The Governor's eviction moratorium, Proclamation 20-19.6, ended at 11:59 p.m. on June 30, 2021. King County has $90M remaining of the $145M in federal rent assistance funds they received. More informationabout these lawscan be found at the RevisedCode of Washington RCW 59.12, RCW 59.18, and RCW 59.20. STAFFORD COUNTY. The executive order continues tenant protections prohibiting landlords from issuing notices of termination or otherwise initiating eviction actions with the courts unless there is an imminent threat to the health and safety of the community. Mayor Harrells latestExecutiveOrder comes after convening a work group of tenant advocates and small landlords, whothrough multiple meetings withMayor Harrellprovided input around impacts of the pandemic andthe effects of theevictionmoratoriuminformed bylived experience. The County then contracted out with a third party vendor, Grantcare to create the database, and Grantcare was late in delivering the project. Posting comments is now limited to subscribers only. Currently, upon expiration, Ordinance 126075 will take effect, providing additional tenant protections including the start of a six-month period in which a renter may claim a defense against evictionfor non-payment of rent if they candemonstratefinancial hardship due to COVID-19. House Bill 1110 is one of several proposals this year intended to ease an affordability crisis across Washington due to a statewide shortage. While its too soon to know how many evictions will be filed in Seattle now that the moratorium is over, the King County Dispute Resolution Center has seen a steady stream of landlords issuing 14-day notices. Rent Increases in King County . Seattle eviction moratorium will expire at end of February For Landlord/Tenant information - www.dca.ca.gov. In incorporated cities, it will fall on the local mayors or city councils to extend eviction moratoriums. I'm a Nonprofit He graduated from the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Washington. Seattle to extend eviction moratorium through end of June The program also targets people of color, withnumerous reportsfindingthat people of color account for disproportionate numbers of evictions locally and nationally. rdenes judiciales de restitucin, Click here for information regarding rental assistance, Click here for information regarding landlords and tentants, Click here for information regarding King County Bar Association lawyer referrals, Click here for information regarding Washington Law Help.org, Click here for information regarding the Housing Justice Project. A Landlord's Guide to the Eviction Process in Virginia Outside King County, tenants seeking legal help can apply online atnwjustice.org/apply-onlineor call the Eviction Defense Screening Line at 855-657-8387. Seattle landlords will be legally allowed to resume serving notices to their tenants and filing unlawful detainers (eviction lawsuits) in court. Governor Jay Inslees eviction moratorium bridge order is set to expire on October 31st, and the Governor confirmed Thursday he is not issuing another extension, as the Spokesman-Review reported. Doug Trumm is the executive director of The Urbanist. Mayor Durkan Announces January 15, 2022 Extension of Eviction The program finally got up and running this month, but King County had a lot of money to distribute as the most populous county in the state, which means it is still lagging behind. The well-paid front-of-house work he depended on still hasnt fully returned to pre-pandemic levels, he said. AKA mid-January. Seattle extends eviction moratorium through end of February; then it Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan is extending the city's COVID-19 eviction Seattlecontinues to show thenationhow to protect small businesses and residents byestablishingand continuingone of the first in the nation moratoriumson evictions to keep families safe. With COVID casessteadily declining, the time has comefor the City to move on from thebroadapproachof the eviction moratoriaandinstead drive more deliberateandfocusedefforts to support thosemostin need,said Mayor Harrell. Despite the resources offered by the city, Tram Tran-Larson, the community engagement manager with the Housing Justice Project, believes the end of the eviction moratorium may lead to tens of thousands of evictions. Please read Mayor Harrell's latest eviction moratorium announcement. We talked road safety, social housing, zoning, and more. If you are a tenant and you have begun working with a staff member on your rent assistance application, you can log into your tenant portal using the link Im a Tenant below. The catch is that King County has been lagging behind other counties in disbursing those funds. Mailing Address: In December, Futurewise was our guest for a state legislative preview. That action included directing $658 million in federal aid dollars through the new state budget, which takes effect July 1, for rental assistance. Call 211 to learn more. It is also important to note that King County is not at risk of having funds reallocated or taken back for being an underperforming jurisdiction based on recent Treasury guidance.. Theres a housing crisis we were trying to solve before Covid. An eviction (Writ of Restitution) involves a tenant being ordered by the court to leave a residence. But Gov. Chase Gallagher, who is communication director for the King County Executive, said another $22 million would go toward community-based organizations doing outreach and processing applications. The WLIHA stresses that that eviction moratorium is working: Protections under the bridge proclamation and your previous eviction moratorium have played a massive role in preventing homelessness. Building a robust payment system took the work of many, and there has been no higher priority than keeping people in their homes as we built the equitable recovery King County residents deserve.. Read the Mayor's eviction moratorium announcement. United Way of King County has launched a service on its website to alert tenants to new financial