runs into the retaliation rules if you serve a notice soon after a complaint. Our Washington just cause eviction guide lists the grounds a landlord may use.
