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Tenant Abandoned Property Laws in Washington

In Washington, after a tenant abandons the unit owing rent, a landlord may store the property and must try to give notice; it may be sold or disposed of 45 days after notice, or 7 days if worth $250 or less.

Last checked . General information, not legal advice.

Washington at a glance

Written notice required
Yes, reasonable efforts by mail
Mailing by first class mail to the last known address and any other known address satisfies the notice duty.
Holding period
45 days (7 days if worth $250 or less)
After a writ of restitution, stored property may be sold 30 days after notice, or 7 days if worth $250 or less.
After the holding period
Sell or dispose of it, apply income to amounts owed
Excess sale income is held for the tenant for one year. Under the $250 rule, personal papers, family pictures and keepsakes may not be sold or disposed of early.

Sources

Last checked

The rules in Washington

Does a landlord in Washington have to notify the tenant before disposing of left-behind property?

Yes, reasonable efforts by mail. Written notice required in Washington: yes, reasonable efforts by mail. Mailing by first class mail to the last known address and any other known address satisfies the notice duty.

How long must a landlord in Washington keep a tenant's abandoned property?

Holding period in Washington: 45 days (7 days if worth $250 or less). After a writ of restitution, stored property may be sold 30 days after notice, or 7 days if worth $250 or less.

What can a landlord in Washington do with abandoned property after the waiting period?

After the holding period in Washington: Sell or dispose of it, apply income to amounts owed. Excess sale income is held for the tenant for one year. Under the $250 rule, personal papers, family pictures and keepsakes may not be sold or disposed of early.

Where do the Washington tenant abandoned property laws come from?

The rules above come from Wash. Rev. Code 59.18.310 and Wash. Rev. Code 59.18.312. Each source is linked on this page. We last checked them in October 2026.

Good to know

After a writ of restitution, the landlord must store the property if the tenant asks in writing within 3 days of service; otherwise it may be placed on the nearest public property.

What this means in practice

Before treating anything as abandoned, confirm that the tenancy has actually ended. Some statutes define when a unit counts as abandoned, and removing property while a tenant still has a right to possession can expose a landlord to claims for wrongful eviction or conversion.

Keep a written record. Photos or a video of the items, a dated inventory, a copy of any notice sent and proof of how it was delivered make it much easier to show that the required steps were followed if the former tenant later asks for the property or its value.

Store items safely and in a reasonable way during any holding period. Where a statute allows the landlord to charge reasonable moving and storage costs, or to keep sale proceeds to cover those costs, the rules on what may be charged and what happens to any surplus vary, so check the exact text for your state.

General information, not legal advice. Laws change, and cities can add their own rules, so check the current statute before you rely on it.