help if it becomes available. The goal is to place a new, qualified tenant prior to the current lease end date in order to minimize vacancy time. There are some exceptions which can be found under the RCW links above. For tenants who have already applied for rent assistance, King County will continue to select recipients using a lottery system. State Health Secretary Umair Shah said hes hopeful the state can still hit its goal before June 30. I'm a Tenant Kings County Small Claims Advisor (559)582-3211, ext. (The Urbanist Elections Committee endorsed Nguyen.) What will happen on February 28 when the moratorium expires? Pierce County has so far spent about $19 million for rent and utility help, of roughly $69 million from various sources, according to the county. Example video title will go here for this video. Housing Justice Project managing attorney Edmund Witter said renters who receive an eviction notice should contact the Housing Justice Project right away, either throughits web form, by phone at 206-267-7069 or email, hjpstaff@kcba.org. Landlords can, once again, serve their tenants eviction notices for nonpayment of rent, but renters facing eviction still have several city- and state-mandated protections to help them stay in their homes. The federal government has some emergency rent relief funding left to distribute, but its unlikely Congress will appropriate morefederal funds in the near future. Seattle Times staff reporter Joseph OSullivan covers state government and the Legislature. Im extremely disappointed in the governors actions, Caldier added, describing Inslees extension as heedless overreach by the executive branch . Seattle's COVID eviction moratorium extended into January 2022 OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) Washington Gov. Explore Data - KCBA Earlier in February, Harrell announced a final two-week extension to push the moratorium's expiration date to the end of the month and directed the Office of Housing to distribute more than $25 million to support vulnerable renters and small landlords. Fully lifting the moratorium and allowing evictions for nonpayment of rent is expected to unleash a larger wave of evictions that have built up over the course of a year and a half eviction moratorium that also included a statewide rent freeze until the Governors less restrictive bridge order in late June. The governor also said that some indoor mask requirements would remain for unvaccinated people even after the state lifts most restrictions. The average payment has been a little over $11,000 per household. Landlords are able to proceed with certain evictions but should have a good understanding of the process and what is and is not allowed. Meanwhile 368,600 tenants who are current on rent report that they have had to rely on money from savings or selling assets or possessions (including withdrawals from retirement accounts) to meet their basic needs over the last seven days. King CountySuperior Court But most of those funds are already spoken for before evictions resume. Asreported by SCC Insight, Magistrate Judge RichardCreaturafound the city and state eviction moratoriums to be constitutionalin a recommendation on September 15, 2021,to Judge Richard Jones. Ill have to get on that and just work as hard as possible, Rigdon said. Landlord and tenant advocates both agree that for any tenant facing eviction, communication and following the rules will be key. The Civil Division is prohibited from providing legal advice. Seattle, Burien, and Kenmore: These cities extended their eviction moratoriums to protect renters until January 15, 2022. By subscribing, you agree to receive occasional membership emails from Crosscut/Cascade Public Media. If you anticipate the eviction may require additional time, you must notify the assigned detective in advance and additional fees may apply. Because of high demand, the Housing Justice Project cannot. On Feb. 22, the Seattle City Council voted 5-3 against a proposal to extend the moratorium for the eighth time since March 2020. The citys Renting in Seattle hotline has also seen an influx of calls. Box 34019, Seattle, WA, 98124-4019 Sound Transit CEO Julie Timm will be joining us for an Urbanist talk on May 9. Eviction Assistance - RentinginSeattle | seattle.gov Many King County services are continually adapting because of the COVID-19 pandemic. We talked Comp Plan, design review reform, the prospect of a Seattle Sixplex, and more. 4430. The Eviction Moratorium 'bridge' proclamation was created on July 1, 2021. He lives in East Fremont and loves to explore the city on his bike. Evictions (writs of restitution) - King County Commercial Leases Resources to help negotiate and amend leases for commercial property. Farivar serves as policy director at Disability Rights Washington, a frequent ally of ours. Fee: General District . 2 dead, 1 critically wounded in shooting at Cal Anderson Park in Seattle, Think Seattle-area property taxes are rising fast? Seattle renters must show up in court to use the remaining protections against eviction. But overall, the rollout of rent assistance has been slow. Utility Discount Program Apply for a discount on your electricity and utility bills. Because of high demand, the Housing Justice Project cannot currently help tenants earlier in the eviction process, such as upon receipt of a 14-day notice. Im extremely worried, of course, Rigdon said. The King County Department of Community and Human Services, which runs the emergency rent relief program, expects to be able to help 8,000 to 9,000 households with those remaining dollars. The moratorium on eviction of nonprofit and small business commercial tenant applies to independently-owned businesses with 50 employees or fewer per establishment, state nonprofits, and 501(c)3) nonprofits. I'm a Landlord With Statewide Eviction Moratorium About to Lapse, King County Braces The resources are available, Snohomish and Pierce Countyhave been able to allocate the money and this is a failure of the current Executive, Nguyen said via email last