Seattle / Move in guide

Moving into a Seattle rental: screening, deposits, checklists and your first weeks

By Homzora Team · September 26, 2026

Seattle regulates the move in process more closely than almost any other American city. Landlords must follow rules on how applicants are chosen, how much money can be collected up front, and what paperwork must be signed before a deposit is taken. Knowing those rules helps you move in on fair terms and protects your deposit for later.

Time your search

Seattle's rental market is busiest in the late spring and summer, when many leases turn over and students arrive for the academic year, particularly around the University District. Good units can be taken quickly in those months. Start looking about 30 to 60 days before your move date, and check your current lease for its notice requirement before you commit to a new home, so that you do not pay rent on two places. Because of Seattle's first in time rule, having your documents ready, such as identification, proof of income and references, can make the difference when several people apply for the same unit.

Before you apply

Confirm that the person offering the home has the right to rent it. Be cautious about any listing where you cannot see the inside of the unit, where you are pressured to pay before a tour, or where payment is requested by wire transfer, gift card or a payment app to an individual. Seattle requires every rental property to be registered with the city under its Rental Registration and Inspection Ordinance, and you can search the address on the Seattle Services Portal to check whether it is registered.^[1] An unregistered property is a warning sign, and registration also matters later, because a landlord's failure to register can be a defense to certain evictions.^[1]^[2]

How Seattle landlords must choose tenants

Seattle's first in time rule generally requires landlords to publish their screening criteria and then offer the unit to the first applicant who meets those criteria, based on when a complete application was received.^[3] That rule is meant to prevent landlords from picking and choosing among qualified applicants in ways that can hide discrimination. Ask for the written screening criteria before you apply and submit a complete application promptly.

Seattle's Fair Chance Housing Ordinance limits how landlords may use criminal history in screening.^[4] A 2023 federal appeals court decision struck down part of that ordinance, so ask the Renting in Seattle Helpline about the current rules if criminal history is a concern for you.^[4] Seattle's open housing laws also prohibit discrimination based on many characteristics, including the use of a housing voucher or other lawful source of income.^[5]

Screening fees are nonrefundable fees, so they count toward Seattle's limit on nonrefundable charges described below.^[6] A landlord may charge more than that limit for screening only if its documented actual screening cost is higher.^[6]

Move in money: what Seattle allows

The security deposit and any nonrefundable move in fees combined may not exceed one month's rent.^[6] Nonrefundable fees are limited to screening and cleaning, and generally to no more than 10 percent of one month's rent.^[6] A separate pet deposit of up to 25 percent of one month's rent is allowed.^[6]

You also have the right to pay these costs in installments. For a lease of six months or more, you may pay the deposit and fees in six equal monthly installments, a pet deposit in three, and last month's rent, if it is charged, in six.^[6] Shorter tenancies allow fewer installments, down to two for a month to month tenancy.^[6] A landlord may not charge interest or refuse to rent to you because you choose installments.^[6] If you miss an installment, it may be treated like late rent, so set the payments on a schedule you can keep.^[6]

The checklist rule protects your deposit

Washington law adds an important safeguard. A landlord may not collect a security deposit unless the rental agreement is in writing and the landlord provides a written checklist or statement describing the condition, cleanliness and existing damage of the unit and its furnishings, signed and dated by both the landlord and the tenant.^[7] You are entitled to a copy. Take this seriously. Walk through the unit with the checklist, add any damage the landlord missed, and do not sign until it is accurate.

The deposit must be held in a trust account at a bank or licensed escrow agent in Washington, and the landlord must tell you in writing where it is held.^[7] Any nonrefundable fee must be clearly labeled as nonrefundable in the written agreement.^[7] Otherwise it is treated as a refundable deposit.

