Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said Thursday the state’s eviction protections will remain in place through the end of October because counties aren’t getting federal and state COVID-19 relief funds intended for rental assistance out fast enough ahead of the current moratorium that was set to expire Sept. 30.
Under an eviction moratorium “bridge” that Inslee announced in June, landlords were prevented from evicting tenants for any past-due rent owed from Feb. 29, 2020 through July 31, 2021. Since Aug. 1, renters have been expected to pay full rent unless they negotiate a lesser amount with their landlord or are actively seeking rental assistance. Tenants must also be provided in writing what services and support are available to them and landlords must offer them a reasonable repayment plan before starting the eviction process. Those protections will now remain in place until 11:59 p.m. Oct. 31.
As before, evictions are still allowed in cases where the landlord intends to sell or move into the property, or if an affidavit declares there are health and safety issues to the property created by the occupant.
According to the Census Pulse Survey for the weeks of Sept. 1-13, around 57,000 households statewide are currently not paying rent, and more than 147,000 have “no confidence” they could pay next month’s rent. The Census survey found that more than 49,000 respondents said it was “very likely” or “somewhat likely” they would have to leave their home due to eviction in the next two months. (AP)