month. The county Department of Community and Human Servicessaid it will direct any additional money it receives to people who have already applied through the portal. Washington's statewide eviction moratorium expires on June 30, leaving a large number of low-income and vulnerable residents at risk of eviction, even as they struggle to recover from the coronavirus pandemic. EPRAP Tenant Eviction Prevention Fact Sheet - Amharic, EPRAP Tenant Eviction Prevention Fact Sheet - Arabic, EPRAP Tenant Eviction Prevention Fact Sheet Dari, EPRAP Tenant Eviction Prevention Fact Sheet - English, EPRAP Tenant Eviction Prevention Fact Sheet - French, EPRAP Tenant Eviction Prevention Fact Sheet - Korean, EPRAP Tenant Eviction Prevention Fact Sheet - Somali, EPRAP Tenant Eviction Prevention Fact Sheet - Spanish, EPRAP Tenant Eviction Prevention Fact Sheet - Vietnamese. If you receive an eviction summons in King County, contact the Housing Justice Project at 206-267-7069 or email hjpstaff@kcba.org. Additionally, please provide our office with all items listed on theWrit of Restitution Intake Sheet. Phone: (206) 684-5700 All other King County jurisdictions: The risk of eviction proceedings increases starting Nov. 1, 2021, but protection is available. And our message really is that renters still have rights. The program could help even more tenants based on volume, with nearly three times as many tenants applied than have received assistance so far. But the days just before and after the end of the moratorium have brought an uptick in calls for help, service providers say. State officials estimate tenants have accumulated rent debt of about $110 million a month, or roughly $1.1 billion to $1.2 billion total. Rigdon said he lost work at the Westin downtown early in the pandemic when hotels and restaurants were hard hit by shutdown orders. SEATTLE Seattle's eviction moratorium officially ended Monday, two years after it was enacted. The Eastside Legal Assistance Program can also provide legal help to tenants. Its very premature of them, because we are still have issues with their database.. "We've done about all we can do," Inslee said. The remaining $6 million of this first allocation has already been obligated to community-based organizations that are targeting rental assistance to BIPOC communities that may be left behind by other rental assistance programs. Weekly data shows call numbers rose from around 82 calls weekly during the first five weeks of the year to an average of 153 the last four weeks, starting the week Mayor Bruce Harrell announced the end of the moratorium. Evictions fall hardest on those on the margins of society: Undoubtedly, those most impacted by prematurely lifting the eviction bridge will be those historically most marginalized. In King County, the King County Bar Associations. Tens of thousands of tenants have applied for rent assistance, but local officials will run out of funds before serving all of them. The extension drew swift criticism from some Republican state lawmakers, who have protested the eviction bans impact on landlords and, more broadly, the governors use of sweeping emergency powers. Find certified small business contractors and suppliers. For cases filed in General District Court, the average cost is $110. Extension language in the writ or an order allowing us additional time, will be necessary. We will review your notice to see if it complies with City regulations and refer you to resources. All residential tenantswhodemonstrateenduringfinancial hardship preventing them from paying rentwillreceive continued eviction protections for at least six months after the end of the moratorium, providing additional security for those most at risk through aspecificlegal defensecreatedbyordinance. The writ of eviction can be issued 10 days after the date the court rules in the landlord's favor; but it must be requested within 180 days at the very latest. PDF Federal Moratorium on Evictions for Nonpayment of Rent Skip to main content Paula Sardinas, president of the Washington Build Back Black Coalition, which backs city and state renter protections, agreed. There is some hope that King County could get more rent relief money from the state and perhaps the federal government. Landlords are encouraged to contact the detective prior to the physical eviction. Fees are payable in advance. Tenants who have not yet applied for rent assistance can join United Ways waitlist at uwkc.org/renthelp. For additional questions please see the Office of Economic DevelopmentsCOVID-19 Lease Amendment Tool Kit. "Seattle has pretty consistently made up like a quarter of all the evictions in king county alone, so we're looking at 30,000 households potentially being at risk for eviction," said Tram-Larson. Tenants who have not yet applied for rent assistance can join United Ways waitlist atuwkc.org/renthelp. The Washington Low Income Housing Alliance (WLIHA) Action Fund (a coalition member) also has launched a letter-writing campaign to the Governor with 1,800 letters and counting sent. Download: Adobe PDF. We also expect to receive soon additional funds to continue operating the program into 2022, communication director Chase Gallagher said in an email. Contact Us. Legislators, among other things, also expanded the program that attempts to resolve disputes between tenants and landlords before eviction. The Countys proclamation appears a signal to Governor Inslee that its OK to let the moratorium lapse. Rigdon is counting down the days because last week his landlord issued him a 14-day notice to pay the months rent he owes or leave his Capitol Hill micro-studio. 700 5th Ave, Suite 2000, Seattle, WA, 98124 Whether you are waiting for rent assistance in the Tenant Pool or currently in the process of being served, if your landlord issues you an eviction notice, help is available. In addition to the moratoria extension, the executive order ends dates for rent deferral policies for tenants of City Finance and Administrative Services facilities for December 31, 2021, for both businesses and nonprofits.