If you rent your home you are covered by the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act (RCW 59.18). The Attorney General's Office is prohibited from acting as a private attorney on individual residential landlord-tenant complaints following a 1985 court decision (State v. Schwab) of the Washington Supreme Court.
However, another court case (Ethridge v. Hwang, 2001 Appellate Court) held that the Consumer Protection Act does apply to mobile/manufactured home tenancies. Therefore, the Attorney General’s Office does accept and attempt to resolve disputes concerning tenancies from individuals who are mobile/manufactured home owners and are renting space for their homes in a mobile/manufactured home park. If this applies to you contact Manufactured Housing Dispute Resolution Program at (866) WAG-MHLTA (1-866-924-6458) or file a complaint.
If your landlord-tenant issue demands immediate legal action, you may want to seek Landlord Tenant resources for legal advice, mediation or Small Claims Court (for claims under $5,000 - no attorney necessary). If your complaint involves more than $5,000, you may wish to seek a private attorney.
Below, please find some resources that may assist you with residential landlord/tenant issues:
Self Help Brochure
Relocation Assistance
Lawyer Referral
Statewide Legal Services for Tenants
Solid Ground (Formerly Fremont Public Association)
(206) 694-6700
Manufactured Home Tenant's Associations
Manufactured Home Landlord's Associations
Manufactured Housing Communities of Washington, Inc. (MHCW)
1-800-345-5608
Manufactured Housing Community Preservationists
(206) 324-0663
Complaints and Inquiries about Housing Codes:
Low Income Housing:
Department of Housing and Urban Development
909 First Avenue, Suite 190
Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 220-5205
www.hud.gov
Senior Housing Issues:
Complaints About Discrimination:
For Information on Manufactured/Mobile Home Community Registration:
The Department of Licensing annually registers all manufactured/mobile home communities. The Master License Service is administered by the Department of Licensing, Business and Professions Division. The program functions as a central licensing service for a variety of businesses in Washington. A master license is a single license that incorporates endorsements, certificates, approvals, and registrations, and certifies state agency approval for the various regulated activities in which a business may be engaged. The program also provides information to the business community concerning state licensing and regulatory requirements, including local and federal information regarding state-regulated activities. Master license fees currently are set in statute and have been unchanged since 1992. The master application fee is $15, and the renewal fee is $9. Late fees are also established in statute under RCW 19.02.085.
A number of local agencies offer landlord-tenant information. Some also aid in settling disputes.
Benton-Franklin Counties:
Benton-Franklin Community Action Committee
(509) 545-4042
www.bfcac.org
Kennewick:
Columbia Basin Apartment Association
(509) 783-1800
Email: gstack@owt.com
Clark County:
Community Mediation Center
(360) 619-1151
Email: kevin.carlisle@ci.vancouver.wa.us
www.cityofvancouver.wa.us
King County:
King County Bar Association Housing Justice Project
(206) 267-7090
www.kcba.org
Bellevue Neighborhood Mediation Program
(425) 452-4091
www.cityofbellevue.org
King County Dispute Resolution Center
(206) 443-9603
www.kcdrc.org
The Tenants Union
(206) 723-0500
www.tenantsunion.org
Seattle Office of Housing
(206) 684-2489
http://www.seattle.gov/html/citizen/renting.htm
Legal Action Center
(206) 324-6890
Pierce County:
Pierce County Community Action
(253) 798-6937 ext. 5574
Dispute Resolution Center of Pierce County
(253) 572-3657
Skagit County:
Skagit County Office of Mediation Services
(360) 336-9494
Email: mediation@co.skagit.wa.us
Skagit Community Action Agency
Volunteer Lawyer Program for eligible low-income residents
(888) 201-1014 To determine eligibility
(360) 416-7585 for questions
Email: VLP@skagitcap.org
Snohomish County:
Dispute Resolution Center of Snohomish and Island Counties
(425) 339-1335
http://www.voaww.org/voa5.cfm?SectionGroupsID=18&SectionListsID=35
Spokane:
Inland Mediation Center
(509) 456-0103
Northwest Mediation Center
(509) 456-0103
Thurston County:
Dispute Resolution Center of Thurston County
(360) 956-1155
www.mediatethurston.org
Whatcom County:
Whatcom County Opportunity Council
(360) 734-5121 From Bellingham
(360) 384-1470 County-Wide
www.oppco.org
LAW Advocates
(888) 201-1014 To determine eligibility
(360) 671-6079 for appointments
Telephone only, no walk-ins
Yakima:
Housing Service Center
(509) 575-6101
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