Close
Associated PressIn this photo taken Oct. 14, housing activists erect a sign in Swampscott, Mass. A federal freeze on most evictions is set to expire soon. The moratorium, put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in September, was the only tool keeping millions of tenants in their homes. Idaho, Washington renters facing differing circumstances Idaho tenants wonât be protected from evictions when federal ban ends July 31; Washington moratorium stays in place until Sept. 30
Associated Press
EXPLAINER: WA tenants get eviction reprieve, but how long?
sfgate.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sfgate.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
EXPLAINER: Washington tenants get eviction reprieve, but how long?
columbian.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from columbian.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Washington is first state to give right-to-counsel protections to these litigants
Image from Shutterstock.com.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill Thursday that gives low-income tenants a right to a lawyer in eviction proceedings.
Washington is the first state to give indigent tenants a right to counsel, the Seattle Times reports. Several cities have passed similar laws, and seven other states are also considering doing so.
The state’s Office of Civil Legal Aid estimates that it will have to hire 58 new lawyers, as well as contract lawyers, after the state lifts its eviction moratorium, which is now scheduled to end June 30, according to the Seattle Times. The projected cost is $11.4 million in the first year.