Rent-increase notice checklist: nine things to verify before service

1–3: rule year, tenancy, and property

First, match the proposed effective date to the correct published rule year. A notice delivered in one year can take effect in the next. Second, identify the tenancy type and start date, including whether Oregon's arrangement is truly week-to-week. Third, classify the property and legal relationship, especially manufactured-home lot or facility tenancies.

Write the source and verified date beside the file. Do not reuse last year's percentage or select a category from a marketing label. If a necessary classification is unknown, resolve it before service or use the conservative covered path.

• Rule year and official percentage recorded
• Tenancy type, start date, and prior increases confirmed
• Property type and facility status confirmed

4–5: amount and exemption

Fourth, calculate the percentage from the exact current and proposed rent and include covered recurring charges where the law requires. Fifth, review every claimed exemption against its statutory facts. For Washington's building-age exemption, use the first certificate-of-occupancy date and the notice date.

Do not let an uncertain exemption erase the standard calculation. Keep both visible until the supporting record is obtained, and state required exemption facts in the notice rather than relying on an internal memo.

• Dollar and percentage math independently checked
• Exemption source document attached or claim removed

6–7: effective date and notice form

Sixth, compute the earliest supported effective date from the actual service date and method, tenancy or lease term, first-year rule, rent-period start, and any city extension. Oregon mailing can add three days; Seattle generally uses 180 days. Seventh, use the current required form and attachments for the jurisdiction.

A day-count result that lands in the middle of a rent period may not be the clean billing date. A correct form with an early date is still defective, and a correct date in an incomplete casual letter may still miss mandatory language.

• Calendar minimum and rent-cycle date both checked
• Current state and city forms or attachments included

8: delivery method

Eighth, choose a delivery path supported by the applicable statute and complete every act in that path. Washington substitute or posting service includes paired steps. Oregon distinguishes personal, first-class mail, and specified combined service. An email may be helpful communication without replacing statutory service.

Give the server a final, versioned copy and written instructions. Record what actually happens at the premises. If the attempted method changes, update the proof record and date calculation instead of backfilling the original plan.

• Every required physical and mailed act completed
• Served copy matches the archived final version

9: local rules and proof file

Ninth, verify city boundaries and local duties. Seattle, Tacoma, and Portland are not interchangeable with nearby cities. Then assemble the source snapshot, calculation, certificate or exemption evidence, notice and attachments, service log, mailing evidence, and calendar in one file.

RentCap's free preview works through the nine checks and labels missing facts. The $19 bundle turns supported facts into a notice draft, cited worksheet, delivery instructions, proof log, calendar file, verification code, and archive PDF. Review the preview before checkout; payment does not convert unknown facts into legal conclusions.

• Official city and ZIP confirmed
• Complete source, notice, service, and calendar record archived

Final quality-control signoff

Have a second person compare the archived source facts with the final notice before service. Check tenant and landlord names, unit address, old and new rent, percentage, notice date, effective date, attachments, exemption language, and delivery instructions. A legally sound calculation can still be undermined by a copied address or transposed amount.

After service, close the loop: sign the proof log, attach mailing evidence, save the calendar reminders, and restrict changes to the archived final. If a correction is required, create a new version and service record rather than overwriting the old file. The record should let a future reviewer reconstruct what the tenant actually received.

Portfolio and repeat-use controls

For multiple units, assign every notice a unique version and service record. Do not merge tenants with the same effective date into one proof log unless the log still records the document and service facts for each recipient. A spreadsheet can coordinate work, but the archive should reconstruct each notice independently.

Review the source table whenever a notice crosses a calendar year or the property changes city, program, ownership, or facility status. Repeat use should reduce data entry, not freeze last year's legal assumptions. RentCap's saved-unit tools regenerate a current preview from limited unit facts rather than treating an old paid packet as permanently current.