Washington's deposit law (RCW 59.18.260–.285) contains the single most absolute documentation rule in American landlord-tenant law: without a signed move-in checklist, the landlord cannot collect a deposit deduction at all — no matter how real the damage. The 2023 amendments (HB 1074) tightened everything further, extending the clock but hardening the evidence requirements.
How much can a landlord charge?
No statewide cap — but no deposit may be collected at all unless the rental agreement is in writing and a written checklist describing the unit's condition is signed by both parties at move-in, with a copy to the tenant. The checklist isn't paperwork theater; it's the legal foundation of every future deduction. Deposits must sit in a trust account at a Washington institution or licensed escrow agent — never commingled — with written notice of where.
The 30-day postmark rule
Within 30 days of the tenancy ending and the tenant vacating (extended from 21 days by the 2023 amendments), the landlord must postmark a “full and specific statement” of any retention, plus the refund, to the tenant's forwarding or last-known address. Miss it, and the landlord is barred from asserting any claim to the deposit — and a court may award the tenant up to twice the deposit for intentional refusal, plus the statute puts attorney's fees in play.
The receipts mandate — Washington's 2023 hardening
For tenancies begun on or after July 23, 2023, deduction claims must be substantiated with receipts, invoices, or estimates — and damage that is either ordinary wear and tear or unsubstantiated by documentation cannot be charged to the tenant, and cannot be reported to any collection or tenant-screening agency. That last clause is unique: Washington didn't just protect the deposit; it protected the tenant's rental record from undocumented claims. Suits for damage beyond the deposit must be filed within three years.
What can be deducted
Unpaid rent and damage beyond ordinary wear and tear — measured against the signed move-in checklist, substantiated with documentation. Carpet worn by walking, paint faded by sun, fixtures aged by use: never chargeable.
Why Washington deposit disputes are documentation disputes
Washington made it literal: the checklist is the deduction right, the receipts are the claim, and undocumented damage legally doesn't exist. But notice the asymmetry the statute leaves: the checklist is written by the landlord, in words, at move-in — and words on a form (“carpet: good condition”) are exactly what move-out arguments reinterpret. Both sides need the visual record the checklist gestures at.
SealMove is that record, sealed. Every photo and video is cryptographically locked the instant it's captured, independently timestamped, and archived tamper-evident with Face ID. At move-out, your walkthrough lines up room-by-room against the sealed baseline — the checklist's honest twin — and either party can send the other a report to review and acknowledge, no app required.