Now, Giust said she has reapplied to King County and is again waiting to hear back. We need to make sure were creating safety nets, said Paula Sardinas, president of the Washington Build Back Black Alliance, which had called on Inslee to extend the moratorium. 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. The advance fee for service of the writ includes one hour of the detective's time at the eviction. For additional questions please see the Office of Economic DevelopmentsCOVID-19 Lease Amendment Tool Kit. Sound Transit CEO Julie Timm will be joining us for an Urbanist talk on May 9. Theorder will alsomodifyadditional COVID-relatedreliefmeasuresrelated to utility assistance. The landlord may provide this notice and then wait the requisite fourteen days before proceeding with the eviction process. Farivar serves as policy director at Disability Rights Washington, a frequent ally of ours. Tram Tran-Larson, Community Engagement Manager at Housing Justice Project (HJP) of the King County Bar Association, is worried about what this means for tenants. Detectives will serve the tenant or post a residence with a writ of restitution or court order. Seattle eviction moratorium will expire at end of February 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 King County eviction program has about $30 million left in the bank. Witter worries that with the eviction moratorium lifted, only those with the wherewithal to navigate the judicial system will be able to stay in their homes. About 2,200 households have received an average of $9,000 per household, said spokesperson Kari Moore. Get Help with Rent | United Way of King County Many King County services are continually adapting because of the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer). What will happen on February 28 when the moratorium expires? Sawant argued the city is on the edge of an eviction crisis. Duringthe next two weeks, Mayor Harrell will reviewreports created by interdepartmental City teams defined in his previousExecutive Order toevaluatedata,improve existing efforts,and seekadditionalsolutions. The extension drew swift criticism from some Republican state lawmakers, who have protested the eviction bans impact on landlords and, more broadly, the governors use of sweeping emergency powers. The number of positive Covid cases in King County is 90.2 cases per 100,000 people, according to the latest statistics . Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan is extending the city's COVID-19 eviction Housing advocates also point to weekly housing surveys which shows tenants continue to struggle to make rent. Housing Choice Vouchers Assistance for low-income families and individuals paying rent (formerly Section 8). The Washington State Department of Commerce has committed to providing $66 million more to King County for rent relief. 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. Seattle extends eviction moratorium through end of February; then it 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. The problem that we have is I dont think a lot of people are going to access that. According to United Way of King County, one of the countys partner organizations helping distribute rent relief, there are at least 3,000 Seattle households left in the eviction prevention applicant pool and about 2,000 of them are likely to receive help. Seattlecontinues to show thenationhow to protect small businesses and residents byestablishingand continuingone of the first in the nation moratoriumson evictions to keep families safe. That action included directing $658 million in federal aid dollars through the new state budget, which takes effect July 1, for rental assistance. Disclaimer: The information provided on this website does not and is not intended to represent legal advice. 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. Counties have also pointed to new documentation requirements that add time to processing applications for help. The vast majority of those funds are still available. Jay Inslee Thursday announced an extension of the emergency ban on evictions through Sept. 30 in an effort to help Washington tenants navigate the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. On Feb. 22, the Seattle City Council voted 5-3 against a proposal to extend the moratorium for the eighth time since March 2020. According to a recent U.S. Census Bureau survey, nearly133,000 adults in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area say they are behind on rent or mortgage and do not expect to be able to pay next month. For most of the thousands of households in Seattle and King County behind on their rent, relief money will likely mean the difference between eviction and staying housed. Free Virginia Eviction Notice Forms (3) - Word | PDF - eForms This spring, she said she landed a job at Seattles Lumen Field mass vaccination site. 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. King Countys tally for 2021 is currently at 674. We dont want to have success reopening our businesses, and then see a wave of homelessness, Inslee said in a news conference on states response to the pandemic. If you get an eviction notice, call the Renting in Seattle Helpline. 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. The Eviction Moratorium 'bridge' proclamation was created on July 1, 2021. Because of sometimes lengthy legal processes, the scale of evictions wont be clear for some time. 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Many callers are looking for help catching up on their rent, but HJP only has the resources to help people actively facing eviction. Rent is not canceled.. King Countys initial holdup, as we reported in early September, was that it opted to set up a new database and payment automating system to distribute rent assistance in an effort to help shield nonprofit partners from liability and reporting headaches that federal contracts entail. Correction: This article has been updated with the correct amount of rent relief money King County has distributed since the start of the pandemic. The executive order also extends certain suspensions put in place to limit the economic impact of the pandemic on Seattle residents and small businesses. The Eastside Legal Assistance Program can also provide legal help to tenants. King County Eviction Prevention and Rent Assistance Program - King County King County has created a new program to assist households economically impacted by the coronavirus due to illness, loss of income or unemployment who have been unable to meet rent obligations and are at risk for eviction. COVID-19 Assistance and Economic Relief Programs and services that help residents significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. . Commercial Leases Resources to help negotiate and amend leases for commercial property. This marks the sixth extension of the eviction moratoriumas part of the COVID-19 civil emergency since March 14, 2020,when Seattle declared one of the firstevictionmoratoriumsin the country. But there's one thing both must do immediately, without delay: Extend the city and state eviction moratoriums through the end of 2021. This timeline protects tenants from evictions for non/late payments throughmid-June2022. The program finally got up and running this month, but King County had a lot of money to distribute as the most populous county in the state, which means it is still lagging behind. Skip to main content Search kingcounty.govSearch KingCounty.gov Home How do I. Landlords are able to proceed with certain evictions but should have a good understanding of the process and what is and is not allowed. COVID-19 - Rental Housing Association of Washington - RHAWA Watch the video. AKA mid-January. It expects it can help up to 750 households. Visalia Legal Aid - (559)733-8770. Rigdon fell behind on rent for months and received about $16,000 in rent assistance last year, he said. The program could help even more tenants based on volume, with nearly three times as many tenants applied than have received assistance so far. Apply onlineor call their helpline: 425-747-7274 (English) 425-620-2778 (espaol). 