(1) A person who, with intent to deprive the owner or owner’s agent, wrongfully obtains, or exerts unauthorized control over, or by color or aid of deception gains control of personal property that is rented, leased, or loaned by written agreement to the person, is guilty of theft of rental, leased, lease-purchased, or loaned property.

Washington Code 9A.56.010

Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.

exerts unauthorized control: means :

Washington Code 9A.56.010

Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}

Owner: means a person, other than the actor, who has possession of or any other interest in the property or services involved, and without whose consent the actor has no authority to exert control over the property or services;

Washington Code 9A.56.010

person: may be construed to include the United States, this state, or any state or territory, or any public or private corporation or limited liability company, as well as an individual. See Washington Code 1.16.080

Personal property: All property that is not real property.

Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.

Value: means the market value of the property or services at the time and in the approximate area of the criminal act. See Washington Code 9A.56.010

(2) The finder of fact may presume intent to deprive if the finder of fact finds either of the following:

(a) That the person who rented or leased the property failed to return or make arrangements acceptable to the owner of the property or the owner’s agent to return the property to the owner or the owner’s agent within seventy-two hours after receipt of proper notice following the due date of the rental, lease, lease-purchase, or loan agreement; or

(b) That the renter, lessee, or borrower presented identification to the owner or the owner’s agent that was materially false, fictitious, or not current with respect to name, address, place of employment, or other appropriate items.

(3) As used in subsection (2) of this section, “proper notice” consists of a written demand by the owner or the owner’s agent made after the due date of the rental, lease, lease-purchase, or loan period, mailed by certified or registered mail to the renter, lessee, or borrower at: (a) The address the renter, lessee, or borrower gave when the contract was made; or (b) the renter, lessee, or borrower’s last known address if later furnished in writing by the renter, lessee, borrower, or the agent of the renter, lessee, or borrower.

(4) The replacement value of the property obtained must be utilized in determining the amount involved in the theft of rental, leased, lease-purchased, or loaned property.

(5)(a) Theft of rental, leased, lease-purchased, or loaned property is a class B felony if the rental, leased, lease-purchased, or loaned property is valued at five thousand dollars or more.

(b) Theft of rental, leased, lease-purchased, or loaned property is a class C felony if the rental, leased, lease-purchased, or loaned property is valued at seven hundred fifty dollars or more but less than five thousand dollars.

(c) Theft of rental, leased, lease-purchased, or loaned property is a gross misdemeanor if the rental, leased, lease-purchased, or loaned property is valued at less than seven hundred fifty dollars.

(6) The crime of theft of rental, leased, lease-purchased, or loaned property may be deemed to have been committed either at the physical location where the written agreement for the rental, lease, lease-purchase, or loan of the property was executed under subsection (1) of this section, or at the address where proper notice may be mailed to the renter, lessee, or borrower under subsection (3) of this section.

(7) This section applies to rental agreements that provide that the renter may return the property any time within the rental period and pay only for the time the renter actually retained the property, in addition to any minimum rental fee, to lease agreements, to lease-purchase agreements as defined under RCW 63.19.010, and to vehicles loaned to prospective purchasers borrowing a vehicle by written agreement from a motor vehicle dealer licensed under chapter 46.70 RCW. This section does not apply to rental or leasing of real property under the residential landlord-tenant act, chapter 59.18 RCW.

Applicability—2009 c 431: See note following RCW 4.24.230.

Findings—Intent—Short title—2007 c 199: See notes following RCW 9A.56.065.

Intent—Effective date—2003 c 53: See notes following RCW 2.48.180.

Property crime database, liability: RCW 4.24.340.