Tenant Screening in Washington State and Tacoma

Screening in Washington is not just a background check. It is a set of legal duties with real penalties attached, and Tacoma adds its own. Here is exactly how we do it, and why every applicant gets the same process.

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Why screening is the highest risk part of managing a rental

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Choosing the wrong tenant is expensive. Choosing the right tenant the wrong way can cost more. Washington and Tacoma both attach money penalties to how you screen, not only to who you pick.

Source of income discrimination under RCW 59.18.255 can cost up to 4.5 times the monthly rent plus fees. Tacoma TMC 1.100 violations start at $500 and reach five times the monthly rent each, under TMC 1.100.080(2), and tenants and organizations can sue directly. That is why the answer to “can you make an exception for this one applicant” is always no. Consistency is the protection.

Our published application criteria

This is the section where most property management sites publish a number they cannot support.

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Minimum credit score of 600

No evictions in the last five years

No outstanding debts owed to previous landlords

Gross income of at least 3 times the rent, applied within Tacoma’s income-to-rent limits

12 months of employment history

Applicants must view the property before applying

Minimum applicant age of 18

A pet profile at petscreening.com is required for every applicant, with or without a pet

A $50 non-refundable application fee per adult

Read the full application criteria. We do not publish a number of screening steps, because a screening process is a set of checks applied consistently, not a marketing count.

What Washington requires before anyone can charge a screening fee

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RCW 59.18.257 is the rule most self-managing landlords have never read. Before a screening fee is collected, the landlord must give the applicant a written disclosure that states:

What will be checked, meaning the types of information that will be pulled

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The criteria that could result in a denial

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The name and address of the consumer reporting agency being used

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The applicant’s right to obtain a free copy of the report if they are denied, and their right to dispute what is in it

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There is a second part that catches landlords who screen applicants themselves. They may charge only the actual cost of obtaining the information, and no more than a customary local screening service would charge. A flat convenience fee above that is not allowed.

We give that disclosure before the fee is collected, every time, and we keep the record. Our application fee is $50 per adult and non-refundable, which the disclosure states up front.

One related rule: under RCW 59.18.253 a holding deposit cannot exceed 25 percent of the first month’s rent, and waiting list fees are unlawful.

The Tacoma income-to-rent cap, TMC 1.95.035.C

This is the rule almost nobody in this market explains, and it changes the answer to “does this applicant qualify.”

Our published standard is gross income of at least 3 times the rent. Inside Tacoma city limits, TMC 1.95.035.C caps how much income a landlord may require, and the cap depends on where the rent sits compared to HUD Fair Market Rent.

If the rent is below HUD Fair Market Rent, the landlord may require no more than 3 times the rent.

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If the rent is at or above HUD Fair Market Rent, the landlord may require no more than 2.5 times the rent.

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So for a Tacoma home priced at or above Fair Market Rent, our 3x standard drops to 2.5x automatically. We check the current HUD Fair Market Rent figure for the unit size before the listing goes live and set the standard accordingly. An owner applying a flat 3x rule across every Tacoma unit is exposed on any unit at or above Fair Market Rent.

Read more about Tacoma’s rental housing codes.

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Housing vouchers and source of income, RCW 59.18.255

Washington protects source of income statewide. Section 8 and other housing vouchers are squarely included. A voucher cannot be a reason to refuse an applicant, to charge more, or to advertise a preference. The penalty runs up to 4.5 times the monthly rent plus fees.

There is one part of this statute that is regularly missed, and getting it wrong quietly creates liability on nearly every voucher application:

The voucher must be subtracted from the rent before any income-to-rent ratio is applied.

Here is what that means in practice. Say the rent is $1,700 and a voucher covers $1,200. The tenant’s share is $500. The income test is applied to that $500, not to $1,700. At a 3x standard the applicant needs $1,500 a month in gross income, not $5,100. Running the ratio against the full contract rent would deny an applicant who legally qualifies.

