A Washington landlord has to keep a rental adequately heated, and the law gives a specific, short deadline once something breaks. The duty and the deadline are both in the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act, and both sides tend to know roughly what they are without knowing exactly what they say. Here is the exact wording, and what to do with it.
What the law actually requires
Under RCW 59.18.060(11), a landlord must provide facilities adequate to supply heat and water and hot water as reasonably required by the tenant. This sits inside the list of core landlord duties, alongside keeping the unit weathertight and keeping supplied systems in working order under subsection (8). It is not a courtesy and a lease cannot waive it.
Adequate is doing real work in that sentence. The statute does not set a specific temperature, so the standard is whether the system can reasonably heat the unit, not whether it hits an exact number on a thermostat.
The 24 hour rule, and how the clock starts
This is the number everyone is actually searching for. RCW 59.18.070 sets three tiers of repair deadline once the landlord has written notice of a defect:
| Deadline | What it covers |
| 24 hours | The defect deprives the tenant of hot or cold water, heat or electricity, or is imminently hazardous to life |
| 72 hours | The defect affects a refrigerator, range and oven, or a major plumbing fixture supplied by the landlord |
| 10 days | All other defective conditions |
A total loss of heat sits squarely in the first tier. A furnace that runs weakly but still produces some heat is a closer call and may sit in the ten day tier, depending on the facts, which is one more reason the written notice should describe the actual condition rather than just say the heat is broken.
Written notice is the trigger, not a phone call
The 24 hour clock runs from written notice. A phone call gets the conversation started, but it does not start the clock and it leaves no record of when it happened. A dated email, text, or a written work order does both. RCW 59.18.150 follows the same written notice principle for entry, so a household that gets in the habit of putting repair requests in writing is already following the pattern the law expects.
Utility protections during a heat alert
A different subsection covers a different problem: a landlord disconnecting utilities rather than failing to repair them. Under RCW 59.18.060(11)(a), a landlord may not terminate electric or water service during a National Weather Service excessive heat warning, heat advisory, excessive heat watch, or similar alert.
Where service is already disconnected, subsection (11)(b) gives the tenant the right to request reconnection on a day covered by such an alert, and the disconnection notice itself must tell the tenant how to make that request in clear and specific terms. On request, the landlord must promptly make a reasonable attempt to reconnect.
The landlord may require a payment plan as a condition of reconnection, but subsection (11)(c) puts real limits on it: the plan has to be designed to pay off the past due balance by the following May 15, and it cannot require monthly payments above six percent of the tenant’s monthly income.
This subsection is written around heat alerts specifically, using National Weather Service alert categories, not general winter weather. It does not, by its own text, extend to a cold snap or a snowstorm.
Space heaters and who is responsible for what
A space heater a tenant brings in is the tenant’s property and the tenant’s responsibility to use and store safely. The landlord’s duty is the building’s heating system, and under RCW 59.18.060(8), keeping any heating facility the landlord supplied in reasonably good working order. Our fire safety post covers the smoke alarm side of what a colder season brings with it, and our tenant maintenance guide covers where the line generally sits between the two sides.
If the deadline passes
This is the point where the post stops giving instructions and starts pointing at getting help, deliberately. Once the 24 hour deadline in RCW 59.18.070 has passed without a repair, the tenant has remedies available under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act, and those remedies come with their own procedural requirements that have to be followed in the right order and the right form to work. Getting a step wrong, or acting before the notice period actually runs, can cost a tenant the remedy rather than speed it up. If you are a tenant in that position, or a landlord who has missed the window, the next call should be to legal advice, not to a summary article.
What owners should have ready before winter
- Service the heating system before the cold arrives, not after the first complaint.
- Confirm supplied heating facilities are in working order under RCW 59.18.060(8).
- Have a real after-hours path for a written report. The 24 hour clock runs on calendar time, including weekends, not business hours.
- Keep a written log of when notice arrived and when the repair was completed, since that record is what a 24 hour compliance question turns on.
- Put a written notice template in the tenant welcome packet so a report starts the clock cleanly on both sides.
Frequently asked questions
Does a Washington landlord have to provide heat?
Yes. RCW 59.18.060(11) requires the landlord to provide facilities adequate to supply heat and water and hot water as reasonably required by the tenant. This is a landlord duty, not something a lease can waive.
How fast does a landlord have to fix a broken furnace in Washington?
Twenty four hours after written notice. RCW 59.18.070 sets 24 hours where the defective condition deprives the tenant of hot or cold water, heat or electricity, or is imminently hazardous to life. That clock starts from written notice, not from a phone call or a text.
Does a text message count as notice for a heat outage?
The statute requires written notice, and a text or email that is dated and kept is written notice. The safer practice on both sides is something dated and saved: a written work order, an email, or a text thread, rather than a verbal report that leaves no record of when the clock started.
Can a landlord shut off electricity or water during a heat alert?
No. Under RCW 59.18.060(11)(a), a landlord may not terminate electric or water service during a National Weather Service excessive heat warning, heat advisory, excessive heat watch, or similar alert. If service is already disconnected, the tenant may request reconnection, and the landlord must promptly make a reasonable attempt to reconnect, subject to a payment plan that cannot require monthly payments above six percent of the tenant’s income and must be designed to pay the past due balance by the following May 15.
What if the landlord does not fix a heat outage within 24 hours?
The tenant has remedies under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act once the deadline passes, and those remedies carry specific procedural requirements. That is the point at which this stops being a do-it-yourself situation. Read the notice and repair requirements carefully or get legal advice before acting, because a step taken out of order can cost a tenant the remedy.
Is a space heater a landlord’s responsibility?
No. A space heater a tenant brings in is the tenant’s property and the tenant’s responsibility to use safely. What is the landlord’s responsibility is the building’s heating system and, under RCW 59.18.060(8), keeping any heating facility the landlord supplied in reasonably good working order.
What should a landlord check before winter?
Service the heating system before the season starts, confirm working order under RCW 59.18.060(8), and have a plan for after-hours reports so a written notice on a Friday night does not sit unread until Monday. The 24 hour clock under RCW 59.18.070 runs on calendar time, not business hours.
Getting through winter on a managed property
MVP Property Pros has managed rental homes in Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater since 2004, through every winter that market has produced. On managed properties heating systems are serviced ahead of the season, after-hours reports reach someone the same day, and the 24 hour clock is never a surprise because the system is already built around it. If you self-manage and want your winter readiness checked, get in touch or call (360) 339-8539.
Disclaimer: Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed, and not to be construed as legal advice. Laws and local ordinances change, and how they apply depends on your property and situation. Consult your attorney or your property manager before acting on anything here. Where possible, statements in this article link to the statute, code section or agency publication they are drawn from, so you can verify them directly.
Information deemed accurate as of September 2026 but not guaranteed.
Sources
- RCW 59.18.060, landlord duties, subsection (11) on heat, water and the heat alert utility protections.
- RCW 59.18.070, repair timelines after written notice.
- RCW 59.18.150, written notice for entry, the same notice principle.
- RCW 59.18.130, tenant duties.