A court rule issued by the Washington Supreme Court continues the first hearing in eviction cases. The rationale of this Supreme Court rule is to foster the tenant’s right to an attorney at no cost. This is very frustrating for landlords, as they are not being paid rent and the process seems to drag on forever, but this Supreme Court rule is binding on local courts.
FAQs
21 posts
Tacoma Measure One (a/k/a the Landlord Fairness Code) is open to different interpretations and not easy to quickly summarize. Tacoma residential landlords should consult with an attorney before taking any action, including serving an initial eviction notice.
Yes. We have successfully handled eviction cases on appeal. There are far more eviction cases being appealed today than in the past. Contact our office about consultation, referral, or association.
Yes, King County has mandatory notice forms for terminating tenancies in unincorporated King County. Proper use of these forms is not simple. Landlords are encouraged to consult with an attorney before serving any notices for unincorporated King County rental properties.
No, not exactly. A statutory repayment plan is required as the first step in a residential nonpayment eviction if any of the past-due rent accrued through April 2023 (regardless of whether the notice was served after April 2023).
Yes. Our office represents both commercial landlords and commercial tenants in all manner of disputes including evictions and civil lawsuits.
No. Our office represents only landlords in residential cases. Tenants are encouraged to google the Housing Justice Project and/or the Northwest Justice Project.
Yes. We handle a volume of residential landlord cases including evictions, fair housing complaints, and defending against claims from former tenants.
Yes. Our office has successfully litigated disputes over industrial equipment valued in the hundreds of thousands of dollars and commercial leasing disputes involving many tens of thousands of dollars, for example. Contact our office if you have a small business dispute.
The federal CARES Act requires a 30-day notice to vacate for covered properties for nonpayment of rent. Whether this applies in other situations is an open legal question. Also not yet clarified by court rulings is under which circumstances a rental property is a “covered property” under the CARES Act. At a minimum, the CARES Act will apply if the property has a federally-backed loan (Fannie Mae, FHA, Freddie Mac, etc) or if the rental unit has a Section 8 tenant. Tenant attorneys may also argue that the CARES Act applies if the landlord has ever had a mortgage forbearance […]