Getting the checklist right

Because a Washington landlord cannot keep any part of a deposit for damage without a signed condition checklist^[7], the checklist deserves more attention than most renters give it. Go room by room with the landlord or manager. For each room, record the walls, floors, ceilings, windows, blinds, doors, fixtures and any appliances, and describe existing damage precisely, including its size and location. Note anything that does not work, such as a stove burner, a sticking window or a missing screen. If the landlord will not walk through with you, complete the checklist yourself, sign it and ask the landlord to sign it before you pay the deposit.

Keep a copy of the signed checklist with your lease, and take photographs that match each item you noted. If something appears during the first week that you could not see during the walkthrough, such as a leak under a sink, report it in writing right away so there is a dated record that it existed before you moved in.

Applying with a housing voucher or other income

Seattle prohibits landlords from refusing to rent to someone because they will pay part of their rent with a voucher, a subsidy or another lawful source of income^[5]. If you use a voucher, ask the landlord early about any inspection the housing authority requires before move in, because that inspection can affect your move in date. Complaints about discrimination can be filed with the Seattle Office for Civil Rights.^[8]

Read the lease closely

Read the lease before signing, including every addendum. Note the rent, the lease term, the utilities you pay, the late fee and any rules on guests, pets and parking. In Seattle, late fees are limited to $10 per month, and landlords may not charge fees for preparing or serving notices.^[9] If a lease includes a larger late fee, ask about it before signing. Also check whether the unit is covered by Washington's rent stabilization law, which limits increases for most rentals after the first year, and note that Seattle requires 180 days' written notice before any rent increase.^[10]^[11]

Utilities and internet

Electricity in Seattle comes from Seattle City Light, and water, sewer and garbage from Seattle Public Utilities.^[12][13] Many apartment buildings bill water, sewer and garbage back to residents, sometimes through a third party billing company, while houses and smaller buildings often require accounts in the tenant's name. Ask which utilities you will pay and set them up before moving day. Arrange internet service early, because installation appointments can take several days.

Moving day

Complete the condition checklist with the landlord, then take your own dated photographs and video of every room, including floors, walls, windows, appliances, closets and bathrooms. Run the hot water, test the heat, open and lock every window and door, and test the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. Send the landlord an email listing anything that needs repair, so the date of your report is recorded.

Many Seattle apartment buildings require you to reserve a freight elevator or loading area. On residential streets, check whether the city requires a temporary permit to reserve curb space for a moving truck. Arrange both at least a week ahead, and check whether your moving company needs to provide a certificate of insurance to the building.

Insurance, roommates and promises in writing

Renters insurance protects your belongings against risks such as fire and theft and usually includes liability coverage. It is inexpensive and many leases require it. Standard policies exclude earthquake and flood damage, which are sold separately, and Seattle sits in an active earthquake region, so consider whether earthquake coverage for your belongings makes sense. If you share a home, each roommate usually needs a separate policy. Agree in writing how rent, utilities and the deposit will be divided.

If the landlord promises repairs, painting, new appliances or pest treatment before you move in, ask for the promise in writing, ideally as a clause in the lease with a completion date. Do the same for agreements about parking, pets and storage. Written commitments are far easier to enforce than verbal ones, especially in large buildings where management staff change.

Your rights once you live there

Landlord entry: Washington generally requires at least two days' written notice before a landlord enters to inspect or make repairs, and one day's notice before showing the unit, except in emergencies.^[14]
Repairs: Washington sets deadlines for landlords to begin repairs after written notice, with the shortest deadline for the loss of heat, hot water or electricity.^[15] Our inspection guide explains the process.
Just cause: Seattle and Washington both require landlords to have a legally recognized reason to end most tenancies.^[3][16] The jurisdiction guide explains the rules.
Help: The Renting in Seattle Helpline answers questions from tenants and landlords about city rules.^[17]

Your completion record

Rental registration checked
Screening criteria received
Deposit and fees within one month's rent
Installment plan in writing
Condition checklist signed by both parties
Deposit trust account location
Utilities scheduled
Move in photographs and repair list

Keep these records together for the whole tenancy. See the evidence guide for how to protect your deposit, and use the move in cost calculator to plan your installments.

