If you tried to serve an eviction or rent increase notice to a tenant in the past year and had it come back unclaimed from the post office, you already know exactly why this bill matters.
Washington’s 2026 legislative session produced one change that every landlord in the state will feel immediately: House Bill 2664 removes the certified mail requirement for unlawful detainer notices and other eviction-related notices served under the same standard. The bill passed the House 96 to 0. It passed the Senate 48 to 0. It is expected to take effect June 11, 2026.
This is a direct legislative correction to problems created by HB 1003, which passed in 2025 and introduced certified mail as the required mailing method for substitute service of eviction-related notices. HB 1003 was well-intentioned. In practice, it made the notice system worse for everyone, including tenants.
HB 2664 at a glance
Bill: HB 2664 (2026 Washington Legislative Session)
Sponsored by: Rep. April Connors (R-Kennewick), bipartisan support
Vote: 96 to 0 in the House, 48 to 0 in the Senate
Effective date: June 11, 2026 (90 days after session adjournment)
Statute amended: RCW 59.12.040: Service of notice, proof of service
Core change: Certified mail removed as required mailing method. First-class mail restored. Five-day extension and exact-date requirement remain.
Why the Certified Mail Requirement Failed in Practice
The certified mail mandate introduced by HB 1003 was built on a reasonable assumption: if a notice goes out by certified mail, there is proof it was sent, and the tenant has to go get it. That logic worked in theory. In practice, it created a systemic failure.
When tenants are not home to sign for certified mail, the postal carrier leaves a slip. The tenant then has to go to the post office to retrieve the notice, during business hours, with identification, often in a neighborhood where transportation is difficult. According to the Washington Multi-Family Housing Association (WMFHA), more than 60 percent of mailed notices were being returned to senders. Administrative costs for some housing providers increased by more than 130 percent.
The result was notices going unclaimed and unread at post offices across Washington. Tenants who should have been informed of lease violations, payment deadlines, or eviction proceedings were not receiving that information. Landlords were spending significantly more time and money on a process that was less reliable than standard first-class mail had been for over a century.
“Tenant protections don’t mean much if notices never reach people,” said Rep. April Connors, the bill’s primary sponsor. “Last year’s certified mail requirement was well-intended, but in practice it has prevented tenants from receiving critical information about their housing.”
The unanimous vote in both chambers reflects something unusual in Olympia: everyone agreed the system was broken. There was no partisan disagreement about whether the fix was needed. The only question was how to structure it correctly.
Had a notice go unclaimed at the post office in the past year?
You are not alone. More than 60 percent of certified mail notices were being returned across Washington. SJA manages eviction notice service for all managed properties and will be updating procedures before June 11. If you are self-managing and want to understand how your notice process needs to change, we can help.
Talk to SJA’s Seattle property management team about notice compliance, free consultation.
What HB 2664 Actually Changes: The Full Side-by-Side
HB 2664 is a targeted fix to RCW 59.12.040, the statute that governs how eviction-related and RLTA notices must be served. Here is exactly what changes, what stays the same, and what is new.
| Rule | Before HB 2664 (HB 1003, effective July 27, 2025) | After HB 2664 (effective June 11, 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Mailing method | Certified Mail required, postmarked from within Washington State | First-class mail, properly addressed and postage prepaid |
| Mailing address | To the tenant's last known address | To the tenant's place of residence |
| Extra days when mailing | 5 additional days before filing unlawful detainer | 5 additional days before filing unlawful detainer (unchanged) |
| Exact date on notice | Required (exact compliance or vacate date) | Required (unchanged) |
| Personal service | Still preferred and primary method | Still preferred and primary method (unchanged) |
| Same-county mailing | Not required (removed by HB 1003) | Not required (unchanged) |
For the most detailed legal analysis of what HB 2664 does to the statute, Eller Law Firm’s breakdown of HB 2664 covers every change at the RCW level, written by a practicing Washington landlord-tenant attorney with three decades of experience. It is worth reading in full if you want the technical statutory picture.
What this means for landlords serving notices after June 11, 2026
- Mail notices by first-class mail, properly addressed and postage prepaid. Certified mail is no longer required when substitute service is used. You do not need to go to the post office or track mail receipts.
- Mail to the tenant’s place of residence, not just their last known address. This is a change from the pre-HB 2664 language. In most residential situations the tenant’s residence and last known address are the same, but this distinction can matter when a tenant’s mailing address differs from the rental property address.
- Still allow five additional days before filing an unlawful detainer action if service was by mail rather than personal delivery. That rule did not change.
- Still include the exact compliance date on every termination notice. The requirement that notices state the specific calendar date by which the tenant must pay, comply, or vacate was introduced by HB 1003 and was not removed by HB 2664. Every notice must still carry the exact date.
- Still attempt personal service first. Personal service remains the preferred and primary method. Mail is a substitute service method used when the tenant is not present. That hierarchy did not change.
What HB 2664 Did Not Change: Rules That Are Still in Effect
Because HB 2664 is getting a lot of attention, it is worth being clear about what it did not change. Several requirements from HB 1003 remain fully in force and will still be in effect after June 11, 2026.
- The exact-date requirement is still mandatory. Every termination notice must still specify the exact date the tenant must comply or vacate. A notice that states only “within 14 days” without identifying the actual calendar date is still non-compliant and subject to challenge in court. This is one of the most common procedural errors SJA sees in notices served by self-managing landlords.
- Personal service is still the first and preferred method. HB 2664 only addresses what happens when personal service is not accomplished. The service hierarchy did not change: attempt personal delivery first, then use substitute service if the tenant is absent.
- The five-day mailing extension is still required. If service is by mail rather than personal delivery, you must still wait five additional days before filing an unlawful detainer action. That timeline is built into RCW 59.12.040 and was not removed.
