Serving Notices Under New Law
RHAWA provides many different notice forms, each for different purposes, some with variations for many different local jurisdictions. Because of local law variations and practices, RHAWA highly recommends working with an attorney before serving any notice related to ending a tenancy or related to a confrontation with a tenant.
Allow Enough Days for Service
When serving any notice, count the day of service as day zero, and add five (5) additional days whenever the notice must be mailed. After the one or six (6) days for service, begin counting the days required for the particular notice that was served. End of Term and Tenancy notices must align with the end of a monthly period or the end of the fixed term.
Notice Service Options

Mailing Requirements
- Mailing alone is NEVER sufficient. While mailing is not required if you can place a copy in the hand of each tenant, it is still recommended by attorneys in many cases.
- Mailed copies must be mailed from the county in which the rental property is located prior to July 27, 2025. After that, they can be mailed from anywhere in Washington State.
- Prior to July 27, 2025, only USPS First-Class Mail satisfies the legal requirement. As of July 27, 2025, only USPS Certified Mail meets the legal requirement.
- When mailing a notice between May 1, 2025, and July 26th, 2025, the best practice would be to mail two copies to each tenant, one via First-Class Mail and one via Certified Mail.
- When attorneys are serving notices for eviction cases, they are very likely to take extra steps rather than have a case thrown out because their service method was put into question. For this reason, many are planning to continue mailing First-Class in addition to Certified because it is likely that a tenant may never sign for and never receive certified mail.
- Other types of mail service may be required in addition to the above by the terms of your lease or federal/local law, or some equivalent. (Not required by the RHAWA lease.)
Serving “All Other Occupants”
Although not required in any statute, it is a common best practice to serve/mail an extra copy of the notice and include the phrase “All Other Occupants” with the list of known adult occupants at the top of the notice form. RHAWA notice forms include this phrase under the line where the names are entered. This practice covers a common situation where a person moves in with a group of tenants without informing the housing provider. If they are not named in the notice, it can really set you back in a legal proceeding, like an eviction or dispute over rent.
Document Service
Preferably on the same day of service, the person who served the notice must complete the Declaration of Service form (found under the Tenant Notices section of the RHAWA Service Instructions and Declaration of Service) as follows:
• Indicate the date the notice was served,
• Indicate the type of notice served,
• Indicate the manner of service,
• Indicate any type of mailing that was used,
• Sign and date the declaration,
• Indicate the place (city) where the declaration is signed.
Retain the Declaration of Service with a copy of the notice as proof of service of any notice served.
Other optional forms of documentation:
- If serving a rent increase in person, have each tenant sign the receipt included in the RHAWA Rent Increase notice form.
- USPS Certificate of mailing. (Proof of mailing only, different than "Certified.")
- Photos of all the addressed envelopes.
- Photo of notice posted on the door.
- A selfie of you standing at the door (geo-stamped and time-stamped).
- Email follow-up with tenants recapping your meeting with them.
Formal legal advice and review are recommended prior to the selection and use of this information. RHAWA does not represent your selection or execution of this information as appropriate for your specific circumstance. The material contained and represented herein, although obtained from reliable sources, is not considered legal advice or to be used as a substitution for legal counsel.