Tenants who owe one month of rent or less can repay the amount in three monthly installments, while those who between one and two months of rent can pay in five installments and those who owe more than two months can pay with six monthly installments. Seattle residents facing eviction are also afforded a right to legal counseland additionaleviction protectionsbased on time of year. What does this mean for renters, landlords, and property managers?Renters continue to have a number of eviction protections detailed below. Neighboring counties like Snohomish and Pierce County implemented their programs manually and were quicker to get money out the door. Gov. Evictions for lease violations do not have those requirements, meaning those eviction cases can move faster. Detectives will serve the tenant or post a residence with a writ of restitution or court order. . Theorder will alsomodifyadditional COVID-relatedreliefmeasuresrelated to utility assistance. Before the pandemic, between 30% and 50% of Washington tenants facing eviction defaulted, meaning they did not respond in court. Pierce County was already at 59% distributed in August, but King Countys $63 million amounts to 43% of its total. By subscribing, you agree to receive occasional membership emails from Crosscut/Cascade Public Media. P.O. Washington Gov. In other parts of the country, a feared tsunami of evictions has largely not materialized, likely because of a combination of government assistance programs, court backlogs and people who move out without going to court. The problem that we have is I dont think a lot of people are going to access that. Seattle's COVID-19 eviction moratorium expired on February 28, 2022. 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. Landlord/Tenant Act. The Mayor directs and controls all City offices and departments except where that authority is granted to another office by the City Charter. Visit the EPRAP Tenant Portal. Please dont walk away now, the letter continues. Both moratoriums were first proclaimed in mid-March 2020 . Mailing Address: The landlord may provide this notice and then wait the requisite fourteen days before proceeding with the eviction process. 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. To not increase rent for six months after payment period. The court follows the tenant-landlord act of the State of Washington. The program also targets people of color, withnumerous reportsfindingthat people of color account for disproportionate numbers of evictions locally and nationally. Officials around the nation are seeing a slowdown in people starting the vaccination process, Shah said, adding: That is something that we are concerned about in the public health community.. #EvictionCrisis https://t.co/KToqQ8UjA8. This timeline protects tenants from evictions for non/late payments throughmid-June2022. All Rights Reserved. Kings County Small Claims Advisor (559)582-3211, ext. "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. For questions and general information about tenants rights, call Solid Grounds Tenant Services Message Line at 206-694-6767 or the Tenants Union of Washington State hotline at 206-723-0500 or try tenantsunion.org. What you see is stress levels going up. About 2,200 households have received an average of $9,000 per household, said spokesperson Kari Moore. Beyond Seattle, Burien, and Kenmore, most havent taken up the cause. 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. United Way of King County has launched a service on its website to alert tenants to new financial help if it becomes available. King County renters owe an average of $4,750 in back rent, the highest in Washington state. The county partnered with community-based organizations to do in-person outreach for the emergency rent relief program with people who might not have otherwise used the web portal. Doug Trumm is the executive director of The Urbanist. Housing Choice Vouchers Assistance for low-income families and individuals paying rent (formerly Section 8). New laws delay some evictions and provide renters a right to legal counsel. Landlords can find information about state mitigation programs on the Department of Commerce website. An accomplished architect, Hutchins has long advocated for more housing options. If there is an unexpected windfall and the county can provide money to everyone whos applied, it will reopen the portal to new applicants. King Countys tally for 2021 is currently at 674. King County doesnt expect payments to begin until mid-July, according to Mark Ellerbrook, division director of the countys Department of Community and Human Services. Eviction Moratorium Expired February 28, 2022. Darya Farivar, The Urbanist Elections Committees endorsed candidate in LD46, was our October Urbanist Meetup guest. The executive order also extends certain suspensions put in place to limit the economic impact of the pandemic on Seattle residents and small businesses. Evictions are a legal process that plays out in court, and it is up to a judge to grant a landlord the ability to remove a tenant from their home. There, mediators will attempt to reach the tenant and broker a deal between the two sides. He lives in East Fremont and loves to explore the city on his bike. 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. Were going to be the last-ditch effort and hopefully we can settle the case with funding for tenants facing eviction, Tran-Larson said. Witter also said its essential that tenants facing eviction show up to court, which is currently being held remotely over Zoom. Watch the video. Meanwhile, landlords under the new order must offer tenants a repayment plan before the eviction process is started. 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. Address: What has been abundantly proven over this last year and a half is that these eviction protections are working. In January, it received 343 calls and in February the number jumped to 527. If you receive an eviction summons in King County, contact the Housing Justice Project at 206-267-7069 or email hjpstaff@kcba.org. Much of the federal funds already allocated, which are distributed by county governments, has not made it to landlords bank accounts. However, the Executive did note theyre hoping for additional funding. A recent joint NPR and Harvard report finds significant growth in hardship by race and income: The majority of Black, Indigenous and Latinx households report facing serious financial hardship and many report losing all of their savings over the last several months.Washingtons renters are on the brink of instability and the only thing preventing a massive increase in evictions and homelessness are the extra protections put in place while rental assistance gets distributed. The Countys proclamation appears a signal to Governor Inslee that its OK to let the moratorium lapse. I have a hard time seeing them as fully operational.. 