Wash. Rev. Code § 59.18 § 59.18.911
Effective date -- 1989 c 342.
Operative Text
This act shall take effect on August 1, 1989, and shall apply to landlord-tenant relationships existing on or entered into after the effective date of this act.
Wash. Rev. Code § 59.18.911 establishes that the 1989 amendments enacted under Chapter 342 became operative on August 1, 1989. Importantly, the law applies not only to new rental arrangements formed on or after that date, but also to landlord-tenant relationships that were already in existence when the law took effect. This means the 1989 changes had both prospective and retroactive reach within the landlord-tenant context.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under § 59.18.911, property owners and managers whose rental relationships predated August 1, 1989 were brought under the 1989 Chapter 342 amendments just as if those relationships had begun after the effective date. Compliant operators generally reviewed their existing lease terms and practices to ensure alignment with the updated requirements as of that date. Familiarity with this effective-date provision helps clarify which version of Washington's Residential Landlord-Tenant Act governed any given tenancy during that transitional period.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section § 59.18.911 means that tenants who were already renting before August 1, 1989 were entitled to the protections introduced by the 1989 amendments, not just those who signed leases after that date. If a dispute arose over whether the 1989 rules applied to a pre-existing tenancy, this provision would be relevant to raise. Tenants seeking to understand how this effective-date rule interacts with their specific rights may find guidance through Washington's tenant-rights organizations or a local legal aid office.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 7, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
References Out
No outbound references recorded yet for this provision.
References In
No inbound references recorded yet for this provision.