Written for the owner, not the tenant. What you are on the hook for under Washington law, what the tenant is, how fast the clock runs once a tenant gives notice, and what to do when the call comes at nine on a Sunday night in January. We are an HVAC contractor, not a law firm — every statute mentioned here is quoted by number so you can read it yourself at app.leg.wa.gov.
The 24-hour clock
A tenant with no heat in winter is not just a complaint. In Washington it is a legal deadline, and it is short.
After a tenant gives you written notice of a defect, RCW 59.18.070 says you must start fixing it as soon as possible, and no later than:
The word in the statute is commence. You have to begin the remedy inside the window and see it through promptly — you are not required to have finished it in 24 hours if a part has to be ordered, but you are required to have someone on it.
Who is responsible for what
The landlord
RCW 59.18.060 lists your duties. The one that matters here: maintain all heating and other facilities and appliances you supplied in reasonably good working order. That is the furnace, the heat pump, the thermostat, and any air conditioner you provided with the unit.
Repairs are yours. So is the cost of a system that has reached the end of its life, and so is the decision on when to replace it rather than keep patching it.
The tenant
RCW 59.18.130 puts the everyday side on them: keep the unit clean, use the equipment properly, and do not damage it. A furnace that failed because a tenant ran it for two years on a filter that turned into felt is a conversation, and in most leases the filter is the tenant’s job.
If the lease does not say who changes the filter, it is worth adding. It is the single cheapest thing that keeps a rental furnace alive, and nobody does it unless it is written down.
What happens if the clock runs out
If you do not begin the remedy inside the window, the act gives the tenant options, and none of them are ones you would choose. Under RCW 59.18.100 a tenant can hire a licensed contractor themselves and deduct the cost from the rent, up to two months’ rent per repair. Under RCW 59.18.090 the tenant may terminate the tenancy. Under RCW 59.18.110 they can seek a rent reduction through a court or arbitration.
The practical point is simpler than the legal one: the contractor the tenant picks at 9 p.m. is not the contractor you would pick, and the invoice arrives as a deduction, not a quote. Starting the remedy yourself, promptly, keeps you in charge of who does the work and what it costs.
Tenant with no heat right now?
Book it now. A technician reaches out within 1 business hour, real emergencies get same-day priority, and the price goes to you before anything starts.
Book a Visit60 seconds online · or call (206) 486-6373
How it works when you are not on site
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Book it, or let the tenant book it Either works. Tell us it is a rental and give us the owner or manager’s number at the time of booking. A technician reaches out within 1 business hour, and real emergencies get same-day priority.
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We coordinate the visit with the tenant The tenant lets us in. You do not have to be there, and you do not have to be in the state.
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You get the diagnosis and the exact price, in writing The technician calls or texts whoever is paying with what failed, what it costs to fix, and — where it is honestly the better call — what it costs to replace instead. Photos where they help.
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You approve it, we do the work, you get the paperwork Nothing starts until you say so. When it is done you get the invoice for your records, and the tenant gets their heat back.
The new cooling rule, and the heat pump angle
Since 2026, RCW 59.18.740 says a landlord may not prohibit or restrict a tenant from installing a portable cooling device of the tenant’s choosing, and may not charge a fee for it. There are exceptions — a building code or manufacturer safety conflict, an electrical supply that genuinely cannot carry the load, a window unit that would block an emergency exit — and one exception that is worth knowing about: a dwelling that already has a permanently installed, operational heat pump.
For an owner facing a furnace at the end of its life, that changes the math a little. A heat pump heats and cools, it replaces two systems with one, and it settles the portable-cooling question before it comes up. It is not right for every building, and we will say so when it is not.
Fewer emergencies next winter
Most rental no-heat calls in January come from systems that had been sending warning signs since October: a furnace that short-cycles, a flame sensor that has not been cleaned in years, a heat pump icing up because the outdoor coil is buried in leaves. A fall tune-up across your units catches those while the schedule is still open and the parts are still on the shelf.
And when a system is genuinely done, replacing it in the shoulder season on your terms beats replacing it in a cold snap on the tenant’s. We will give you a straight answer on which it is.
If you are the tenant reading this
Give your landlord or property manager notice in writing — a text or email with the date on it is far better than a phone call — and send them this page. We are happy to come out, but the person paying has to approve the price before we can start work, so the fastest route to heat is getting your landlord to book us.
Our service areas
We run out of Covington and cover the greater Puget Sound area.
King County
Covington, Kent, Renton, Maple Valley, Auburn, Federal Way, Des Moines, Enumclaw, Bellevue, Issaquah, Sammamish, Bothell
Pierce County
Tacoma, Puyallup, Lakewood, Sumner, Bonney Lake
Snohomish County
Lynnwood, Everett
Not on the list? We cover the greater Puget Sound area around our Covington base. Book it and a technician confirms within 1 business hour.
Why owners and managers use us
- You approve the price first. Upfront quote before a single screw turns.
- We answer 24/7. Book in a minute, hear from a technician within 1 business hour.
- 500+ jobs done by 4.9★ rated, professional technicians.
- Fixed right, guaranteed. If it’s not right, we make it right.
Quick answers
Can my tenant book the visit and have you bill me?
Yes. The tenant can book online or call, and should tell us it is a rental and who the owner or manager is. We diagnose at the unit, then give the price to whoever is paying, and we do not start until that person approves it. The tenant is never asked to make the decision or cover the cost.
Does the 24-hour rule mean the heat has to be fixed within 24 hours?
No. RCW 59.18.070 requires you to begin the remedy within 24 hours of written notice for loss of heat, and to complete it promptly. Getting a technician booked and on the way counts as beginning. If a part has to be ordered, keep the tenant informed in writing, and consider supplying temporary heaters in the meantime. We are not lawyers — read the statute itself, and take advice if a dispute is brewing.
Do I have to provide air conditioning?
Washington’s landlord-tenant act requires you to maintain the heating and other facilities you supplied in reasonably good working order. It does not require you to install air conditioning. But if you supplied an AC or a heat pump, it is a facility you supplied, and it falls under the same duty to maintain it. Separately, since 2026 RCW 59.18.740 stops you prohibiting a tenant’s own portable cooling device, with limited exceptions — one of which is a dwelling with a permanently installed, working heat pump.
Can you look after several units?
Yes. Book and tell us how many units and where. A furnace tune-up across your units each fall is the cheapest way to have fewer 24-hour clocks start in January, and we can schedule several in the same visit window.
Is a heat pump worth it in a rental?
Sometimes. It heats and cools, it takes the portable-cooling question off the table, and it replaces a furnace and an AC with one system. It also depends on the building, the ductwork and the electrical capacity, and on some units it is simply not the right answer. We will tell you which it is, in writing, before you spend anything.
Own or manage a rental with an HVAC problem?
Book the visit. Tenant lets us in, you approve the price from wherever you are, and we handle the rest.
Book a Visit60 seconds online · or call (206) 486-6373
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