Sometimes tenants fail to respond to an eviction summons, or fail to appear for a hearing only to later appear in court and ask the court to give them another hearing date and to stay the eviction in the meantime. Landlords and their attorneys often get little or no notice of the stay until it is granted.
A Court of Appeals decision had required tenants to give the landlord notice that they were seeking a stay, and required the tenant to post a bond. No longer.
The state Supreme Court last week ruled that tenants are not required to give notice or post a bond when seeking a new court date and to stay the eviction, making this tenant delay tactic easier.[1]
If you are a property owner considering an eviction action, you should consider contacting a landlord-tenant attorney for an initial consultation
[1] Reynolds v. Harmon, ____ Wn.2d ____ (No. 95575-1 March 28, 2019).