We apply the subtraction on every voucher application, and we document it. Read more about Section 8 and housing vouchers.

Who is protected, and by which law

Federal fair housing law protects race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status and disability. Washington’s Law Against Discrimination, RCW 49.60.222, adds more on top:

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Creed

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Source of income, under RCW 59.18.255

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Sexual orientation, including gender expression and gender identity

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Citizenship or immigration status

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Use of a trained dog guide or service animal

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Honorably discharged veteran or military status

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Marital status

Two honest notes on that table. First, the Tacoma median is down 1.6 percent from a year ago. Pricing a unit off last year’s number is a common way to end up with an empty home. Second, there is no reliable published vacancy rate for Tacoma or for Pierce County. The only figure we can cite is the West region rental vacancy rate of 5.3 percent, from the US Census Housing Vacancy Survey for the second quarter of 2026, and that is a regional number, not a Tacoma number. We will always tell you that instead of printing something that is not real.

 The Seven Services

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Rental marketing and advertising

We price your unit against current Tacoma rent data instead of last year’s number, then produce the listing: professional photography, a written description, and syndication out to the major rental sites and our own site. We handle inquiries, run showings, and report back on traffic. If we cannot lease your home in 30 days or less, our 30-Day Rental Guarantee gives you one month of management free. Read more about rental marketing and advertising.

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Tenant screening

Every applicant is measured against the same published written criteria: credit, rental history, income, employment history and identity. Washington requires a written screening disclosure under RCW 59.18.257 before we collect a fee, and Tacoma caps how much income we may require under TMC 1.95.035.C. We apply those limits, document the decision, and keep the process identical for every applicant. Read more about tenant screening.

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Rent collection

Rent is paid online through the resident portal, with autopay available. We post payments, track balances, and start the legally required notice process the moment rent is late, so a small problem does not turn into a three month problem. Tacoma’s late fee rules are unusual and easy to get wrong, and we follow the safest reading of them. Read more about rent collection.

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Maintenance and inspections

Residents submit maintenance requests through their portal. We triage each one against Washington’s required repair timelines in RCW 59.18.070, dispatch a vendor, and keep the paper trail. Move-in, drive-by, annual and move-out inspections are all included at no extra fee, and there is no separate inspection charge on your statement. Read more about maintenance and inspections.

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Owner financial reporting

You get a monthly owner statement and ACH direct deposit, both included. Your AppFolio owner portal holds statements, invoices, lease documents and year-end tax paperwork in one place, so your accountant does not have to chase you in March. There is no fee for your 1099 or your end-of-year statement. Read more about owner financial reporting.

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Eviction protection

Eviction assistance is included in the Gold Package at no extra fee, and it applies inside Tacoma city limits. Washington’s just cause eviction law, RCW 59.18.650, sets the grounds and the notice periods, and Tacoma layers on school year and cold weather restrictions. Our first goal is always to solve the problem before a filing is needed. Read more about eviction protection.

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Lease renewals and tenant retention

 A renewal costs you $250. A turnover costs you the leasing fee plus every vacant day. We start renewal conversations early, because Tacoma requires 180 days of notice before a rent increase, and we handle the HB 1217 rent cap math and the City notice forms for you. Read more about lease renewals and tenant retention.

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Assistance animals are not pets

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An assistance animal, including a service animal or a support animal, is not a pet. It is a reasonable accommodation. That means no pet deposit, no pet rent, no pet fee, and no breed or weight restriction for that animal.

We still run a pet screening profile for every applicant, because that is how an accommodation request gets documented properly rather than handled by guesswork. For actual pets, our Pet Guarantee gives you up to $1,000 in damage protection above the security deposit for any pet we approve. Inside Tacoma, a pet damage deposit is capped at 25 percent of one month’s rent under TMC 1.100.040, and it is refundable to the extent it exceeds actual pet damage. See our pet policy.

Questions about tenant screening?

The right resident makes all the difference. Ask us how we check income, rental history, and background so your home goes to someone who pays on time and treats it well.