4430. 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. This means that landlords are prohibited from evicting a tenant for past rent due from Feb. 29, 2020 through July 31, 2021. The Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections (SDCI) includes permitting, construction inspections, code compliance and tenant protections, and rental housing registration and inspections. However, tenants are still legally obligated to pay rent during the moratorium, and landlords are encouraged to offer flexible payment plans. Its no Bellingham, WA lawmakers deadlocked as drugs ravage Snohomish County, rest of state, Woman shot in West Seattle, hours after 2 killed on Capitol Hill, Oregon tells a cautionary tale about drugs, but were not listening. The city of Seattle alone has invested nearly $59 million toward rental assistance using general funds and federal funding during the last two years. State officials meanwhile continue to prod residents to get vaccinated. But the states most populous county has yet to distribute its latest round of aid. He graduated from the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Washington. The citys Renting in Seattle hotline has also seen an influx of calls. Eviction moratorium bridge extension too short for King County to Need legal help or resources for renters, it's all here. The countys emergency rental assistance is available to people making less than 50% of the area median income. All residential tenantswhodemonstrateenduringfinancial hardship preventing them from paying rentwillreceive continued eviction protections for at least six months after the end of the moratorium, providing additional security for those most at risk through aspecificlegal defensecreatedbyordinance. 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. "We've done about all we can do," Inslee said. Seattle's Mayor is the head of the Executive department. 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. However, when the state eviction moratorium protections were lifted, rent increases were no . 600 4th Ave, Seattle, WA, 7th Floor, Seattle, WA, 98104 Click on this link for fees effectiveFebruary 1, 2023. One-third of those who enroll in two-year colleges don't graduate, saying bureaucracy and a lack of support keep them from thriving. Inslee extends eviction moratorium, public utilities proclamation on March 18, 2021. Resources for Renters. Website by:Flip Flop Freelance. They have protected vulnerable households and have prevented racial inequities from getting even worse. 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. There are additional county and state resources that are also being distributed. Seattle to extend eviction moratorium through end of June After June 30, people who are not vaccinated are still going to be required to wear masks in indoor settings when they go to work, he said. We also expect to receive soon additional funds to continue operating the program into 2022, communication director Chase Gallagher said in an email. Gov. 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. 700 5th Ave, Suite 2000, Seattle, WA, 98124 Additionally, there are instances where no notice is needed as part of the eviction process in Virginia. OLYMPIA Gov. If the County continues to distribute ~$6M per week, they still have 15 weeks before that money is out the door. Seattle's eviction moratorium set to expire on Feb. 28 | king5.com - KIII 2023 Cascade Public Media. (The Urbanist Elections Committee endorsed Nguyen.) The goal is to place a new, qualified tenant prior to the current lease end date in order to minimize vacancy time. The well-paid front-of-house work he depended on still hasnt fully returned to pre-pandemic levels, he said. Here is a King County tenant fact sheet that may help! "It's up to them to get it distributed.". 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. . Evictions fall hardest on those on the margins of society: Undoubtedly, those most impacted by prematurely lifting the eviction bridge will be those historically most marginalized. 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. Data about how many people have fallen behind on rent in Seattle and King County is spotty at best. Additionally, please provide our office with all items listed on theWrit of Restitution Intake Sheet. State Health Secretary Umair Shah said hes hopeful the state can still hit its goal before June 30. King CountySuperior Court I'm a Landlord The writ of eviction can be issued 10 days after the date the court rules in the landlord's favor; but it must be requested within 180 days at the very latest. 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. Meanwhile, King County plans to stop accepting new applications for pandemic-related rent assistance on the same day Seattle's eviction moratorium will end, on Feb. 28. The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times. 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. 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. Rigdon is counting down the days because last week his landlord issued him a 14-day notice to pay the months rent he owes or leave his Capitol Hill micro-studio. 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. Weve done about all we can do, Inslee said. The Mayor directs and controls all City offices and departments except where that authority is granted to another office by the City Charter. Watch the video. 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. 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. Landlords are required to notify tenants of the installment option. and service fees can vary based on the county. Outside King County, tenants seeking legal help can apply online at nwjustice.org/apply-online or call the Eviction Defense Screening Line at 855-657-8387. 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. The eviction moratorium lapsed on July 31, but the CDC announced on August 3 a limited eviction moratorium through October 3 for renters living in communities experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases, covering an estimated 80% of all U.S. counties and 90% of all renters. KUOW - Pandemic updates: Covid cases waning in Seattle area But Inslee Thursday said some mask requirements will stay in place beyond that date for people who still arent vaccinated. So far, 716 households have received about $6.4 million, according to Jackie Anderson, division manager at the Snohomish County Human Services Department. Landlord/Tenant Act. In 2021, the hotline averaged about 270 calls per month, according to data from the Department of Construction and Inspections. Once the dispute resolution center certifies that a landlord has gone through that process, the court case can go ahead. We certainly are concerned about the eviction moratorium being lifted, said Lauren McGowan, United Way of King County associate vice president. King County EPRAP has limited funds available. 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. The EPRAP program still has quite a bit of funding trickling out to tenants and their landlords. Register for the Zoom Link. Due to limited funding remaining, the EPRAP program is no longer accepting new applications for rent assistance. If you have signed up for the waitlist and have not yet been contacted by a staff person, you will not have an account through this portal and should direct all questions regarding your application status to United Way King County through their Rent Help site and support form. He lives in East Fremont and loves to explore the city on his bike. 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.