There is no such requirement in Washington unless your rental agreement provides for something like that in writing. Generally, if you do not pay rent, it is considered a breach of the agreement and your landlord must give you a 3-day pay or vacate notice. If you do not pay within 3-days (3 actual days, not business days) your landlord can begin an unlawful detainer action to evict you. If you cannot pay the rent, you should attempt to discuss the situation with your landlord right away. It is usually better to do this than ignoring the issue and leaving your landlord in the dark. That will almost certainly lead to an eviction. If you communicate with your landlord, you are more likely to work something out.
Answered on Feb 25th, 2013 at 2:20 PM