Landlord Question and Answer Forum

I am renting out a room in my home. Is it advisable to let the prospective tenant, once chosen, pay a non-refundable reservation fee of $100 to reserve the room before moving in, which will apply towards first months rent instead of paying the entire first month's rent upfront? I don't want them to lose an entire month's rent if circumstances change and I end up renting it to someone else, but I also want to avoid flakeouts.

No moneys paid to the landlord which are nonrefundable may be designated as a deposit or as part of any deposit. If any moneys are paid to the landlord as a nonrefundable fee, the rental agreement shall be in writing and shall clearly specify that the fee is nonrefundable. If the landlord fails to provide a written rental agreement, the landlord is liable to the tenant for the amount of any fees collected as nonrefundable fees. If the written rental agreement fails to specify that the fee is nonrefundable, the fee must be treated as a refundable deposit under RCW 59.18.260, 59.18.270, and 59.18.280.

Posted by Molly H, on Sunday, February 5, 2012