Governor Inslee Expands Eviction Moratorium and Adds Additional Protections

Governor Inslee has expanded his eviction moratorium and added additional protections for residential and some commercial tenants. 

• Landlords are prevented from evicting tenants in all situations that fall within the Landlord Tenant Act and law enforcement is prohibited from assisting in any evictions.
   
• Residential evictions in other dwelling situations are also prohibited including but not limited to: lots/parcels (some motor home owners own the vehicle but lease the lot); transitional housing; and public lands - camping grounds.
   
• Prohibits enforcement of agreements to vacate.
   
• Prohibits landlords 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) rent for housing/parcel where the tenants' access or use was prevented as a result of COVID-19. Such as: seasonal/college housing closed; people who planned to move in but are prevented from doing so due to COVID-19; people who were forced to leave due to COVID-19 needs of their own or others.
   
• Prohibits landlords from increasing rents or deposits for residential and commercial units. As it relates to commercial rental properties, this prohibition applies only if the commercial tenant has been materially impacted by COVID-19, whether personally impacted and is unable to work or whether the business itself has been deemed non-essential or otherwise lost staff or customers due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The new proclamation protects commercial tenants by prohibiting rent increases or threats of rent increases.
   
• Prohibits landlords from treating unpaid rent and charges as enforceable debt, unless the landlord demonstrates by a preponderance of 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. Note: All rent payments delayed through the moratorium will still be owed but a landlord must offer a tenant a reasonable repayment plan to enforce any collection of that debt.