The process for renewing a fixed-term lease in Washington has gotten a lot more complicated with the passage of HB 1236. In order to continue a fixed-term lease, and not have it revert to month-to-month, there are multiple steps to take on a specific timeline. If these steps aren’t followed, the tenancy can revert to month-to-month. We must now formally serve the extension documents to every adult at the property at least 60 days before the end of the current term. This means delivering hard copies of the extension document (one per adult) at the premises. If this deadline is missed, the tenants will have the option to stay at the property on a month-to-month basis.

Terminating a tenancy (not offering a lease extension) has also gotten more difficult. Housing providers must either offer a new term, allow the tenancy to continue month-to-month, prove there is just cause for termination, or prove that the tenancy is exempt from the regulation. Residents on month-to-month agreements can still terminate tenancy without cause.

The process of formally serving an extension notice requires a lot of time and resources. However, we believe it is still in the owner’s best interest to have fixed-term tenancies and we’ve quickly adapted our office practices to meet these requirements.