TOP 10 Things You Need to Know About The Extended Eviction Moratorium

The Joseph Group Apr 2020

Ian Joseph

“Clients first!” – is a huge part of the DNA that Ian Joseph and his Team have established at The Joseph Group. This motto helps them focus on striving for the highest level of customer experience, for their clients (landlords) and customers (tenants). In fact, Ian strongly believes that in life, family and business, you must strive to give more than you receive. “You can have everything in life you want if you help enough other people get what they want." - Zig Ziglar

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.

Expanded moratorium:

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: 

Gavel and Small Model House on Table

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.

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