What Washington Landlords May Charge for an Assistance Animal
The short answer is the ordinary deposit and nothing extra. The longer answer is where the money actually goes wrong: fees added at renewal, carpet charges at move-out, and deposits kept past the thirty-day line.
Charges at a glance
The Rule Behind the Answer
Washington's Human Rights Commission wrote the deposit question into its own rules decades ago, and the wording is unusually direct.
Pet Rent Is the Newer Argument
Monthly pet rent barely existed when these rules were written, which is why some managers treat it as a grey area. In Washington it is not much of one.
If pet rent is already on your ledger for an approved animal, ask in writing for it to be removed and refunded, and keep the reply.
Counted as 30 days from the later of the tenancy ending and you vacating. Weekends and holidays are not extra time.
The Thirty-Day Clock, and What Has to Arrive With It
Washington tightened this in 2023. A statement listing charges is no longer enough on its own.
- A full and specific statement of the basis for keeping any of the deposit.
- Copies of estimates, invoices or receipts for repairs and cleaning.
- Where the landlord or an employee did the work, the cost of materials plus the time spent and a reasonable hourly rate.
- Nothing withheld for wear from ordinary use, and no carpet cleaning charge without documented damage beyond normal use.
Miss the deadline or the documentation and the landlord is liable for the full deposit. Where the refusal was intentional, a court may award up to twice the deposit plus attorney fees.
Damage You Do Owe For
Protection from fees is not protection from consequences. Washington rules make the person using the animal responsible for what it does.
Chargeable
Chewed trim, scratched doors, stained subfloor, a screen torn out, a repair that needs a contractor. All of it can come out of the standard deposit if it is documented with receipts.
Not chargeable
Ordinary wear from living there, routine carpet cleaning without damage, or a flat fee applied because an animal existed rather than because something was repaired.
Protect yourself at move-in
No deposit may be collected unless the agreement is written and you were given a checklist describing the condition of the unit. Photograph everything and keep the signed checklist.
Protect yourself at move-out
Photograph again, in the same order, with the date visible. Most disputes about an animal's damage turn into a comparison of two sets of photographs.
City Caps That Sit on Top
Two Washington cities limit what can be collected before move-in. Both are about pets; neither changes the rule that an assistance animal is not charged a pet deposit at all.
| City | Pet damage deposit | Deposit plus move-in fees |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | 25% of the first full month's rent, one per household, payable in three installments | No more than one month's rent, with move-in fees alone capped at 10% |
| Tacoma | 25% of one month's rent, with anything unspent on pet damage returned | No more than the first month's rent, with installment rights by lease length |
| Elsewhere in Washington | No statewide cap on the amount | No statewide cap, except for manufactured home lots |
Manufactured home communities
The 2025 rent law added a cap for mobile home lots: move-in fees and security deposits together may not exceed one month's rent, or two months' rent where the tenant brings pets into the tenancy.
Everywhere else
There is no state ceiling on an ordinary residential deposit, which is why the assistance animal rule and the refund rules do the heavy lifting outside Seattle and Tacoma.
Asking for a Charge to Come Off
Keep it short, factual and in writing. Something close to this works in most buildings.
Subject: Assistance animal accommodation and pet charges
I have a disability and my animal is an assistance animal, not a pet. I am asking for the pet policy to be waived as a reasonable accommodation, including the pet deposit and the monthly pet rent on my ledger.
Washington rule WAC 162-38-100 treats a pet deposit charged on top of the standard deposit as an unfair practice, and state guidance says there should be no pet fee for an assistance animal. I am happy to provide a letter from my licensed care provider and proof of licensing and vaccination.
Please confirm in writing that the charges will be removed and any amounts already collected refunded.
If the Money Does Not Come Back
Two different problems, two different routes, and they can run at the same time.
Our housing law page sets out the complaint routes, and the letter requirements page covers the documentation managers ask for.
Start With the Documentation
Arguments about fees go better when the accommodation request is already properly documented. Screening is free.
Money Questions Washington Tenants Ask
Can a Washington landlord charge pet rent for an emotional support animal?
State guidance says there should be no pet fee for an assistance animal, and the rental housing industry in Washington advised its own members in 2026 not to charge pet rent, pet fees or pet deposits for one. A recurring pet rent line for an approved assistance animal is the kind of charge the Human Rights Commission treats as an unfair practice.
Is a standard damage deposit still allowed?
Yes. WAC 162-38-100 says it is not unfair to charge a tenant with a service animal the standard cleaning or damage deposit, as long as the same deposit is charged equally to all tenants. What cannot be added is a separate pet deposit.
How long does a Washington landlord have to return a deposit?
Thirty days after the rental agreement ends and you vacate. The statement must be itemized and include copies of estimates, invoices or receipts, or for work done in-house, the materials cost and the time spent at a reasonable hourly rate.
What happens if the deposit is wrongly kept?
A landlord who misses the deadline or fails to provide the documentation is liable for the full deposit. A court may award up to two times the deposit where the refusal was intentional, plus attorney fees and costs.
Am I responsible for damage my assistance animal causes?
Yes. State rules make the person using the animal responsible for its actions, and a landlord may deduct documented damage from the standard deposit. Nothing may be withheld for wear resulting from ordinary use.
Do Seattle and Tacoma have their own limits?
Yes. Seattle caps a pet damage deposit at 25 percent of the first full month's rent and caps the deposit plus move-in fees at one month's rent. Tacoma caps a pet deposit at 25 percent of one month's rent and caps total move-in fees at the first month's rent. Neither applies to an assistance animal, which should not be charged a pet deposit at all.
More on Washington Money Questions
General information for Washington renters, current as of September 2026, and not legal advice. Rules summarized here include WAC 162-38-100, the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act provisions on deposits, and city ordinances in Seattle and Tacoma, all of which can change. We are not affiliated with any agency or city named. A clinical evaluation does not guarantee documentation or a refund.
Charged for an Animal That Should Be Free?
Get the documentation right first, then ask for the money back in writing.