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. SeattleToday, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell announced thatresidential andcommercialeviction moratoriawill expire at the end of the monthof February. Charlie Baker's house in Swampscott, Mass. But most of those funds are already spoken for before evictions resume. To not issue late fees or additional charges for the payment period. SEATTLE Seattle's eviction moratorium officially ended Monday, two years after it was enacted. The Stay Housed Stay Healthy coalition (of which The Urbanist and HJP are members) is urging the Governor to extend the moratorium through the years end. The additional $16 million reserved for second-half payments of landlord advances would push that percentage to 54%. Trevor Rigdon has a plan for the next week: Pick up as many Instacart and DoorDash trips as he can, looking to average 10 to 12 hours of work each day. In incorporated cities, it will fall on the local mayors or city councils to extend eviction moratoriums. Inslee has continued to string along the moratorium in small one to three month increments, with the last extension announced on September 24th. Im extremely worried, of course, Rigdon said. 4430. MayorHarrellhas also directed the Citystaff to develop a website to connect tenants and small landlords to available financial resources,information onrights and protections,and other criticalupdatesneeded as the moratoriaends. If a renter doesnt show up, the court sides with the landlord by default. There are still options.. All the conditions that made that true are still true. The Eviction Moratorium 'bridge' proclamation was created on July 1, 2021. We rely on donations from readers like you to sustain Crosscut's in-depth reporting on issues critical to the PNW. Because of sometimes lengthy legal processes, the scale of evictions wont be clear for some time. What will happen on February 28 when the moratorium expires? The average amount of rental assistance is around $11,000 per household, slightly higher than King Countys initial estimates.. Duringthe next two weeks, Mayor Harrell will reviewreports created by interdepartmental City teams defined in his previousExecutive Order toevaluatedata,improve existing efforts,and seekadditionalsolutions. According to data from King County and Washington state departments of health, as of Monday, February 14, 2022: . We are excited to have a definitive end date to the eviction moratorium, to allow the regulations that have been passed to take hold and to see an ability to move forward and away from the pandemic, said Waller of the Washington Multi-Family Housing Association. The new funding comes in addition to $500 million already released by the state, which has provided rental assistance to more than 80,000 renters and landlords, according to the governors office. Before COVID, it was normal in King County to evict more than 4,000 households a year, and those evictions contained really appalling racial, ethnic and gender disproportionality within them, said Flor. In this Oct. 14, 2020, file photo, housing activists erect a sign in front of Massachusetts Gov. The Eastside Legal Assistance Program can also provide legal help to tenants. Without that, I would be homeless not a question about that one, Rigdon said. Last year, King County distributed about $38 million in rent assistance to 9,000 households. National reports echo these grim numbers. Apply online or call their helpline: 425-747-7274 (English) 425-620-2778 (espaol). The surge in outreach has also meant many new EPRAP applicants. Rent Increases in King County . The moratorium created a situation where not only the savvy survive, where those waiting on rental assistance were also protected, he said. One city law says that for the next six months, tenants can raise a defense in court if they can certify they suffered financial hardship because of the pandemic. The vast majority of those funds are still available. 2 dead, 1 critically wounded in shooting at Cal Anderson Park in Seattle, Think Seattle-area property taxes are rising fast? Landlords can, once again, serve their tenants eviction notices for nonpayment of rent, but renters facing. The latest expiration . 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. Posting comments is now limited to subscribers only. Skip to main content Search kingcounty.govSearch KingCounty.gov Home How do I. . In King County, the King County Bar Associations. Evictions (writs of restitution) - King County An eviction (Writ of Restitution) involves a tenant being court ordered to leave a residence. With an array of new state and city laws in effect, both landlords and tenants are unsure of their rights, said Neal Simpson, spokesperson for Solid Ground, which runs a tenant message line. Farivar serves as policy director at Disability Rights Washington, a frequent ally of ours. The process from application to payment takes on average 57 days, Moore said. The number of positive Covid cases in King County is 90.2 cases per 100,000 people, according to the latest statistics . (The Urbanist Elections Committee endorsed Nguyen.) State officials meanwhile continue to prod residents to get vaccinated. There are additional county and state resources that are also being distributed. Seattle, Burien, and Kenmore: These cities extended their eviction moratoriums to protect renters until January 15, 2022. Seattle Councilmember Andrew Lewis was our guest April 11th. Therefore, a thirty-day notice to quit addresses major violations by notifying the tenants they will be evicted at the end of 30 days. Im extremely disappointed in the governors actions, Caldier added, describing Inslees extension as heedless overreach by the executive branch . 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. The City continues to assess when to lift these individual suspensions as it relates to the COVID-19 emergency. Theres a housing crisis we were trying to solve before Covid. I'm a Landlord Seattle's Mayor is the head of the Executive department. 