While the eviction and landlord-tenant statutes do not generally apply to hotel or motel guests, longer-term guests may be treated as tenants. “Residence in a hotel, motel, or other transient lodging” is specifically exempted from the Washington Residential Landlord-Tenant Act. Nevertheless, courts have treated longer-term guests as tenants. There historically has been no bright-line test. Rather, the courts look at the facts of a given case, taking into consideration such things as how long the resident has occupied the space, payment terms, and services provided. Some local laws create a presumption that a guest is a tenant after a specified […]
COVID
2 posts
Seattle Payment Plan Laws In response to the COVID economic fallout, the City of Seattle enacted several measures including mandatory payment plans for both residential and commercial tenancies. Both the residential and commercial payment plan laws apply to tenants who fail to pay rent during or within six months after the state of emergency declared by the mayor. The residential and commercial payment plan ordinances are separate laws with different terms, summarized below. Residential payment plans. Residential tenants who fail to pay rent during or within six months after the state of emergency declared by the mayor may pay in […]