Inslee expands eviction moratorium through June 4

WASHINGTON — Gov. Jay Inslee expanded an eviction moratorium and added additional protections for residential and some commercial renters Thursday.

“It is clear that as we deal with the challenges around COVID-19, the financial impacts on Washingtonians are significant,” Inslee said. “People have lost their livelihoods through no fault of their own, and we must continue to take steps to ensure they don’t also lose the roofs over their heads. Continued support and protection for tenants is the right thing to do, and I am extending and expanding the moratorium on evictions through the beginning of June, which will allow for two additional rent cycles.”

It was in mid-March when Inslee first announced a moratorium on evictions, which only applied to dwellings that are in the Landlord-Tenant Act, preventing a landlord from evicting or seeking an unlawful detainer order.

It also stopped landlords from serving an eviction order, although it had some exceptions, and it did not cover all situations or cover commercial rentals and leases.

The governor’s new proclamation also prohibits residential evictions in other dwelling situations like those who rent lots and parcels of land, transitional housing and public lands. It also prohibits enforcement of agreements to vacate and the following, as listed below.

- Prohibits a landlord from requiring a non-paying tenant to move to a lesser unit, and prevents landlords from threatening to take action against tenants.

- Prohibits landlords from assessing or threatening to assess late fees or other charges for non-payment.

- Prohibits landlord from assessing (or threatening to assess) rent for housing/parcel where the tenants access or use was prevented as a result of COVID. Such as:

1. Seasonal/college housing closed;
2. People who planned to move in but are prevented from doing so due to COVID-19;
3. People who were forced to leave due to COVID needs of their own or others.

- Prohibits landlords from increasing rents or deposits for residential and commercial units.

1. As it relates to commercial rental properties, this prohibition applies only if the commercial tenant has been materially impacted by the COVID-19, whether personally impacted and is unable to work or whether the business itself was deemed non-essential or otherwise lost staff or customers due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
2. This proclamation protects commercial tenants by prohibiting rent increases or threats of rent increases.

- Prohibits landlords from treating unpaid rent and charges as an enforceable debt, unless the landlord demonstrates by a preponderance of the evidence to a court that the resident was offered, and refused or failed to comply with, a reasonable repayment plan that was reasonable based on the individual financial, health, and other circumstances of that resident.

In a note from the governor, it says: All rent payments delayed through this moratorium will still be owed, but a landlord must offer a tenant a reasonable repayment plan to enforce any collection of that debt.

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