Inslee Extends Eviction Moratorium 'Bridge' Through October

OLYMPIA, WA — Gov. Jay Inslee has extended his eviction moratorium "bridge" another month, through the end of October. The moratorium had been set to expire at the end of September, but the governor says the extra month will be necessary to give local governments more time to disburse rent relief funding to landlords and tenants in need of assistance, hopefully preventing an eviction boom.

"This brief extension will help ensure that no one is evicted, while large amounts of rental assistance funding is still available, but unused," Inslee said at a news conference announcing the extension Thursday.

Last month, a Seattle Times report found that King County had distributed just 4.5 percent of the $145 million it had been given for rental assistance. Snohomish County fared better, spending 47 percent of its $57.8 million allotment, and Pierce County had spent 59 percent of its $53.4 million.

According to the governor, that's still an issue, but he expressed optimism that local governments would be able to pick up the pace over the coming month.

"We're hearing that counties need a little more time to be able to effectuate the rental relief that is available today to citizens," Inslee said. "We have good reason to believe that counties will be able to move more quickly now, in part because the U.S. treasury has changed some of their rules, that makes it much easier to distribute the money."

The bridge extension comes just one day after Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan extended her city's eviction protections into January.

Inslee's moratorium bridge was first announced in June, an effort to replace and update the older moratorium that had been in place since the beginning of the pandemic. At the time, the state estimated that Washington renters owed between 1.1 and 1.2 billion in past-due rent — a number that has likely grown in the months since. It is unknown exactly how many Washington renters are currently behind on their rent, but a study from the U.S. Census Bureau in July found that 53,724 Washington renters said they felt they were likely to be evicted. Another 61,624 said eviction was somewhat likely.

Under the governor's bridge:

Landlords cannot evict residents for past due rent accrued between Feb. 29, 2020, and July 31, 2021, at least until their county has established both a rental assistance program and an eviction resolution program. Landlords are also banned from treating unpaid rent as an enforceable debt until both the landlord and tenant have had the opportunity to resolve the nonpayment through the Eviction Resolution Pilot Program, established by SB 5160.

As of Thursday, 27 of Washington's 39 counties have established eviction resolution programs, the governor said.

Renters do need to pay rent, or make an effort to repay back rent. Beginning Aug. 1, renters had to either pay their full rent, pay reduced rent if they have negotiated a deal with their landlord, or seek rental assistance support. Landlords can only evict tenants if none of those actions are being taken, and must offer tenants a "reasonable re-payment plan" before beginning the eviction process. Landlords must also provide information regarding a tenant's right to legal counsel while issuing a two-week notice to vacate.

Non-traditional housing is excluded from the moratorium bridge. That includes hotels, motels, Airbnbs and long-term care facilities.

>> Learn more about landlord and tenant rights from the Washington State Attorney General's Office.