I live in a manufactured/mobile home park. Can the park owner/landlord raise the rent, and by that much?

The eviction moratorium in Washington State ended on June 30, 2021. During the moratorium, landlords in Washington were not allowed to raise the rent. But now that the moratorium has ended, renters may have gotten rent increase notices starting July 1, 2021. Keep reading to find out what state law says about rent increases.

• Yes, if you own your manufactured/mobile home and rent a space where two or more manufactured/mobile homes and/or permanently installed RVs or trailers are renting spaces.
• No, if you are renting the place where you live and you do not live in a mobile home park. This does not apply to you. Read Can my landlord raise my rent? And by how much?.

*A manufactured/mobile home park is any land rented out for two or more manufactured/mobile homes and/or permanently installed RVs or trailers.

• Whether and when the landlord can raise the rent

• What options you might have, and where to get legal help

Yes, if you got the notice on or after July 1, 2021. The landlord must give you at least 3 months' (90 days') notice before raising the rent.

• If the rental term is one year, the landlord can only raise the rent at the end of the term. RCW 59.20.090(2). Example: Your lease is up on January 1. Your landlord wants to raise the rent starting then.  The landlord must have given you the notice by October 1.
• If the rental term is month-to-month, the landlord can raise the rent at the end of any month, after giving 3 months' written notice. Example: Your landlord wants to raise the rent starting October 1. The landlord must have sent you the notice by July 1.

No. The notice must be written on paper. Your landlord cannot simply text or email you 90 days before they raise your rent and demand that you pay a new amount.

State law at RCW 59.20.090(2) clearly states that the landlord must give you 3 months' notice. If you get a rent increase notice that gives you less time, talk to a lawyer right away. Contact info is below.

I'm in the middle of a lease or written contract with my landlord. I just got a notice of rent increase. Do I need to pay the new amount?

No. If your contract or written lease was for a certain amount of rent per month, your landlord cannot try to raise your rent during the middle of the contract. Your landlord must wait until 3 months from the end of your lease.

Example: Your contract ends on December 31. Your landlord needs to have notified you by October 1.

Unfortunately, yes. There is no rent control in the state of Washington.

However, if you owe rent between March 2020 and July 31, 2021 due to the pandemic, you have some protections. Read Coronavirus (COVID-19): Can my landlord evict me now? and talk to a lawyer right away. Contact info is below.

In any situation, you can try to negotiate with the landlord not to raise the rent for a certain period of time. If you and the landlord do agree to this, try to get it in writing.  

You should talk to a lawyer right away about the following options: 

• If you owe rent between March 2020 and July 31, 2021 due to the pandemic, you have some protections. Read Coronavirus (COVID-19): Can my landlord evict me now? and talk to a lawyer right away. Contact info is below.

• If you have a disability, you might be able to get the landlord to change the date your rent is due to coincide with when you get your disability check. To try this, you can ask for a reasonable accommodation using the sample letter below.

*You might also have other options. Ask a lawyer if the Washington Law against Discrimination (RCW 49.60) or the Fair Housing Act (starting at 42 U.S.C. 3601) can help you at all. 

Maybe. The state eviction moratorium banned rent increases. Talk to a lawyer right away. You can also seek help from the Washington State Attorney General's Office and filling out this form.

Maybe. If your landlord raised the rent within 120 days of legal action you took against the landlord, and did not give you good reason for the rent increase, it may count as retaliation and be illegal.  Talk to a lawyer right away.

Visit Northwest Justice Project to find out how to get legal help.