Wash. Rev. Code » Title 59 · Chapter 59.18

Wash. Rev. Code § 59.18.312

Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section WA-LEGapp.leg.wa.gov JustiaTitle on Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar
(1) A landlord shall, upon the execution of a writ of restitution by the sheriff, enter and take possession of any property of the tenant found on the premises. The landlord may store the property in any reasonably secure place, including the premises, and sell or dispose of the property as provided under subsection (3) of this section. The landlord must store the property if the tenant serves a written request to do so on the landlord or the landlord's representative by any of the methods described in RCW 59.18.365 no later than three days after service of the writ. A landlord may elect to store the property without such a request unless the tenant or the tenant's representative objects to the storage of the property. If the tenant or the tenant's representative objects to the storage of the property or the landlord elects not to store the property because the tenant has not served a written request on the landlord to do so, the property shall be deposited upon the nearest public property and may not be stored by the landlord. If the landlord knows that the tenant is a person with a disability as defined in RCW 49.60.040 (as amended by chapter 317, Laws of 2007) and the disability impairs or prevents the tenant or the tenant's representative from making a written request for storage, it must be presumed that the tenant has requested the storage of the property as provided in this section unless the tenant objects in writing.
(2) Property stored under this section shall be returned to the tenant after the tenant has paid the actual or reasonable drayage and storage costs, whichever is less, or until it is sold or disposed of by the landlord in accordance with subsection (3) of this section.
(3) Prior to the sale of property stored pursuant to this section with a cumulative value of over $250, the landlord shall notify the tenant of the pending sale. After 30 days from the date the notice of the sale is mailed or personally delivered to the tenant's last known address, the landlord may sell the property, including personal papers, family pictures, and keepsakes, and dispose of any property not sold.
If the property that is being stored has a cumulative value of $250 or less, then the landlord may sell or dispose of the property in the manner provided in this section, except for personal papers, family pictures, and keepsakes. Prior to the sale or disposal of property stored pursuant to this section with a cumulative value of $250 or less, the landlord shall notify the tenant of the pending sale or disposal. The notice shall either be mailed to the tenant's last known address or personally delivered to the tenant. After seven days from the date the notice is mailed or delivered to the tenant, the landlord may sell or dispose of the property.
The landlord may apply any income derived from the sale of the tenant's property against moneys due the landlord for drayage and storage of the property. The amount of sale proceeds that the landlord may apply towards such costs may not exceed the actual or reasonable costs for drayage and storage of the property, whichever is less. Any excess income derived from the sale of such property shall be held by the landlord for the benefit of the tenant for a period of one year from the date of the sale. If no claim is made or action commenced by the tenant for the recovery of the excess income prior to the expiration of that period of time, then the balance shall be treated as abandoned property and deposited by the landlord with the department of revenue pursuant to chapter 63.30 RCW.
(4) Nothing in this section shall be construed as creating a right of distress for rent.
(5) When serving a tenant with a writ of restitution pursuant to RCW 59.12.100 and 59.18.410, the sheriff shall provide written notice to the tenant that: (a) Upon execution of the writ, the landlord must store the tenant's property only if the tenant serves a written request on the landlord to do so no later than three days after service of the writ; (b) the notice to the landlord requesting storage may be served by personally delivering or mailing a copy of the request to the landlord at the address identified in, or by facsimile to the facsimile number listed on, the form described under subsection (6) of this section; (c) if the tenant has not made such a written request to the landlord, the landlord may elect to either store the tenant's property or place the tenant's property on the nearest public property unless the tenant objects; (d) if the property is stored, it may not be returned to the tenant unless the tenant pays the actual or reasonable costs of drayage and storage, whichever is less, within 30 days; (e) if the tenant or the tenant's representative objects to storage of the property, it will not be stored but will be placed on the nearest public property; and (f) the landlord may sell or otherwise dispose of the property as provided in subsection (3) of this section if the landlord provides written notice to the tenant first.
(6) When serving a tenant with a writ of restitution under subsection (5) of this section, the sheriff shall also serve the tenant with a form provided by the landlord that can be used to request the landlord to store the tenant's property, which must be substantially in the following form:
REQUEST FOR STORAGE OF PERSONAL PROPERTY
. . . . . . . . . . .
Name of Plaintiff
. . . . . . . . . . .
Name(s) of Tenant(s)
I/we hereby request the landlord to store our personal property. I/we understand that I/we am/are responsible for the actual or reasonable costs of moving and storing the property, whichever is less. If I/we fail to pay these costs, the landlord may sell or dispose of the property pursuant to and within the time frame permitted under RCW 59.18.312(3).
Any notice of sale required under RCW 59.18.312(3) must be sent to the tenants at the following address:
. . . .
. . . .
. . . .
IF NO ADDRESS IS PROVIDED, NOTICE OF SALE WILL BE SENT TO THE LAST KNOWN ADDRESS OF THE TENANT(S)
Dated: . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . .
Tenant-Print Name
. . . . . . . . . . .
Tenant-Print Name
This notice may be delivered or mailed to the landlord or the landlord's representative at the following address:
. . . .
. . . .
. . . .
This notice may also be served by facsimile to the landlord or the landlord's representative at:
. . . . . . . . . . .
Facsimile Number
IMPORTANT
IF YOU WANT YOUR LANDLORD TO STORE YOUR PROPERTY, THIS WRITTEN REQUEST MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE LANDLORD NO LATER THAN THREE (3) DAYS AFTER THE SHERIFF SERVES THE WRIT OF RESTITUTION. YOU SHOULD RETAIN PROOF OF SERVICE.
[ 2023 c 258 s 6; 2011 c 132 s 17; 2008 c 43 s 1; 1992 c 38 s 8.]

