By state law, just cause is required for all residential evictions with only some narrow exceptions. There is no longer an option for the landlord to end a tenancy by serving a 20-day notice without cause.
FAQs
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The Seattle eviction moratorium ended on February 28, 2021. After that date, you can serve a notice to terminate a tenancy based on an intent to sell or intent to occupy the rental property as your primary residence. However, the winter eviction ban and school year eviction ban may apply to your case. Also, intent to sell as grounds to evict may not apply to condo units.
While there are forms on our website and from other sources, evictions are complicated and these forms will not be legally effective in all local jurisdictions. Local law may require longer notice periods than state law and/or require specific additional mandatory language. Some local jurisdictions have mandatory eviction notice forms that landlords must use. Even in locations with no local landlord-tenant laws eviction law is far more nuanced than in the past. Landlords are strongly encouraged to retain an attorney, including for the initial notices.
These are now 90-day notices. An intent to sell your rental property, or intent to move into and live in your rental property requires 90 days’ notice by state law. This is a permanent change, not a temporary COVID rule. Some local laws require more time, require additional language on notices, and/or have additional restrictions. If you served a 60-day notice during the moratorium (or after) you will need to serve a new notice. Consult with an attorney for details.
Maybe. While some tenants are struggling financially, there are some who may be gaming the system. If you are confident your tenant has assets you may consider a civil lawsuit. This may or may not remove them from the property, but a judgment might make it possible to garnish bank accounts and paychecks.
Yes, but you will have to give the greater of 90 days or through the end of the lease terms as the date of termination of the tenancy. An owner can sell or move into their property, but if a tenant has an unexpired lease the owner cannot insist the tenant vacate early. The tenant has a contract through the end of the lease term and does not have to vacate until the end of the term. The owner would have to sell with the tenant in the property unless the parties reach a mutual early termination agreement.
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 […]
Proper service of an eviction notice (pay rent or vacate, or etc.) requires someone to go to the rental property and knock on the door. While there are detailed instructions on serving eviction notices on this website, it is far wiser to have an attorney advise and assist with every step in the process.
It makes no difference whether the agreement was reduced to writing, or was only an oral agreement. If someone is paying you (or is supposed to pay you) to live in your property, you are a landlord and they are a tenant. All the eviction and landlord-tenant laws apply. Ironically, it some situations it may be faster to evict a tenant than someone who lives in your property without an obligation to pay.
Yes. Federal Way has a good cause eviction law that limits a residential landlord’s right to evict a tenant to certain enumerated grounds. Some causes, such as the landlord’s intent to move into the property, require 120 days’ notice (even though state law only requires 90 days’ notice). Specific additional language is required in notices issued in Federal Way. Be sure to use our Federal Way-specific forms.