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Washington landlord · tenant screening

Washington Residential Rental Application

Download the Washington residential rental application — screens prospective tenants with application-money elections, a standalone screening-report authorization, and the disclosures federal and Washington law require — in fillable Word and fillable PDF, with the Washington Tenant Selection Criteria sheet, the Washington Completion & Compliance Guide.

  • Fillable Word + fillable PDF
  • Washington Completion & Compliance Guide included
  • Washington Tenant Selection Criteria sheet included
  • Completed sample available
  • Instant secure download

Renting out property in more than one state? This page is the Washington application — each state's edition is built to its own screening and application-money law.

What's in your Washington download

Every file below is included: the fillable Word application, a fillable PDF, the Washington Tenant Screening Criteria & Pre-Screening Notice, the Washington Completion & Use Guide, the statutory adverse-action notice, the holding deposit receipt, and — for Seattle and Tacoma properties — the city rental-application riders.

Included files

  • Washington Residential Rental Application Core application — completes on screen in the fillable PDF or in Word, then print and sign Word PDF
  • Washington Tenant Screening Criteria & Pre-Screening Notice The criteria and pre-screening notice RCW 59.18.257 makes a precondition of any screening — fill in your property’s standards; both formats complete on screen Word PDF
  • Washington Completion & Use Guide Money elections, criteria timing, deadlines, refunds, adverse action, and recordkeeping — editable Word; print-ready PDF Word PDF
  • Seattle Rental Application Rider Use only for Seattle properties — first-in-time and fair-chance application-stage rules; both formats complete on screen Word PDF
  • Tacoma Rental Application Rider Use only for Tacoma properties — application-stage duties under Tacoma’s code; both formats complete on screen Word PDF
  • Washington Holding Deposit Receipt & Conditions Documents post-offer holding money with the retention/refund conditions and signatures; both formats complete on screen Word PDF
  • Washington Adverse-Action Notice The notice to send on a denial or conditional approval tied to a consumer report; both formats complete on screen Word PDF

Preview the actual form

The real document — not a mockup. Page 1 of the form included in your download.

Get This Form — $12.99
Page 1 of the Washington Residential Rental Application form
Form PL-WA-RA01 · Page 1 of the actual Washington document included in your download.

Inside the Washington application

Every part of the form, in order — the application summary, 17 sections, and the office-use panel.

  • Application summary The reasonable-accommodation contact line, property applied for, requested move-in date, offered rent, and stated security deposit.
  • 1. Application Money Disclosure Completed by the owner/manager before the application is handed out: the Washington screening-charge disclosure under RCW 59.18.257, tied to the criteria and pre-screening notice that must be delivered first.
  • 2. About You Identity, contact channels, an electronic-notice election with a paper-mail alternative, and identity-document choices (SSN, ITIN, government-issued ID, or a lawful alternative) — no date-of-birth field anywhere on the form.
  • 3. Other Proposed Occupants Household composition with a separate-signed-application election for each person — ages, birth dates, and adult/minor classifications are never collected; every other adult completes and signs a separate application.
  • 4. Pets and Assistance Animals Household pets only; service and assistance animals are handled as fair-housing accommodations, never as pets.
  • 5. Residential History Current and prior addresses, housing payments, owner/manager contacts, and an optional neutral move reason.
  • 6. Employment & Income Employment plus any lawful source of income, with the Washington source-of-income note.
  • 7. Banking or Asset Verification An optional verification election; the form never collects account numbers.
  • 8. References and Emergency Contact An optional personal reference and an emergency contact that is not used for screening.
  • 9. Vehicle Information Vehicle details where parking is requested.
  • 10. Additional Information An open area for lawful qualification information.
  • 11. Screening Criteria and Pre-Screening Notice The Washington screening criteria and pre-screening notice under RCW 59.18.257 — delivered before any charge — with the applicant’s dated acknowledgment.
  • 12. Reusable or Portable Tenant-Screening Reports The reusable or portable tenant-screening report disclosure and the owner/manager policy election.
  • 13. Screening Information and Legal Limits No criminal-history self-reporting; an optional owner/manager election enables criteria-based criminal-history screening through a consumer reporting agency within Washington’s limits and fair-housing duties.
  • 14. Consumer Report Disclosure How consumer reports are obtained and the adverse-action notice commitment.
  • 15. Privacy, Retention, and Disposal Data-minimization commitments under the FCRA and its Disposal Rule.
  • 16. Applicant Declaration The signed certification of accuracy with a verification-contact authorization; electronic and copied signatures honored.
  • 17. Screening Report Disclosure and Authorization The standalone signed authorization, investigative-report notice, agency identification, free-report-copy election, and the federal Summary-of-Your-Rights package insert.
  • For Office Use Only An unnumbered, clearly marked owner/manager-only panel: the criteria/notice delivery log, the charge and refund record, the RCW 19.182 rights-summary stop, and the adverse-action checklist.