- The 14-day Pay or Vacate notice is still required for rent nonpayment. The type and duration of required notices did not change. A 14-Day Pay or Vacate Notice is still the required notice for nonpayment of rent in Washington State.
- Seattle-specific notice requirements are still in force. Seattle properties must still include Just Cause Eviction Ordinance language, tenant resource referrals, and comply with all Seattle-specific disclosure requirements on every eviction-related notice. HB 2664 addresses state law. It does not override or modify Seattle local ordinances.
- Just cause is still required before eviction. Washington’s just cause framework under RCW 59.18.650 was not affected by HB 2664. Landlords still need one of the 17 recognized statutory grounds before terminating a tenancy or filing for eviction.
For a complete guide to the eviction process as it will stand after June 11, 2026, see our updated tenant eviction process guide for Redmond, Bellevue, Kirkland, and surrounding Eastside cities and our Washington State eviction process overview. We will be updating both to reflect HB 2664 before the June 11 effective date.
Are your current eviction notice forms and procedures ready for June 11?
SJA updates all notice templates and service procedures for every statutory change before the effective date. If you are self-managing with notice forms from 2025 or earlier, your templates likely need to be updated. Missing the exact-date requirement or using the wrong service method can invalidate your notice and restart the entire clock.
Get a free consultation with SJA’s Seattle and Eastside property management team
What Washington Landlords Need to Do Before June 11, 2026
1. Update your notice forms
Your notice templates need to reflect the HB 2664 changes. Specifically:
- Remove any certified mail language from your service instructions or affidavits
- Update mailing address language to reference the tenant’s “place of residence” rather than “last known address”
- Confirm the exact-date requirement is still present and correctly formatted on every termination notice
- Confirm your 14-Day Pay or Vacate Notice still includes the required statutory language from RCW 59.18.057, including the reference to the Attorney General’s website and the tenant’s right to legal representation
2. Update your service documentation
Your Declaration of Service or Proof of Service form also needs to be updated. After June 11, documenting that you mailed by Certified Mail is no longer the standard. Your affidavit should document:
- That personal service was attempted and the tenant was absent
- That a copy was left with a person of suitable age and discretion, if available
- That a copy was mailed by first-class mail, postage prepaid, to the tenant’s place of residence on a specific date
- The address to which the notice was mailed
3. Confirm your Seattle-specific notice language
For properties within Seattle city limits, HB 2664 changes the mailing method but does not touch Seattle’s local requirements. Before June 11, confirm every Seattle eviction notice still includes:
- Just Cause Eviction Ordinance disclosure language
- Tenant resource referral information required by the city
- Any Economic Displacement Relocation Assistance (EDRA) language if a rent increase triggers that threshold
- RRIO registration compliance confirmation
4. Brief anyone who serves notices on your behalf
If you use a property manager, attorney, or process server to serve notices, make sure they are aware of the HB 2664 change and have updated their procedures. A notice served by Certified Mail after June 11 is not automatically invalid, but using outdated procedures creates unnecessary confusion and documentation complexity. The goal is clean, consistent compliance from the effective date forward.
For the broader compliance picture across Washington State landlord law in 2026, see our Washington 2026 Rental Law and Compliance Guide and our Washington State landlord notice requirements guide, which we will be updating to reflect HB 2664 before June 11.
Why Getting Notice Service Right Is Worth Your Attention
In Washington State, a defective eviction notice does not just delay your case. It can result in a full dismissal, requiring you to serve a corrected notice and restart the entire timeline from the beginning. In King County, where evictions realistically take 4 to 6 months from the first notice through sheriff execution, a procedural error on the notice adds months to that timeline and keeps a non-paying or lease-violating tenant in place the entire time.
The most common notice failures SJA sees in notices served by self-managing landlords:
- Missing the exact compliance date, which is still required after HB 2664
- Using an outdated notice form that does not include current statutory language
- Incorrect calculation of the notice period, particularly when mailing is used
- Omitting Seattle-specific required language on properties within city limits
- Serving the notice before rent is legally past due under the lease terms
HB 2664 removes the certified mail headache. It does not remove the need for procedural precision. The landlords who avoid dismissals are the ones who use current, correctly formatted notice forms and document service clearly every time.
How SJA Handles This for Owner-Clients
SJA Property Management has managed eviction proceedings and notice service across Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, Sammamish, and Bothell for 17 years. Our attorney-founded background means our notice procedures are built to hold up in King County Superior Court. When the law changes, our forms and procedures are updated before the effective date, not after a case gets dismissed.
For our owner-clients, HB 2664 means:
- Updated notice templates reflecting first-class mail service before June 11
- Updated Declaration of Service forms for all managed properties
- Continued exact-date compliance on every termination notice
- Full Seattle local ordinance compliance for applicable properties
- Documentation of every notice served, stored in our management system
Our full-service Seattle property management includes handling all tenant communications, notice service, and eviction coordination on behalf of our owners. Trusted by 1,000 or more homeowners across the Eastside and Puget Sound. 800 or more five-star reviews. Our 8 written client guarantees back everything we do.
June 11 is your deadline. Make sure your notice process is ready.
SJA serves Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, Sammamish, Bothell, and the broader Puget Sound. Free consultation. No obligation. Find out what your property is worth and whether your current process protects you.
You can also review our transparent pricing with no hidden fees and our full-service property management overview to see what a professionally managed notice and eviction process looks like in practice.
Disclaimer: This article is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. HB 2664 had not yet been signed by the Governor as of the date of publication and is expected to take effect June 11, 2026, pending signature. Confirm current law and notice procedures with a qualified Washington State landlord-tenant attorney before serving any notice.
