Seattle's COVID-19 eviction moratorium expired on February 28, 2022. 2 dead, 1 critically wounded in shooting at Cal Anderson Park in Seattle, Think Seattle-area property taxes are rising fast? Many callers are looking for help catching up on their rent, but HJP only has the resources to help people actively facing eviction. But the days just before and after the end of the moratorium have brought an uptick in calls for help, service providers say. Landlords can, once again, serve their tenants eviction notices for nonpayment of rent, but renters facing. The eviction moratorium expired on February 28, 2022. Counties have also pointed to new documentation requirements that add time to processing applications for help. Ultimately, its getting money to pay back rental debt that will keep tenants in their homes. An Urbanist writer since 2015, he dreams of pedestrianizing streets, blanketing the city in bus lanes, and unleashing a mass timber building spree to end the affordable housing shortage and avert our coming climate catastrophe. For evictions because of rent owed during the pandemic, landlords must offer tenants a payment plan with monthly payments of no more than a third of the rent. The Eastside Legal Assistance Program can also provide legal help to tenants. SeattleToday, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell announced thatresidential andcommercialeviction moratoriawill expire at the end of the monthof February. The Mayor directs and controls all City offices and departments except where that authority is granted to another office by the City Charter. Landlords also must notify a dispute resolution center in their county. Building a database to manage King Countys $145 million (with more on the way) has contributed to the delay, Ellerbrook said. King County has spent $227 million in federal funds on rent assistance since last year. If you anticipate the eviction may require additional time, you must notify the assigned detective in advance and additional fees may apply. Were not advising our members to do anything until we see the specific language of the moratorium, said Brett Waller, director of government affairs at the association. Before the legislative session ends this week, state lawmakers are still debating their budgets in Olympia, where House Democrats have proposed spending an additional $55 million on rent assistance. 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. Rent assistance: King County no longer accepts new applications for rent assistance, but smaller organizations and nonprofits throughout the region still have some assistance programs. Watch the video. We still dont have enough housing. Evictions in general disproportionately affect people of color, according to a 2019 University of Washington study which found Black people were evicted five times more often than white people in King County. For everyone landlords and tenants.. Charlie Baker's house in Swampscott, Mass. When Mayor Harrell announced that he was ending the eviction moratorium, he said the city would expedite the distribution of $25 million in state and federal dollars the city already had earmarked for rent relief. Tenants who feel they have been discriminated against in housing based on one of Seattles protected classes can file a complaint with the citys Office for Civil Rights at seattle.gov/civilrights/file-complaint, For help negotiating, tenants and landlords can contact the Dispute Resolution Center of King County at kcdrc.org. Over 44,000 have children under 18 in the household. 5680 King Centre Drive . Data about how many people have fallen behind on rent in Seattle and King County is spotty at best. Heres what to know, Where the Starbucks union stands after rallies, proposed audit, Auditors flag half of Washington counties over COVID-19 aid, Starbucks union fight shows hard road for many toward contract, Mossback Upon Further Review: the Seattle Freeze and the Old South, Mossback's Northwest: The Case of the Pickled Orca, Six more months during which tenants cannot be evicted if they can show that they fell behind on rent during the pandemic, Protection for Seattle renters with school-aged children or those who work for the school district. The detectives' assistance will include enforcing the court order and ensuring the peace. In December, Futurewise was our guest for a state legislative preview. King County EPRAP has limited funding available. Residential tenants who receive aneviction notice during the moratorium should contact the Renting in Seattle hotline at 2066845700. If the Executive continues to fail on getting out rental relief he needs to extend the moratorium for unincorporated areas. SEATTLE (September 21, 2021) - As federal funds for rental assistance continue to be distributed, Mayor Jenny A. Durkan announced today that she is extending the moratoriums for residential and commercial evictions through January 15, 2022 through Executive Order 2021-07. 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. Updated fees for restitutions in Seattle metro and elsewhere in King County found byclicking here. On March 18, 2020, Governor Inslee issued Proclamation 20-19 imposing a 30-day statewide eviction moratorium prohibiting residential landlords from issuing any eviction notice based upon non-payment of rent or termination of a tenancy unless the landlord attaches an affidavit attesting that the action is necessary to ensure the health and safety Monday-Friday8:30am-4:30pm. There are some exceptions which can be found under the RCW links above. Fortunately, our eviction moratorium has withstood initial legal challenges in King County Superior court as it is directly tied to the COVID-19 public health crisis." That figure comes after the injection . In the last two weeks of February, before the moratorium ended, the center received 679 cases. BIPOC communities, people with disabilities, households with children, LGBTQIA+ communities, immigrants, the WLIHA letter adds. Based on the pace established earlier this month, The Urbanist had calculated King County wouldnt be finish distributing its federal assistance by years end, but it appears the County is picking up the pace a bit distributing a new high of $8 million in rent assistance last week and turbo-charging distribution by contracting with nonprofit and community-based organization partners. 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. That time frame includes rent that was due between Feb. 29, 2020, and July 31 of this year. Disclaimer: The information provided on this website does not and is not intended to represent legal advice. 