Sources and official resources

Use the planning tools · All Seattle guides

Comparing possible destinations? Read Seattle vs. Denver Cost Of Living for metropolitan price comparisons, illustrative budgets and the limits of the underlying data.

Put your moving payments on a calendar

Ask for the written payment schedule that applies to the actual lease before deciding how much is due before entry. Keep the condition record and key handover organized alongside that schedule. Use current official Seattle guidance for legal requirements instead of treating a generic budget example as a statement of what may be charged.

A dated cash schedule is more useful than one large total

Use the following worksheet after collecting the actual written payment requirements for your home. It is an illustrative planning exercise shared across Homzora editions, not a survey of local prices, a recommended deposit or a statement that every listed charge is permitted. Confirm applicable rules separately. The point is to see what leaves your account before the next reliable income arrives.

Begin with money that is available for the move after setting aside your other commitments. Do not include an expected deposit refund, an unconfirmed reimbursement or a future sale of furniture as though it has already cleared. Enter a future receipt on its expected date and test a second version in which it arrives later. This distinction matters even when your total monthly income looks sufficient.

Hypothetical moving cash schedule starting with $5,000
Timing	Assumed transaction	Cash movement	Balance
Before payments	Available moving funds	$5,000 opening funds	$5,000
Fourteen days before entry	Deposit and moving reservation	$1,000 plus $100 paid	$3,900
Two days before entry	Initial rent and utility allowance	$1,500 plus $200 paid	$2,200
Entry day	Remaining moving balance	$300 paid	$1,900
Three days after entry	Essential household purchases	$200 paid	$1,700
Seven days after entry	Assumed income receipt	$900 received	$2,600

The assumed payments total $3,300. The $100 moving reservation is part of the $400 moving bill, so the delivery day balance is $300, not another $400. The assumed $1,000 deposit uses cash even if it may later be returned. Whether the $200 utility allowance contains a refundable deposit, a fee or both must be established from the real provider documents. These amounts deliberately separate a payment schedule from a final expense calculation.

Find the lowest balance before committing

In this example, the lowest balance is $1,700 before the assumed income arrives. If you want to retain $300 for unexpected needs, the remaining headroom at that point is $1,400. The reserve is still part of your money; do not subtract it as an expense and then count it again as a bill. Keep a separate column showing how much of the balance is committed or deliberately retained.

If opening funds were only $3,000 with every other assumption unchanged, the balance would reach negative $300 before the income receipt. Keeping a $300 reserve would require another $600 available by then, or equivalent agreed reductions or timing changes. A positive balance after payday would not solve the earlier shortage. Do not assume a provider will delay payment unless that change has been confirmed.

Make every row traceable

For your own version, add the payee, written amount, due date, payment reference and refund conditions. Record what a reservation payment will be applied toward. When an estimate changes, preserve the old version and explain which row changed. For a shared household, separate the person who pays the provider from the people who reimburse that person. Otherwise the same expense can appear several times or a funding gap can be hidden inside an informal promise.

Before sending money, verify the property, the person authorized to receive payment and the instructions through a contact method you have independently checked. A payment request arriving in an existing email conversation is not enough by itself to prove that new account details are genuine. Keep evidence of what you agreed and of the payment you actually made.

Connect the budget to the existing guide

Use the local sources and lease questions elsewhere in this guide to establish the actual terms, then enter the confirmed figures into this worksheet. Add storage, extra travel, overlapping housing payments, insurance or other services only when they apply to your move. Existing optional provider links can help you request quotes, but a quote is useful only when its scope matches the arrangement you intend to buy. Recheck the schedule after the first ordinary week in the home.

Continue with a focused decision worksheet

Seattle Move Budget With an Uncertain Work Schedule: Build Two Funded Scenarios