Landlord - Tenant Concerns

If you rent your home or apartment, you and your landlord fall under the regulations found within the Washington State Residential Landlord-Tenant Act. Understanding your rights and responsibilities as a renter and a landlord can help resolve problems and avoid potential legal involvement.

For informational recordings on residential landlord-tenant matters, call the State Attorney General's Office Consumerline at 800-692-5082, option 8.

Response to a Landlord That Fails to Correct Code Violations

The city will respond and inspect health and safety complaints made by tenants but must follow the established process for dealing with landlord-tenant code complaints. This process is defined as follows:

  • If a tenant has concerns about the electrical, plumbing or structure issues in the unit they rent, the tenant needs to identify the problems and inform his or her landlord, in writing, so there is a record.
  • Once his or her landlord has been informed, the appropriate access and time needs to be allowed for the landlord to make correction of legitimate problems.
  • If the landlord does not respond or make the required correction(s) to the identified problems in a timely manner, this is the point in time when the tenant should complete a complaint form (PDF) and submit it to the Community Development Department with a copy of the written list of the health and safety concerns that were previously provided to the landlord.
  • The appropriate inspector will contact the landlord and the tenant to arrange for an inspection of the alleged code violation(s).
  • Once the inspection of the tenant's list of health and safety concerns is completed, if it is discovered that there are code violations, a list of corrections will be provided to the landlord with an established timeframe to make the corrections.

Mail Your Complaint

Walk in or mail your complaints to:
City of Longview
Department of Community Development
1525 Broadway Street
Longview, WA 98632

Other Resources & Contacts

  • Dispute Resolution Centers, Resolution Washington - Use a neutral third-party mediator to resolve conflicts. Mediation can be faster, cheaper and often more cost effective than bringing the matter to Court.
  • Housing and Urban Development (HUD) - Federal HUD rental housing contracts.
  • Landlord-Tenant Law - Help resources, including legal advice from the State Attorney General's Office
  • Northwest Justice Project - Free legal assistance and representation to low-income residents
  • Solid Ground Tenant Services - Housing counseling services, best practices, and frequently asked questions about landlord-tenant laws to help tenants understand their rights and responsibilities as a renter.
  • Tenant Relocation Assistance - Washington State regulations governing landlord relocation assistance for condemned or unlawful dwellings.
  • Washington Law Help - Housing - Resources on tenant rights and landlord repair and maintenance responsibilities. Materials are available in multiple languages.