About this form

A residential rental application is the landlord's first line of protection: it collects the applicant's identity, household composition, rental history, employment and income, and references, and it carries the disclosures and signed authorizations that make lawful tenant screening possible before a lease is signed.

Washington law makes this the most structured edition in the family. First, RCW 59.18.257 makes the screening criteria and pre-screening notice a legal precondition: before collecting any screening charge, the owner/manager must give the applicant written notice of the criteria, what kinds of information will be accessed, and the applicant’s rights — the Washington Tenant Screening Criteria & Pre-Screening Notice in this kit is that instrument, not an optional extra. Second, the same statute prescribes the adverse-action notice format, which this kit reproduces as a fillable form. Third, holding money is lawful only after an offer and only with a receipt and written conditions, so the kit includes a Holding Deposit Receipt, and RCW 19.182 adds an investigative-report rights-summary duty tracked on the office-use panel.

The Washington Completion & Use Guide covers the criteria precondition and charge rules, the post-offer holding-deposit workflow, the statutory adverse-action notice, and recordkeeping. For Seattle properties the kit adds the Seattle Rental Application Rider (first-in-time and fair-chance rules), and for Tacoma properties the Tacoma Rental Application Rider; both are real documents because those cities impose application-stage duties.

100% satisfaction guarantee

ILRG provides self-help legal forms and download support. PublicLegal landlord forms are provided for you to complete with your own property and screening information. Screening rules vary by state and change frequently — the Completion & Compliance Guide explains the rules in your state and the steps that keep this application within them. If you are not 100 percent satisfied after purchasing from us, contact us for a refund.

Frequently Asked Questions About Washington Rental Applications

The Washington residential rental application in fillable Word (.docx) with a fillable PDF, the Washington Tenant Screening Criteria & Pre-Screening Notice, the Washington Completion & Use Guide, the statutory Washington adverse-action notice, the holding deposit receipt, and — for Seattle and Tacoma properties — the city rental-application riders. A completed sample is available as an optional add-on.

RCW 59.18.257 makes it a precondition: before collecting any screening charge, you must give the applicant written notice of your screening criteria, the kinds of information you will access, and the applicant’s rights. The Tenant Screening Criteria & Pre-Screening Notice in this kit is that instrument, and the application’s Section 11 records the delivery and acknowledgment.

Only after you have offered the unit, and only with a receipt and written conditions for retaining or refunding it (RCW 59.18.253, 59.18.610). The Holding Deposit Receipt in this kit documents the amount, the conditions, and the signatures, so the deposit is lawful and the parties’ expectations are clear.

RCW 59.18.257(1)(c) prescribes a specific format for the notice you must give when you deny an applicant or impose adverse conditions based on screening. This kit reproduces that statutory format as a fillable form, so the notice you send matches what the statute requires.

Yes. Seattle imposes first-in-time and fair-chance application-stage rules, and Tacoma imposes its own application-stage duties. The kit includes a Seattle Rental Application Rider and a Tacoma Rental Application Rider as separate documents; the Completion & Use Guide explains when each applies and flags the other Washington cities with their own rules.