Wash. Rev. Code § 59.18 § 59.18.580
Victim protection -- Limitation on tenant screening service provider disclosures and landlord's rental decisions.
Operative Text
(1) A tenant screening service provider may not (a) disclose a tenant's, applicant's, or household member's status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, or (b) knowingly disclose that a tenant, applicant, or household member has previously terminated a rental agreement under RCW 59.18.575 . (2) A landlord may not terminate a tenancy, fail to renew a tenancy, or refuse to enter into a rental agreement based on the tenant's or applicant's or a household member's status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, or based on the tenant or applicant having terminated a rental agreement under RCW 59.18.575 . (3) A landlord who refuses to enter into a rental agreement in violation of subsection (2) of this section may be liable to the tenant or applicant in a civil action for damages sustained by the tenant or applicant. The prevailing party may also recover court costs and reasonable attorneys' fees. (4) It is a defense to an unlawful detainer action under chapter 59.12 RCW that the action to remove the tenant and recover possession of the premises is in violation of subsection (2) of this section. (5) This section does not prohibit adverse housing decisions based upon other lawful factors within the landlord's knowledge or prohibit volunteer disclosure by an applicant of any victim circumstances.
Under Wash. Rev. Code § 59.18.580, tenant screening services are prohibited from revealing whether a person is a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, or whether they previously ended a lease under the state's victim-protection early-termination statute. Landlords are similarly barred from using that status or that prior lease termination as a basis for denying, ending, or declining to renew a tenancy. A landlord who violates the rental-decision restrictions may owe the affected person civil damages, plus court costs and reasonable attorneys' fees if the tenant or applicant prevails. The provision does not prevent landlords from acting on other lawful information they independently possess, nor does it stop an applicant from voluntarily sharing their own circumstances.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Operators subject to Wash. Rev. Code § 59.18.580 generally ensure that their screening criteria and rental decisions are not influenced by an applicant's or household member's documented victim status or by a prior lease termination made under RCW 59.18.575. Compliant operators typically instruct any third-party screening services they use not to report such information, and they document that adverse decisions rest on independent, lawful factors. Because a violation can expose a landlord to civil liability for damages plus attorneys' fees, property managers commonly review their written screening policies to confirm they do not reference victim status as a disqualifying criterion.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Wash. Rev. Code § 59.18.580 gives tenants and applicants the right to have their victim status—or a prior early termination under RCW 59.18.575—kept out of screening reports and out of a landlord's rental decisions. If a landlord refuses to rent, fails to renew, or attempts to evict someone in violation of this section, the affected person may have grounds to pursue civil damages, court costs, and attorneys' fees, and may also raise the violation as a defense in an unlawful detainer proceeding. Tenants who believe their rights under § 59.18.580 have been violated may consider contacting a local tenant-rights organization, a legal aid office, or a private attorney to understand the options available to them.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 7, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
References Out
No outbound references recorded yet for this provision.
References In
No inbound references recorded yet for this provision.