Seattle Security Deposit Rules 2026–27: Move-In Caps, Installment Rights, the Checklist Rule and the 30-Day Itemized Refund

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In Seattle, deposit protection starts before you get the keys. City law caps how much a landlord can collect up front and gives you the right to pay it in installments. State law then says a landlord who skips one sheet of paper at move-in, the signed condition checklist, can owe you the entire deposit back. By move-out, much of the outcome is already settled by what happened on day one.

This guide follows the money through a Seattle tenancy in order: what you can be charged, how you can pay, what must be documented, where the money is held, and what has to happen within 30 days after you leave. It relies on the Revised Code of Washington (RCW 59.18.260 to 59.18.285) as published by the Washington Legislature, and on City of Seattle guidance from Renting in Seattle and the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI).

Stage 1: What a Seattle Landlord Can Charge at Move-In

The City of Seattle limits move-in charges. According to SDCI and Renting in Seattle:

Security deposits are fully refundable. Move-in fees are nonrefundable.
Nonrefundable move-in fees can only be for tenant screening or cleaning, and can't exceed 10% of one month's rent. If actual screening costs more than 10%, the landlord may charge the actual overage if it matches the standard cost of screening in Seattle.
If the landlord charges a cleaning fee at the start, it cannot also charge for cleaning at move-out.
The security deposit plus move-in fees combined cannot exceed one month's rent.
A pet deposit of up to 25% of one month's rent may be charged on top of that.

Item (example: $1,000 rent)	Seattle limit	Example amount
Move-in fees (screening, cleaning)	10% of one month's rent	$100
Security deposit	Deposit plus fees no more than one month's rent	$900
Pet deposit	25% of one month's rent	$250

The example amounts come from the City's own illustration.

Holding deposits are different. SDCI notes they're regulated by state law, RCW 59.18.253(2). The landlord must return a holding deposit if your application is rejected, or apply it to your move-in costs if you're accepted, and must give you a receipt stating its terms.

Stage 2: Your Right to Pay in Installments

Seattle renters can choose to spread move-in costs over time. The City's installment rules:

Your rental agreement	Deposit and move-in fees	Pet deposit	Last month's rent
6 months or longer	6 equal monthly payments	3 equal payments	6 equal monthly payments
30 days to 6 months	4 equal monthly payments	3 equal payments	4 equal monthly payments
Month-to-month	2 equal monthly payments	3 equal payments	Not listed

You and the landlord can agree to a different schedule if it's written into the rental agreement. The landlord cannot charge interest or an extra fee, and cannot refuse to rent to you because you chose installments.

A caution from the City's landlord guidance: if you miss an installment, the landlord may treat it like late rent and issue a 14-day notice to pay or vacate. Choose a schedule you can keep.

Stage 3: The Paperwork That Protects Your Deposit

Washington law (RCW 59.18.260) adds requirements that apply statewide:

A written rental agreement. If you pay any deposit, the lease must be in writing and must spell out the terms under which the deposit may be withheld.
A written move-in checklist. No deposit may be collected unless, at the start of the tenancy, the landlord gives you a written checklist or statement describing the condition, cleanliness and existing damage of the unit. That includes walls (paint and wallpaper), carpets and flooring, furniture and appliances.
Signatures and a copy. Both you and the landlord sign and date the checklist, and you get a copy. You can request one free replacement copy.

The penalty for skipping the checklist is steep. A landlord who collects a deposit without providing the checklist at move-in is liable to you for the amount of the deposit, and the winning side in court can recover court costs and reasonable attorney's fees.

Nonrefundable fees must be labeled. Under RCW 59.18.285, a nonrefundable fee can't be called a "deposit." The lease must clearly say the fee is nonrefundable. If there's no written lease, the landlord owes you any nonrefundable fees it collected. If the lease doesn't say the fee is nonrefundable, it must be treated as a refundable deposit.

What to do at move-in:

Walk the unit with the checklist and note every mark, stain and dent.
Take dated photos or video of each room, especially walls, floors and appliances.
Don't sign a checklist that is blank or inaccurate. Write in corrections.
Keep your copy with your lease.

Stage 4: Where Your Money Is Held

Under RCW 59.18.270, the landlord must promptly put your deposit in a trust account at a financial institution or licensed escrow agent located in Washington. It must give you a written receipt and written notice of the name, address and location of the depository, plus any later change.

Unless you agree otherwise in writing, the landlord keeps the interest on the account. Washington, unlike Chicago, doesn't require landlords to pay deposit interest to tenants.

If the building changes hands, the deposit must move to the new landlord's trust account at the same time, and the new landlord must promptly notify you.

If the building is foreclosed and your deposit isn't transferred to the new owner, the foreclosed-upon owner must refund the full deposit immediately. If it does neither, it can owe up to two times the deposit.

Your claim to the deposit comes before the landlord's other creditors, including a bankruptcy trustee or receiver.

Stage 5: The 30 Days After You Move Out

Under RCW 59.18.280, within 30 days after the lease ends and you leave, the landlord must give you:

a full and specific statement of the reason for keeping any part of the deposit,
copies of estimates or paid invoices backing up damage charges (if its own staff did the work, a statement of time spent and the hourly rate, plus receipts for materials), and
any refund due.

Mailing to your last known address by first-class mail within 30 days counts. Give the landlord your new address in writing.

What can't come out of your deposit:

wear from ordinary use,
carpet cleaning, unless the landlord documents wear beyond ordinary use,
repair or replacement of fixtures, appliances or furnishings whose condition wasn't reasonably documented on the move-in checklist, and
more than the cost of repairing the damaged portion of an item when the damage doesn't affect the whole thing.

Charges for ordinary wear, or charges without that documentation, also can't be reported to a credit bureau, tenant screening service or prospective landlord, or sent to a collection agency.

If the Landlord Misses the Deadline or Refuses

RCW 59.18.280(2) sets the consequences:

A landlord who doesn't provide the statement, documentation and refund within 30 days owes you the full deposit. In your suit to recover it, the landlord generally can't raise any claim or defense for keeping it, unless circumstances beyond its control prevented compliance or you abandoned the unit.
For an intentional refusal, a court may award up to two times the deposit.
The winning side recovers costs and reasonable attorney's fees.

Steps to take:

Mark day 30 from the date you returned the keys.
If nothing arrives, or the statement has no invoices, send a written demand citing RCW 59.18.280 and keep a copy.
Gather your lease, move-in checklist, receipts, photos and proof of your forwarding address.
Contact Renting in Seattle at (206) 684-5700 for information about your rights.
If the landlord still won't pay, consider small claims court or talk with a tenant lawyer.

Coming July 1, 2027: Seattle's Rental Fee Law

The City Council passed Council Bill 121254 on August 11, 2026, restricting rental fees. The Mayor's office says it takes effect July 1, 2027. Under the new law, any fee not on the permitted list is prohibited. Permitted charges include a security deposit plus move-in fees capped at one month's rent, a pet deposit capped at 25% of rent, and late fees capped at $10 a month. Landlords may keep charging fees in an existing lease until the end of the term or July 1, 2027, whichever is later. Until then, the current rules above apply.