Tucker v. Hayford

We again note that a claim for personal injuries by a tenant can be premised on three distinct legal theories: contract (a rental agreement), common law obligations imposed on a landlord, and the Washington Residential Landlord-Tenant Act of 1973 (Landlord-Tenant Act), chapter 59.18 RCW. In Dexheimer v. CDS, Inc.1 we concluded that the remedies available to a tenant under the Landlord-Tenant Act were limited to those outlined in the statute. We were wrong.

Here, the tenants claim that they became sick from drinking contaminated well water provided as part of their tenancy. The trial judge…