What do you need to know about the Governor’s new proclamation?
1. This applies to residential, commercial and mobile homes.
2. Remove any late fees or other charges for non-payment of rent after February 29, 2020.
3. Return holding fees to those applicants who are unable to move-in due to COVID-19.
4. Do not assess rent to those tenants who vacate due to COVID-19.
5. No rent increases.
6. Do NOT serve 14-day notice to pay or vacate.
7. Do NOT serve a notice to terminate tenancy.
8. Do NOT threaten your tenant with an eviction or legal action.
9. Over communicate.
10. OFFER a reasonable repayment plan.
Start date: April 16, 2020
End date: June 4, 2020
The Governor issued Proclamation 20-05 proclaiming a State of Emergency. The original proclamation states……effective immediately and until April 17, 2020, I hereby prohibit the following activities related to residential evictions by all residential landlords operating residential rental property in Washington State:
Effects on lease end dates, fees, and lease breaks, etc:
Except as provided in this paragraph, landlords, property owners, and property managers are prohibited from treating any unpaid rent or other charges related to a dwelling or parcel of land occupied as a dwelling as an enforceable debt or obligation that is owing or collectible, where such non-payment was as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak and occurred on or after February 29, 2020, the date when a State of Emergency was proclaimed in all counties in Washington State. This includes attempts to collect, or threats to collect, through a collection agency, by filing an unlawful detainer or other judicial action, withholding any portion of a security deposit, billing or invoicing, reporting to credit bureaus, or by any other means. This prohibition does not apply to a landlord, property owner, or property manager who demonstrates by a preponderance of the evidence to a court that the resident was offered, and refused or failed to comply with, a re-payment plan that was reasonable based on the individual financial, health, and other circumstances of that resident.
Landlords, property owners, and property managers are prohibited from assessing, or threatening to assess, late fees for the non-payment or late payment of rent or other charges related to a dwelling or parcel of land occupied as a dwelling, and where such non-payment or late payment occurred on or after February 29, 2020, the date when a State of Emergency was proclaimed in all counties in Washington State.