Selling a House With a Tenant in Washington (2026)

Short answer: You can sell a rented house in Washington two ways. You can sell it with the tenant staying, so the buyer becomes the new landlord. Or you can end the tenancy first and sell it empty. Ending it to sell takes at least 90 days’ written notice for a one-unit house. You can’t use that notice to cut a fixed-term lease short, and once the tenant is out you have to actually list the house within 30 days. Showings are allowed with notice, but the tenant still lives there, so plan the listing around them.

This is general information, not legal advice. Landlord-tenant rules change often and local rules can add to state law, so check your situation with a Washington attorney before you serve any notice.

Two ways to sell a rented house

Based on: RCW 59.18.650 (causes and notice periods), RCW 59.18.270 (deposits when the landlord changes) and RCW 59.18.150 (landlord entry).

Ending a tenancy to sell: what state law requires

Washington is a just-cause state. Under RCW 59.18.650(1)(a), a landlord can’t evict a tenant, refuse to continue a tenancy or end a periodic tenancy except for the causes the statute lists. Selling is one of them, with conditions:

• It has to be a one-unit house. The sale cause in RCW 59.18.650(2)(e) covers an owner who elects to sell a single home, not a building with several units. If you’re selling a condo unit, a townhouse, a duplex or a house with an ADU, ask an attorney how the rule applies to your property.
• At least 90 days’ written notice. The notice gives the date the tenant’s possession ends. Under subsection (6), notices have to be served the way RCW 59.12.040 requires and must identify the facts and circumstances behind the cause.
• Not before a fixed term ends. Subsection (5) says the sale cause doesn’t let you end a lease for a set term before the term is over, unless you and the tenant agree in writing to end it early and the tenant gets at least 60 days to move.
• You have to follow through. The law says you "elect to sell" when you make reasonable attempts to sell within 30 days after the tenant has vacated, at minimum by listing it at a reasonable price with a realty agency or on the multiple listing service. If you don’t, or if within 90 days you pull it off the market or rent it to someone else, the law presumes you didn’t intend to sell.

There’s a separate path for some leases. Under subsection (1)(c), if the tenancy started with a lease of 12 months or more for a set term and has never gone month-to-month, a landlord can end it at the end of the term without a cause by giving at least 60 days’ written notice before the term ends. Whether your lease qualifies depends on its history, so have it reviewed.

The cost of getting this wrong is real. Under subsection (4), a landlord who removes a tenant in violation of the statute is liable for wrongful eviction: the greater of the tenant’s damages or three times the monthly rent, plus attorneys’ fees and court costs. WashingtonLawHelp.org uses a landlord who gave a sale notice and then kept renting the unit as its example of an illegal ending of a tenancy.

Check for local rules

Some local governments add their own requirements. In unincorporated King County, for example, King County Code 12.25.030 A.4 also requires 90 days’ written notice to sell a one-unit house, and the county’s version of the listing rule says "fair market value" rather than "a reasonable price." Since April 12, 2023, the county has published standardized eviction notices for unincorporated areas, including a Sale Notice. If your rental is inside a city, check that city’s rules too.

Showing a house while the tenant lives there

RCW 59.18.150 balances the landlord’s need to show the home with the tenant’s right to live there:

• A tenant can’t unreasonably refuse entry to show the home to prospective or actual purchasers when you’ve given at least one day’s notice.
• For other entries, such as repairs or a pre-listing inspection, the general rule is at least two days’ written notice that states the date and time window and a phone number the tenant can call to object or reschedule.
• You can’t use access to harass the tenant, and you can’t show the home excessively.

In practice, it helps to agree on showing windows with the tenant up front and to keep to them. Listing photos and any pre-listing inspection also need entry, so put those on the same schedule.

Selling with the tenant staying

If you sell to a buyer who will keep renting the home, the main things to sort out are the paperwork and the money:

• Lease and rent roll. Give the buyer a copy of the lease and any changes to it. The Washington seller disclosure form asks whether title is subject to a "lease or rental agreement." RCW 64.06.020 currently has two versions on the Legislature’s site: one marked effective until January 1, 2027, and one effective January 1, 2027. The questions quoted here appear in both. If your sale runs across the new year, check which form is being used.
• Security deposit. RCW 59.18.270 says that when the landlord changes during a tenancy, the deposit moves at the same time to an equivalent trust account of the new landlord, who then has to tell the tenant the name, address and location of the new depository.
• Rent for the month of closing. How rent and deposits are credited at closing is set by your purchase agreement and handled through escrow. Read the terms before you sign.

Also expect the tenant may leave on their own. A month-to-month tenant can end the tenancy with written notice of 20 days or more before the end of a rental period under RCW 59.18.200. If that happens, RCW 59.18.280 gives you 30 days after the tenant moves out to send a full and specific statement of any deposit you keep, along with any refund. Missing that deadline can make you liable for the full deposit.