  • Fair and consistent. Every applicant goes through the same steps, in line with fair housing laws.
  • A real person reads every message. No bots, just our local team.
  • Quick replies. Most messages get a response within one business day.
  • No pressure. Property owners can ask questions with no obligation.
Call our local team253-222-3387
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TESTIMONIALS

The Trusted Choice for
Tenant Screening

Cassidy and Celina have been absolutely amazing through the whole rental/move in processes. I’ve been renting from Red Roof Rentals for almost a year now and am extremely happy with the team. Definitely check them out! You won’t regret it!

Awesome and amazing service along with great personal experience with staff especially Cassidy who was such a great free spirited person!!

I appreciate this property management on their great customer service and for helping us throughout the process when we had the ok that we were approved, Cassidy is such a great worker and helped me throughout the process she is very professional and just an awesome worker making everything easygoing.

Cassidy was very helpful! She made everything very stress free and she was very thorough with everything! :)

Cassidy was a great help!

They made setting everything up very easy, and Cassidy was a super great help!

I have had a great experience moving into my new place with Red Roof Rentals. The team is friendly, communicative, and so helpful! I am happy to be renting from them and appreciate their great service!

Great people all around! Helped us get into our home pretty fast.

I have never worked with a more pleasant property management company. Cassidy and Celina are incredibly responsive, knowledgeable, informative, and very friendly. They made the rental process go so smoothly and relieved a lot of the stress of a very stressful process. I can’t say enough great things about this team.

Thank you guys!

Everyone was super nice and friendly, I've never worked with a management company that's so hassle free. They got our move-in set up quickly and they made the process smooth and enjoyable.

My family and I recently moved into one of their apartment complex and Cassidy from the office was absolutely wonderful throughout the whole process. Her team was incredibly accommodating with our move in situation and got us in exactly when we wanted to be. I am so happy with the whole experience.

Red Roof has always been pleasant to work with! Highly recommend!

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Tenant screening questions

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  • The main one is RCW 59.18.257. Before collecting a screening fee, a landlord must give a written disclosure naming what will be checked, the denial criteria, the consumer reporting agency used, and the applicant’s rights to a free copy of the report and to dispute it. Landlords who screen applicants themselves may charge only actual cost.

  • Only sometimes. TMC 1.95.035.C caps the ratio. If the rent is below HUD Fair Market Rent, the landlord may require no more than 3 times the rent. If the rent is at or above Fair Market Rent, the cap drops to 2.5 times. We check the current Fair Market Rent figure for the unit size before setting the standard for that property.

  • No. RCW 59.18.255 makes source of income a protected class statewide and includes housing vouchers. The penalty runs up to 4.5 times the monthly rent plus fees. The statute also requires the voucher amount to be subtracted from the rent before applying any income-to-rent ratio, so the income test applies only to the tenant’s share.

  • Our application fee is $50 per adult applicant and it is non-refundable. That is disclosed in writing before the fee is collected, along with what we check and what would cause a denial, as RCW 59.18.257 requires. Every adult 18 or older who will live in the home must apply.

  • They are told, and they are told why. Under RCW 59.18.257, a denied applicant has the right to a free copy of the screening report and the right to dispute the information in it. We keep the written criteria and the decision record for every application, which protects both the applicant and the owner.

  • You set the criteria with us before we market the home, and then we apply those criteria to everyone the same way. Making an exception for one applicant and not another is exactly the pattern fair housing claims are built on. If you want a different standard, we change it in writing for the whole property, before applications open.

Get screening handled by people who read the statutes

Screening is included in our management fee at no extra charge. Book a consult and we will walk through the criteria we would set for your property, the Tacoma income cap that applies to it, and what your exposure looks like today.

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Call 253.222.3387, Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. We reply within 24 hours. See our full fee schedule and all of our property management services.

This page explains how we handle screening and summarizes public law as of September 2026. It is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, and your situation may be different.