Notes:

Retroactive application—2023 c 258 ss 2-8, 10, and 11: See note following RCW 19.150.060.
Intent—Effective date—1992 c 38: See notes following RCW 59.18.352.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 9 cases (3 in the last 5 years), 2007–2025 · leading case: Parker v. Taylor
Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment
Parker v. Taylor (2007) washctapp · cites it 14× “Further, we conclude the trial court erred in interpreting a provision of the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act (RLTA), RCW 59.18.312(1). We hold that under RCW 59.”
White v. Farris (2021) nmctapp “12, § 4854 (a) (West 2015); Wash. Rev. Code Ann. § 59.18.312 (West 2011).”
Excelsior Mortgage Equity Fund II, LLC v. Schroeder (2012) washctapp “See RCW 59.18.312. Mr. Schroeder does not identify any respect in which the process was unreasonable; as Excelsior points out, Mr.”
Parker v. Taylor (2007) washctapp · cites it 14× “Further, we conclude the trial court erred in interpreting a provision of the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act of 1973 (RLTA), RCW 59.18.312(1). We hold that under RCW 59.”
Jerzy Gruca, V Nylund Homes, Inc. (2017) washctapp · cites it 11× “First, Gruca argues that the personal property disposal provisions of RCW 59.18.312 do not apply to purchasers of property at a trustee sale.”
McIntire v. Housing Authority of Snohomish County (2024) wawd · cites it 7× “9 Defendant’s attempt to blame Plaintiff for failing to pick up her property is unpersuasive. 10 HASCO frustrated Plaintiff’s attempt to pay storage and drayage fees so that she could retrieve 11 her property under RCW 59.”
Christopher Honse & Sally Honse v. Patrice Clinton & Richard Sorrels (2015) washctapp · cites it 5× “040, (2) extending the writ of restitution, (3) refusing to grant Clinton and Sorrels a continuance on a partial motion for summary judgment, (4) setting an appeal bond in an unreasonable amount, and (5) not ordering the Honses to store Clinton’ s and Sorrels’ s property under…”
Patrick Cuzdey v. Thurston County Sherrif's Office (2025) washctapp · cites it 2× “Therefore, Patricia and Terry could not have converted that property because it no longer was in Cuzdey’s possession – Patricia lawfully possessed it.”
One Der Works Ii, Res. v. James K. Duncan, App. (2013) washctapp “RCW 59.18.312. Duncan points to no evidence in the record showing he made such a request.”
— Wash. Rev. Code § 59.18.312(1) — 4 cases
Parker v. Taylor (2007) washctapp “Further, we conclude the trial court erred in interpreting a provision of the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act (RLTA), RCW 59.18.312(1). We hold that under RCW 59.”
Parker v. Taylor (2007) washctapp “Further, we conclude the trial court erred in interpreting a provision of the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act of 1973 (RLTA), RCW 59.18.312(1). We hold that under RCW 59.”
McIntire v. Housing Authority of Snohomish County (2024) wawd “9 Defendant’s attempt to blame Plaintiff for failing to pick up her property is unpersuasive. 10 HASCO frustrated Plaintiff’s attempt to pay storage and drayage fees so that she could retrieve 11 her property under RCW 59.”
Patrick Cuzdey v. Thurston County Sherrif's Office (2025) washctapp “Therefore, Patricia and Terry could not have converted that property because it no longer was in Cuzdey’s possession – Patricia lawfully possessed it.”
— Wash. Rev. Code § 59.18.312(2) — 2 cases
McIntire v. Housing Authority of Snohomish County (2024) wawd “9 Defendant’s attempt to blame Plaintiff for failing to pick up her property is unpersuasive. 10 HASCO frustrated Plaintiff’s attempt to pay storage and drayage fees so that she could retrieve 11 her property under RCW 59.”
Patrick Cuzdey v. Thurston County Sherrif's Office (2025) washctapp “Therefore, Patricia and Terry could not have converted that property because it no longer was in Cuzdey’s possession – Patricia lawfully possessed it.”
— Wash. Rev. Code § 59.18.312(3) — 1 case
McIntire v. Housing Authority of Snohomish County (2024) wawd “9 Defendant’s attempt to blame Plaintiff for failing to pick up her property is unpersuasive. 10 HASCO frustrated Plaintiff’s attempt to pay storage and drayage fees so that she could retrieve 11 her property under RCW 59.”
— Wash. Rev. Code § 59.18.312(5) — 1 case
Christopher Honse & Sally Honse v. Patrice Clinton & Richard Sorrels (2015) washctapp “040, (2) extending the writ of restitution, (3) refusing to grant Clinton and Sorrels a continuance on a partial motion for summary judgment, (4) setting an appeal bond in an unreasonable amount, and (5) not ordering the Honses to store Clinton’ s and Sorrels’ s property under…”
— Wash. Rev. Code § 59.18.312(5)(e) — 1 case
Jerzy Gruca, V Nylund Homes, Inc. (2017) washctapp “First, Gruca argues that the personal property disposal provisions of RCW 59.18.312 do not apply to purchasers of property at a trustee sale.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.