Yesterday Governor Inslee signed a bill that establishes a just cause eviction law throughout Washington state. The Washington just cause eviction law is largely similar to just cause eviction laws in Seattle, Federal Way, and Burien. Washington residential landlords may no longer serve a “20-day” no-cause notice to terminate a tenancy. There is an exception when the landlord shares housing with the tenant. Landlords may terminate a tenancy and the end of the initial lease term with 60 days’ notice. To evict because the landlord wishes to sell or if the landlord or an immediate family member intends to live […]
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Under the Washington residential eviction moratorium hotel/motel guests who stay at least fourteen days may not be evicted (with some general exceptions applicable to all tenants). The Washington eviction moratorium ends June 30. Under a new law now in effect, a hotel or motel may serve a guest who has stayed for thirty days or more with a seven-day eviction notice. After the seven-day period the guest is not a tenant for the purposes of the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act. The law is silent as to whether the tenant must be removed under the unlawful detainer statute (essentially a non-residential eviction). […]
Under Governor Inslee’s statewide eviction moratorium Washington landlords may only evict residential tenants because a tenant poses an immediate and serious threat, the owner wishes to sell, or the owner wishes to live in the rental property. Landlord attorneys and most local Washington courts have held that the Center for Disease Control (CDC) eviction moratorium does not prevent eviction under the Washington state moratorium exceptions. Tenant attorney have appealed this issue, and there are two cases pending with the Washington State Supreme Court on the issue of whether the CDC eviction moratorium supersedes Governor Inslee’s eviction moratorium exceptions. Today a […]
Governor Inslee announced the extension of the residential eviction moratorium through June 30. Governor Inslee’s moratorium allows eviction when the owner seeks to sell or occupy the rental property as a primary residence. However, three cases are pending in the state Supreme Court on whether the CDC moratorium prevents evictions under these exceptions. Oral argument on those cases is set for May 13.
A bill the Washington legislature is considering would require all residential landlords to offer a payment plan before engaging in any collection efforts for rent that was due during the pandemic state of emergency.[1] “Collection efforts” would be statutorily defined to include eviction or any court action, use of collection agencies, any threats to collect, and even withholding from a security deposit. The payment plan would have to be reasonable solely from the tenant’s—but with no consideration of the landlord’s— “financial, health, or other circumstances.” A landlord’s failure to offer a payment plan would be defense to eviction. For two […]
A proposed new law would impose mandatory mediation in every eviction case; permanently eliminate eviction show cause hearings for all residential evictions; force a trial date (as opposed to a show cause hearing) for every eviction case; prevent eviction for any unpaid rent accrued during the pandemic unless the tenant refuses or fails to comply with mandatory payment plans; force landlords to return security deposits to all tenant even if the tenant owes the landlord money. Mediation is a settlement conference. A mediator has no power to evict anyone or force either party to do anything. The mediation requirement would […]
There is much confusion over the Seattle eviction moratorium. The confusion stems from the history of the Seattle moratorium and changes made to them, and additional separate laws passed by the City creating a new inability-to-pay defense and imposing payment plans. Confusion may be in part also due to the fact there are various federal, state, and local moratoria, and sometimes people confuse and conflate their various terms. On March 14 the Mayor issued a residential eviction moratorium that prohibited eviction for non-payment of rent. She later issues a broad small business and non-profit eviction moratorium that prohibited almost all […]