Source of Income Protection in Washington Rentals

LearnFacts checked November 8, 2026Reviewed by Gary E. Wilson, President and Designated Broker

What the state law covers

Washington's source of income rule is RCW 59.18.255. It took effect on September 30, 2018, and it applies to prospective tenants and current tenants alike.

"Source of income" is defined broadly. It includes housing assistance, public assistance, emergency rental assistance, veterans benefits, Social Security, supplemental security income and other retirement programs, and other programs run by a federal, state, local or nonprofit entity. It does not include income earned illegally.

If the person is otherwise eligible, the law says a landlord may not, because of their source of income:

• Refuse to rent, except in one narrow inspection case explained below.
• Expel a tenant.
• Set different rent, terms, conditions, fees, privileges or services.
• Try to discourage the person from renting.
• Say a unit is not available for viewing or rent when it is.
• Help or push someone else to do any of these things, or retaliate against someone who uses these rights.

Screening when a voucher or benefits are involved

The law does not stop you from screening. You can still check rental history, verify income and apply written criteria. What changes is the math and the consistency.

If you require a minimum income, subsection (3) of RCW 59.18.255 says any rent voucher or subsidy must be subtracted from the monthly rent before you check whether the applicant meets the income test. In plain terms, you measure the applicant's income against the share of rent they will actually pay, not against the full rent.

The state's screening statute still applies too. Under RCW 59.18.257, you must tell applicants in writing, before you screen, what information you will look at and what may lead to a denial. If you deny someone, you send a written adverse action notice. The step-by-step screening post walks through that order.

Benefits income is verified the way any other income is: with documents that show the source and the amount. The key is applying the same depth of checking to every applicant for that home.

Source of income is one of several screening rules that work side by side. If the home is in Seattle, criminal history has its own limits, covered in the Seattle Fair Chance Housing guide. A request to keep an animal for a disability is a separate fair housing question, explained in the assistance animals guide.

Listings, calls and first contact

Many problems start before anyone applies. Subsection (2) of the law bans any ad, notice or sign that shows a preference, limit or requirement based on source of income. A careful listing describes the home and the written criteria, and nothing about how the rent will be paid.

The same goes for phone calls and showings. Telling a caller the home "probably won't work" for a voucher, or that it is taken when it is not, can count as discouraging a rental. Most careful managers keep a short script for these calls and send every caller the same written criteria. The site's fair housing overview covers neutral advertising in more depth.

The inspection exception, read narrowly

Some voucher programs inspect the home before they will pay. RCW 59.18.255 lets a landlord refuse in that situation only if all three conditions are true: the tenant's income depends on the home passing inspection, a written estimate of the repairs needed to pass is more than $1,500, and the landlord has not received landlord mitigation program money for those repairs.

If any one of those is missing, the exception does not apply. In practice, that means getting a written repair estimate before deciding anything.

The landlord mitigation program is run by the Washington Department of Commerce under RCW 43.31.605. Subject to available funds, it can reimburse some repair costs tied to these inspections and some damage and unpaid rent claims for tenants using a housing subsidy. Check the current program rules before you count on it.

Seattle and King County add their own layers

Inside Seattle, the city's Open Housing Ordinance (SMC 14.08) has protected renters who use subsidies and alternative sources of income since September 19, 2016. The Seattle Office for Civil Rights FAQ says landlords must count all lawful, verifiable income, subtract only the monthly amount of a short-term subsidy, and offer the same lease terms they offer others. Landlords must also help with subsidy paperwork.

In unincorporated King County, the county's open housing code (KCC 12.20) protects people who take part in Section 8 or another housing subsidy program, and people with alternative sources of income. It applies only to property outside city limits.

Under state law, a person who violates RCW 59.18.255 can be held liable in a civil action for up to four and one-half times the monthly rent of the home, plus court costs and reasonable attorneys' fees.

What this means if you hire a manager

Because the rule touches the listing, the phone call, the income test and the lease, it is easier to follow with one written process than with case-by-case judgment. A typical careful manager publishes criteria before marketing, uses the voucher math in subsection (3), schedules any program inspection quickly, and keeps a file that shows each decision.

Timing matters as well. A housing authority inspection, a payment contract and a move-in date all have to line up, and the home may sit empty while they do. This is a step where a vacancy can stretch out, so it helps to have someone who handles these files regularly and knows what each program asks for.

If you are weighing whether to hand screening to a professional, the full-service vs leasing-only guide explains who carries these duties after move-in, and the tenant screening page describes the service.