Washington State has removed the certified mail requirement for eviction notices while Vancouver moves forward with rental registration.
By Aaron Kirk Douglas
While Washington has removed the certified mail requirement for eviction notices, local jurisdictions like Vancouver are moving forward with new compliance programs that owners need to act on immediately.
House Bill 2664, passed unanimously by the Legislature, eliminates the requirement that unlawful detainer notices be sent via certified mail. Instead, notices may be served through standard mail, simplifying a process that had created delays, returned mail, and administrative backlogs for housing providers.
The law is expected to take effect in early summer 2026, widely understood across the industry as June 11, 2026, providing near-term operational relief for property managers and owners.
At the same time, Vancouver’s new rental registration program is now live—and carries a near-term deadline with real financial implications.
All rental housing units within Vancouver city limits—including apartments, duplexes, and single-family rentals—must be registered annually beginning in 2026.
However, the city has created a 90-day grace period to encourage compliance:
Register by March 30–31, 2026 → $0 cost (fee waived for the first year)
Register after that date → $30 per unit annual fee applies immediately
This is not a minor administrative detail. For larger portfolios, missing the deadline could translate into a meaningful, recurring operating expense across hundreds of units.
The city has been explicit that fees are waived only through March, with the $30 per-unit charge beginning April 1.
Early registration is one of the simplest, immediate cost-saving moves available to housing providers in Clark County.
Beyond registration, Washington continues to offer a more predictable legal framework than Oregon in several key areas. Clark County courts have generally maintained consistent statutory interpretation, avoiding the procedural variability seen elsewhere.
In addition, Washington’s approach to nonpayment cases still requires tenants to pay the full amount owed—including rent, costs, and fees—to cure a default, rather than allowing partial payments to restart the process.
About the author:
Aaron Kirk Douglas is a multifaceted storyteller and market analyst. His career spans journalism, creative nonfiction, filmmaking, and real estate research. He serves as Director of Market Intelligence at HFO Investment Real Estate/GREA, the Pacific Northwest’s leading multifamily brokerage.
