Washington Landlord Attorney -

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Landlord-Tenant Attorney

Call 206-801-1188

Landlord-tenant law is now much more complex and nuanced. New laws change how notices must be served, and sometimes dictate font and/or specific language.

Even a small hyper-technical error can mean starting over. Consult with a lawyer first.

Commercial Evictions

While commercial landlord-tenant law has not seen the overhaul that residential landlord-tenant law has, the legal/political climate has changed, and some local laws impact commercial cases as well. We regularly handle commercial landlord-tenant disputes.

We represent both commercial tenants and landlords throughout the Puget Sound area.

Ejectment Actions

If the occupants are not tenants, and the owner did not acquire the property by foreclosure, the typical eviction process (unlawful detainer) does not apply. The property owner must bring an ejectment action.

Ejectment is required against non-tenants. It may also be possible to evict tenants with an ejectment action, but this is not always ideal, and courts may reject an ejectment action against a tenant in some situations.

Consult with an attorney for advice about ejectment.

Post-Foreclosure Evictions

The successful bidder at a foreclosure auction is entitled to possession against former owners and non-tenant occupants twenty days after the sale. If a tenant is in the property, additional requirements and a longer notice period apply.

If the foreclosed former owner and/or other occupants refuse to vacate, the buyer must evict the occupants (even if there are no tenants in the property).

Does the exact language in the eviction notices matter? Will the judge really throw out my eviction case, even though the tenant owes me money, if I use the wrong form?

Yes, the language matters and the court may dismiss your eviction case on procedural grounds–no matter how deserving on the merits–if the language is wrong.

Some documents, such as the 14-day notice, must be in the exact verbiage required by statute. In some local jurisdictions additional specific language must be in the notice and/or additional documents must be served with it.

There are some multi-state websites that show up in Google results with form generators that create notice forms that will not hold up in Washington courts. We do not post forms for every situation or jurisdiction because the new laws vary and are not simple to implement. Consult with an attorney before serving documents.