Washington documents
Washington 10-Day Notice to Comply or Vacate
The notice for lease violations other than unpaid rent: what it must offer, the 10-day cure period, and when it leads to court.
Reviewed September 2026 • Statewide resource
Before you use any document on this page: we recommend having your attorney review it first. Laws and required forms change, city ordinances add requirements on top of state law, and a notice that is defective in form or timing can cost far more than a legal review. This page is general information for property owners, not legal advice.
When a tenant breaks a lease covenant that is not about rent — an unauthorized occupant, a prohibited sublet, a violated house rule — the Washington notice is the comply-or-vacate notice under RCW 59.12.030(4). It must require, in the alternative, performance of the condition or covenant or surrender of the property, and the tenant has 10 days after service to comply.
The notice must identify the violation concretely enough to be curable. "Violation of lease" cures nothing; "the second vehicle parked on the lawn, prohibited by paragraph 9" can be fixed in an afternoon, and mostly is — the notice's real job is to end the violation, not the tenancy.
Cure ends the matter
If the tenant performs within the 10 days, the tenancy continues; the notice is spent. If the violation recurs, a pattern can eventually support termination under the just-cause statute — which is why each notice should be dated, specific and kept: today's cured notice is the record that supports next year's cause.
Serve it like it matters
Service follows RCW 59.12.040, with proof, the same as the 14-day rent notice. And the same city caveat applies: for Seattle and Tacoma rentals, check the city documents pages before serving anything that could end a tenancy, because both cities add process on top of state law.
Frequently asked questions
When is a 10-day notice the right document? +
For a breach of a lease condition or covenant other than paying rent — unauthorized occupants or sublets, prohibited pets, rule violations. Unpaid rent takes the 14-day pay-or-vacate notice instead.
What happens if the tenant fixes the violation? +
Compliance within the 10 days after service ends the matter and the tenancy continues. Keep the notice on file; a documented pattern of cured violations can matter later under the just-cause statute.
What makes a comply-or-vacate notice defective? +
Vagueness and bad service are the usual failures: the notice must describe the violation specifically enough to be curable, offer the comply-or-vacate alternative, and be served under RCW 59.12.040 with proof.
Sources
Every figure on this page traces to one of these. Rent caps change annually and city ordinances change by council action — check the current figure before serving a notice.
- RCW 59.12.030 — verified 2026-09-11
This page is general information for property owners, not legal advice, and it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Rules differ by property and by circumstance — consult an attorney licensed in Washington before acting on a notice, an eviction or a deposit dispute.
We serve these notices every week
Utopia Management has managed Washington rentals since 1994. Compliance with the notice periods, the caps and the paperwork above is part of full management, not an extra.
Find your local office
