Tacoma Rent Increase Notice Requirements: 180-Day Rule & TMC 1.95

Why Tacoma Is Different

While Washington State requires 90 days notice for rent increases (95 days effective with the certified mail mailing rule), Tacoma goes significantly further. The Tacoma Municipal Code Section 1.95 — commonly referred to as Tacoma's Tenant Rights Ordinance — imposes a 180-day notice requirement that nearly doubles the state timeline.

This makes Tacoma the most challenging jurisdiction in Washington for rent increase compliance. Property managers who handle both Tacoma and non-Tacoma properties must run two completely different timelines, and missing either deadline can void the rent increase entirely.

TMC 1.95: The 180-Day Rule

What TMC 1.95 Requires

Tacoma Municipal Code Section 1.95 requires landlords to provide tenants with at least 180 days written notice before any rent increase takes effect. The notice must be delivered via certified mail and must include:

• The current rent amount
• The new rent amount and the dollar and percentage increase
• The effective date of the increase
• Information about the tenant's rights under TMC 1.95
• Relocation assistance eligibility information (for increases over 5%)
• Contact information for the City of Tacoma's landlord-tenant resources

Which Properties Are Covered

TMC 1.95 applies to most residential rental units within Tacoma city limits. The coverage is broad:

Covered:

• Apartments and multifamily buildings
• Single-family rental homes
• Duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes
• Townhouses and condominiums offered for rent
• Manufactured homes (where the landlord owns the land)

Narrow exemptions:

• Owner-occupied buildings with a limited number of units (varies by specific code provisions)
• Certain new construction projects during initial lease-up periods
• Subsidized housing where rents are government-controlled
• Transient housing (hotels, motels)

The Dual Notice Requirement

This is where Tacoma compliance gets particularly demanding. Landlords must send two separate certified mail notices for each rent increase:

Notice 1: The 180-Day Tacoma Notice (TMC 1.95)

• When to send: At least 180 days before the effective date of the rent increase
• Required content: TMC 1.95 specific disclosures, including relocation assistance information
• Delivery method: Certified mail
• Purpose: Satisfies Tacoma's municipal notice requirement

Notice 2: The 95-Day State Notice (RCW 59.18.140 + HB 1003)

• When to send: At least 95 days before the effective date (90 days + 5-day mailing rule)
• Required content: Statutory form per RCW 59.18.720, including rent cap disclosures
• Delivery method: Certified mail from within Washington State (HB 1003)
• Purpose: Satisfies the state notice requirement

Timeline Example

If you want a rent increase to take effect on January 1, 2027:

Individual Delivery for Each Tenant

For Tacoma properties, best practice is individual delivery — sending a separate certified mail notice to each financially responsible tenant on the lease, rather than a single combined notice addressed to all residents.

This means for a lease with two financially responsible tenants, you will send:

• 2 copies of the 180-day Tacoma notice (one per tenant)
• 2 copies of the 95-day state notice (one per tenant)
• 4 total certified mail pieces for a single rent increase

The formula for Tacoma properties is:

Number of financially responsible residents x 2 notice types = Total certified mail pieces

This ensures each tenant has been individually and properly served, providing the strongest legal defensibility.

Relocation Assistance

When Relocation Assistance Applies

One of the most impactful provisions of TMC 1.95 is the relocation assistance requirement. When a rent increase exceeds 5%, the landlord may be required to pay relocation assistance to the tenant.

The relocation assistance amount is equal to 2 months' rent at the current rate (before the increase).

How It Works

1. Landlord sends the 180-day notice with an increase exceeding 5%
2. The notice must inform the tenant of their right to relocation assistance
3. If the tenant chooses to vacate rather than accept the increase, the landlord owes relocation assistance
4. The assistance must be paid before the tenant's move-out date
5. The tenant must provide reasonable notice of their intent to vacate

Practical Impact

For a property with a current rent of $1,800/month, relocation assistance would be $3,600 (2 x $1,800). This is a significant cost that landlords must factor into their rent increase decisions.

Some landlords strategically set increases just below the 5% threshold to avoid triggering relocation assistance obligations. However, this strategy must be weighed against the HB 1217 rent cap — if you under-increase this year, you cannot bank the unused capacity for next year.

How Tacoma Rules Stack on State Law

Understanding how Tacoma's municipal requirements interact with state law is critical for compliance. Here's the full picture:

Common Tacoma-Specific Pitfalls

1. Sending Only One Notice

The most frequent compliance failure is sending a single notice and assuming it covers both requirements. Tacoma requires two separate notices with different content — the 180-day TMC 1.95 notice and the 95-day state notice.

2. Missing the 180-Day Deadline

The 180-day timeline is easy to miscalculate, especially for property managers used to working with the standard 95-day state deadline. For a January 1 effective date, you need to mail by early July — which means planning your rent increase in June or earlier.

3. Forgetting Relocation Assistance Disclosures

Even if you believe your increase is under 5%, the notice must still include information about relocation assistance rights. Failure to include this disclosure may be considered a deficient notice.

4. Combined vs. Individual Delivery

Sending one notice addressed to "All Residents" at a Tacoma property is risky. If a tenant challenges service, you need to prove each financially responsible person was individually served. Individual certified mail to each tenant is the safe approach.

5. Not Factoring in Relocation Costs

A landlord who sets a new rent without considering the potential relocation assistance obligation may face an unexpected $3,000-5,000+ cost per unit if tenants choose to vacate. Model the total financial impact before finalizing the increase.

6. Incorrectly Assuming Exemption

Some landlords assume their property is exempt from TMC 1.95 because it's exempt from the state rent cap (HB 1217). These are separate regulations with different exemption criteria. Verify Tacoma applicability independently.

Compliance Checklist for Tacoma Landlords

How NoticePM Handles Tacoma Compliance

NoticePM automatically detects Tacoma properties and applies the correct dual-notice workflow:

• Automatic Tacoma detection based on property city — no manual configuration needed
• Dual notice generation — creates both the 180-day TMC 1.95 notice and the 95-day state notice
• Individual delivery — sends separate certified mail to each financially responsible tenant
• Timeline management — calculates both the 180-day and 95-day deadlines and tracks them independently
• Certified mail from WA — all notices posted from within Washington State via SendCertifiedMail.com
• Relocation assistance tracking — flags increases over 5% and tracks assistance obligations