A Washington rental application is a document that local property owners and landlords use to collect the necessary information to decide to whom they want to offer a lease agreement. If you own property, you want to ask vital questions, but you also need to make sure you do not violate the rights of the rental applicants.
A landlord can’t discriminate against a prospective tenant, whether acting for themselves or another person, because of color, race, creed, sexual orientation, sex, families with children status, marital status, national original, military status, the presence of any disability (physical, mental, or sensory), or the use of a trained service animal or dog guide by a person with a disability. [2]
Specifically, people with these characteristics receive protection from the following acts by a landlord:
The law also requires landlords to permit reasonable accommodations for tenants with disabilities.
Some situations are exempt from the above guidelines, such as housing meant for older individuals and small-scale rentals that the owner will also occupy.
Pet Deposit: Landlords may charge a pet deposit. They must provide the tenant with a written agreement stating the deposit amount, terms, and conditions under which the renter may return the deposit.