700 5th Ave, Suite 2000, Seattle, WA, 98124 HJP received assurances the County would go back and double check for erroneous rejections, which could be why the rate is so high. ARLINGTON COUNTY. 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. 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 King County eviction program has about $30 million left in the bank. Find certified small business contractors and suppliers. Most remaining state restrictions will lift June 30, the governor has said, or earlier, if 70% of Washingtonians age 16 and up have gotten their first shot. The Utility Discount Programs Self-Certification Pilot Program, as announced in Executive Order 2020-03, willbe extended through October 31, 2021. 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. Jay Inslee's Feb. 29, 2020, COVID-19 state of emergency ends . We talked road safety, social housing, zoning, and more. Visit King County Bar Association for more information and click here to understand your rights under the Bridge Proclamation. Sawant argued the city is on the edge of an eviction crisis. That includes the Washington Multi-Family Housing Association, which pushed for the eviction ban to end June 30. House Bill 1110 is one of several proposals this year intended to ease an affordability crisis across Washington due to a statewide shortage. SEATTLE(September 21, 2021)Asfederalfunds for rental assistancecontinueto be distributed, Mayor Jenny A. Durkan announced today that she is extending themoratoriumsforresidential and commercialevictionsthrough January 15, 2022throughExecutive Order 2021-07. But overall, the rollout of rent assistance has been slow. Landlords can find information about state mitigation programs on theDepartment of Commerce website. With the Governors bridge order in effect, Washington state landlords have been barred from evicting tenants for nonpayment of rent, but have been able to use other grounds, most commonly lease term violations or the owner wishing to occupy the unit or sell. Seattle landlords will be legally allowed to resume serving notices to their tenants and filing unlawful detainers (eviction lawsuits) in court. 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. Questions about the moratorium ending? Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The moratorium has been in place in Seattle since March 2020. Thats illegal, Simpson said. The detectives' assistance will include enforcing the court order and ensuring the peace. In the spring, the Legislature and Inslee approved a host of programs aimed at preventing a cascade of foreclosures and evictions. 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. Update: This article was updated at 1:42pm October 29th to add Governor Inslees no extension announcement. His commitment to the communities of color, and keeping families housed is critical to our WA Build-Back Black 5-year strategy. Reach him atjosh.cohen@crosscut.com or on Twitter at @jcohenwrites. Seattle Times staff reporter Joseph OSullivan covers state government and the Legislature. 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. 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. 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. Fee: General District . The Mayor directs and controls all City offices and departments except where that authority is granted to another office by the City Charter. 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 . Additionally, in King County, there is currently a court order that any eviction may be delayed by up to 60 days for a person who is enrolled in the EPRAP program to allow time for the program to pay rent. The new ban removes some types of housing from the existing order, including hotels and motels, Airbnbs, long-term care facilities and other nontraditional housing. Washington Administrative Code Seattle, WA 98104, Find certified small business contractors and suppliers, Department of Community and Human Services, Supporting Residents Experiencing Homelessness, COVID-19 Response: A Year in Review Timeline. Seattle's eviction moratorium, which for the past nearly two years has prevented evictions of residential renters, small businesses and nonprofits, will be extended through the end of. An estimated 195,000 Washington renters are behind on their rent, according to a Census Bureau survey conducted in late May and early June. If the County continues to distribute ~$6M per week, they still have 15 weeks before that money is out the door. If you receive a pay-or-vacate notice in Seattle, call the City's Renting in Seattle Helpline at (206) 684-5700 to make sure it's a valid notice. We are committed to working with the County Executive, ensuring the community both landlords and tenants understand the program and the availability of funding.. "We've done about all we can do," Inslee said. Tenants who dont go to court will be at more risk. The vote followed an announcement from Mayor Bruce Harrell that the moratorium would end on Feb. 28. Learn about Seattles ongoing eviction protections. Seattle's Mayor is the head of the Executive department. Currently, 21,761 tenants have been selected for service and referred to a caseworker to process their application. The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times. Utility Discount Program Apply for a discount on your electricity and utility bills. As of now, the majority of these funds have been disbursed or otherwise obligated through city partners, said Stephanie Velasco, communication director for the Office of Housing. Today we are at 68.1%, yesterday we were at 68.0% so were making progress, theres no doubt about it, Shah said during the news conference. Connect with services that can help with rental assistance, shelter, legal referrals, housing assistance, and more. The pandemics unprecedented economic toll threatened thousands of our neighbors with eviction, but the hard work of our staff and community partners has kept more than 12,000 households in their homes, Executive Constantine said. Tens of thousands still havent been helped yet: The most recent Census Bureau Pulse Survey data (week 39) finds that there are 128,126 tenants still behind in rent. King County officials expect there will be upwards of 8,000 households that have already applied to the program that will not get help before the money runs out.

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