For what the rest of the sale costs, see our guide to the true cost of selling a house in Washington. If you’re selling a former rental, it’s also worth reading about capital gains on real estate and talking to a tax professional, since rental use can change how gains are taxed.

FAQ

Can I sell my rental house in Washington with a tenant living in it?

Yes. Selling doesn’t end a tenancy by itself. You can sell with the tenant in place, and the buyer takes over as landlord. RCW 59.18.270 says that when the landlord changes during a tenancy, the security deposit moves to the new landlord’s trust account and the new landlord has to tell the tenant where it is held.

How much notice do I have to give a tenant to sell my house in Washington?

For a one-unit house, RCW 59.18.650(2)(e) requires at least 90 days’ advance written notice of the date the tenant’s possession is to end. That cause can’t be used to end a fixed-term lease early. If the tenant has a lease for a set term, you need the tenant’s written agreement to end it early, and the tenant has to get at least 60 days to move.

Do I have to list the house after my tenant moves out?

Yes, if you ended the tenancy to sell. State law presumes you didn’t really intend to sell if, within 30 days after the tenant leaves, you don’t list it at a reasonable price with a real estate brokerage or on the multiple listing service. The same presumption applies if, within 90 days after the tenant leaves or the listing starts, whichever is later, you take it off the market or rent it to someone else.

Can my tenant refuse showings while my house is for sale?

Not unreasonably. Under RCW 59.18.150, a tenant can’t unreasonably withhold consent to show the home to prospective buyers when the landlord gives at least one day’s notice. For other entries the general rule is at least two days’ written notice. The landlord also can’t use showings to harass the tenant or show the home excessively.

What happens if I end a tenancy to sell and then don’t sell?

You may be liable for wrongful eviction. RCW 59.18.650(4) says a tenant who wins that kind of case gets the greater of their economic and noneconomic damages or three times the monthly rent, plus reasonable attorneys’ fees and court costs.

Talk it through with a local agent

Peter Kim and Odigo Real Estate Club can help you decide whether to sell with the tenant in place or vacant, plan showings around the lease, and line up the timing with your attorney’s advice, with 25+ years combined experience, 593+ closings, and 122 five-star Zillow reviews. See our home selling services or ask for a property valuation.

Odigo Real Estate Club · REAL Brokerage, WA #112064 · 16108 Ash Way, Suite 201, Lynnwood, WA 98087 · (425) 409-3823 · Mon–Sat 9 AM–6 PM, closed Sunday

Sources

• Washington State Legislature, RCW 59.18.650 (causes for ending a tenancy; sale cause, 90-day notice, 30- and 90-day listing presumptions, fixed-term limit, 12-month lease expiration, wrongful eviction damages, notice service), https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=59.18.650 , accessed Nov 2, 2026.
• Washington State Legislature, RCW 59.18.150 (landlord entry; one day’s notice to show to purchasers, two days’ written notice otherwise, no excessive exhibiting), https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=59.18.150 , accessed Nov 2, 2026.
• Washington State Legislature, RCW 59.18.270 (security deposit trust account; transfer to successor landlord), https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=59.18.270 , accessed Nov 2, 2026.
• Washington State Legislature, RCW 59.18.280 (deposit statement and refund within 30 days after the tenant vacates), https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=59.18.280 , accessed Nov 2, 2026.
• Washington State Legislature, RCW 59.18.200 (tenant’s 20-day notice to end a month-to-month tenancy), https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=59.18.200 , accessed Nov 2, 2026.
• King County Department of Community and Human Services, Tenant protections for unincorporated King County (KCC 12.25.030 A.4 sale cause, 90-day notice, fair market value listing rule), https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dchs/human-social-services/housing-homeless-services/homeowners-renter-resources/unincorporated-tenant-protection , accessed Nov 2, 2026.
• King County Local Services, Eviction notices (unincorporated King County) (Ordinance 19311; standardized notices published April 12, 2023, including a Sale Notice), https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/local-services/governance-leadership/local-government-for-unincorporated-king-county/community-service-areas/services-in-unincorporated-areas/eviction-notices , accessed Nov 2, 2026.
• WashingtonLawHelp.org, My landlord illegally ended my tenancy or evicted me (example of a sale notice followed by continued renting), https://www.washingtonlawhelp.org/en/my-landlord-illegally-ended-my-tenancy-or-evicted-me , accessed Nov 2, 2026.
• Washington State Legislature, RCW 64.06.020 (seller disclosure statement form; version effective until Jan 1, 2027 and version effective Jan 1, 2027), https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=64.06.020 , accessed Nov 2, 2026.

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