Can I change the date my rent is due?
You can now ask your landlord to change the date your rent is due. Learn why you might want to do this, and how to do it. #6343EN
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
If you are a tenant renting the place where you live in Washington State, you can ask your landlord to change the date your rent is due. This will also limit your landlord's ability to charge you late fees. We discuss these changes to the law here.
We also provide a sample letter below if you need to request a change to your rent due date.
Any tenant can ask, but the landlord does not have to agree unless you get some sort of monthly government assistance. We explain below.
It depends.
Under the law, your landlord must agree to your request if your main source of monthly income is government assistance. This includes TANF, SSDI, SSI, and ABD.
If your income mainly comes from other sources, your landlord can but does not have to change the due date.
The law uses the words "primary source" of income. This means the money you get is more than half of the income you get in a month.
So, if you get income from another source, such as from a job, and that income is less than half of what you get in government benefits in a month, your landlord must agree to change the date your rent is due.
Example 1: You get $1,000 a month in Social Security Retirement. You also work. You get $500 from your employer. Your main source of income is Social Security benefits. Your landlord must agree to change the date your rent is due.
Example 2: You get $750 a month in Social Security Disability. You also work. You get $1,200 a month from your employer. Your main source of income is your job. Your landlord can but does not have to agree to change the date your rent is due.
Under the law, your landlord cannot charge you a late fee until your rent goes unpaid for more than 5 days after the due date.
Example 1: Your rent is due on the 1st of the month. You pay the rent by the 6th of the month. Your landlord cannot charge you late fees.
Example 2: Your rent is due on the 1st of the month. You pay the rent on the 7th. Your landlord can charge you late fees starting from the date the rent was due.
Yes. Under the law, your landlord must agree to change the day the rent is due by up to 5 days if both of these are true:
- You ask in writing.
- Your main source of monthly income is government assistance and you do not get this assistance until after the date rent is due.
Example: Your rent is currently due the 1st of the month. You can ask your landlord to change the due date to the 6th of the month if you do not get your regular monthly assistance by the 1st of the month.
No. If, for example, your landlord agrees to change your rent due date to the 6th of the month, you cannot be charged late fees if you pay your rent on or before the 11th of the month.
Not all government assistance is received at the beginning of the month. For example, many Social Security recipients do not get their monthly payments until the second or the third Wednesday of each month – usually much more than 5 days that rent is usually due.
If you have a disability, and you need more than a change of 5 days for when your rent is due, you can ask for a reasonable accommodation. If you need to do this, use the sample letter below.
Yes. Under the law, the monthly government assistance must be the tenant's main source of the income. The law does not say that it must be the income of a certain member of the family. So, if your child or another member of your family gets government assistance and it is the main source of income for the family, your landlord must agree to your request.
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