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. Commercial Leases Resources to help negotiate and amend leases for commercial property. Jay Inslee eventually loosened Washington state's moratorium to allow for evictions with a 60-day notice in cases where the landlord intends to sell or personally occupy the premises . However, the Executive did note theyre hoping for additional funding. In April 2020, Governor Jay Inslee amended Washington State's initial eviction moratorium to prohibit landlords from increasing rents during the COVID-19 pandemic, and for over a year, tenants were protected from rent increases, as well as from many kinds of evictions. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer). Even with an array of new city and state protections, including the right to a payment plan, the notice is a source of anxiety because its the first step toward potential eviction. Revised Code ofWashington Seattle's eviction moratorium will end February 28 . All other King County jurisdictions: The risk of eviction proceedings increases starting Nov. 1, 2021, but protection is available. Legal help: If you receive a pay-or-vacate notice in Seattle, call the citys Renting in Seattle Helpline at 206-684-5700 to make sure its a valid notice. That includes the Washington Multi-Family Housing Association, which pushed for the eviction ban to end June 30. Fee: General District . Tenants who miss rent payments within six months of the civil emergency order (not the moratorium) ending are entitled to installment plans to repay their debt, under a 2020 council ordinance. In-person assistance available 10:00am to 2:00pm. Download: Adobe PDF. Landlord and tenant advocates both agree that for any tenant facing eviction, communication and following the rules will be key. There are additional county and state resources that are also being distributed. 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. Asreported by the Seattle Times, 60,000 Seattle area renters are behind on rent. Farivar serves as policy director at Disability Rights Washington, a frequent ally of ours. For Landlord/Tenant information - www.dca.ca.gov. 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. We also expect to receive soon additional funds to continue operating the program into 2022, communication director Chase Gallagher said in an email. Under Inslees latest order, landlords will be prohibited from evicting tenants for past-due rent accrued during the pandemic, until a rental assistance program and an eviction-resolution program are operational in their county. Visit the Partner Resources page on the King County EPRAP website. Its up to them to get it distributed.. even as Washingtons economy starts to rebound, remaining state restrictions will lift June 30. On Feb. 28, Seattle's COVID-19 residential and commercial eviction moratorium ended. With not everyone in need receiving rent assistance on the front-end, many could end up in eviction court. Update: This article was updated at 1:42pm October 29th to add Governor Inslees no extension announcement. Announcing a final two-week extension of the eviction moratoria, Mayor Bruce Harrell issues directive to support vulnerable tenants and small landlords through $25 million in emergency assistance, online resources. BIPOC communities, people with disabilities, households with children, LGBTQIA+ communities, immigrants, those with the lowest incomes, and other marginalized groups all face serious risks of homelessness on November 1st unless eviction protections are extended.The undersigned organizations urge you to extend the eviction bridge protections until the end of the public health emergency or at least until rental assistance funds are expended. The vote followed an announcement from Mayor Bruce Harrell that the moratorium would end on Feb. 28. Landlords are able to proceed with certain evictions but should have a good understanding of the process and what is and is not allowed. You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. The program could help even more tenants based on volume, with nearly three times as many tenants applied than have received assistance so far. Clarifies that among the existing permissible reasons for seeking to evict a tenant is a tenant's behavior that can be imminent be hazardous to safety of others on the premises. To date, 33,935 tenants have expressed interest in the program, and as applications are processed, the EPRAP team has found about that about 67% of applicants are eligible for payment, the Executives release states. He lives in East Fremont and loves to explore the city on his bike. Tran-Larson said rejection rate seemed alarmingly high. She pointed to hiccups in qualifying tenants who should have been approved based on their income but the system rejected. An estimated 195,000 Washington renters are behind on their rent, according to a Census Bureau survey conducted in late May and early June. 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. In a press release today, King County Executive Dow Constantine said $63 million has been distributed to keep tenants housed and declared the Countys Eviction Protection and Rent Assistance Program (EPRAP) fully operational as required by the State. The City has distributed more than $15 million of the first allocation of the American Rescue Plan rent relief to tenants and landlords since June including 100% of funds to United Way King County and income-restricted affordable housing. Jay Inslee's Feb. 29, 2020, COVID-19 state of emergency ends . For nearly two years, Seattles eviction moratorium helped tenants who fell behind on rent avoid eviction and drew criticism from landlords who said they were struggling to cover their own bills. Please read Mayor Harrell's latest eviction moratorium announcement. Officials expect 7,000 to 8,000 tenants who applied to be left without help. As part of receiving rent payments from King County, the landlord signed a Payment Agreement. Renters can also seek help from theTenant Law Centerat 206-324-6890. However, Harrell's office said it's difficult to track the number of people who have benefited from the moratorium. 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. Both moratoriums were first proclaimed in mid-March 2020 . It expects it can help up to 750 households. . If you receive an eviction summons in King County, contact theHousing Justice Projectat 206-267-7069 or emailhjpstaff@kcba.org. A key piece of the safety net for tenants like Rigdon throughout the pandemic has been hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds for emergency rent assistance.