New bill could guarantee attorneys for low-income tenants getting evicted
Washington state could soon be the first in the country now to guarantee attorneys for low income tenants who are getting evicted, reports the Seattle Times. A bill is expected to pass this legislative session and it would provide lawyers to tenants who can’t afford legal help or have incomes below the federal poverty level.
As a result of this, the state is scrambling to hire attorneys before the eviction moratorium is lifted on June 30.
“This is phenomenal news because there are a lot of renters right that either a don’t understand the law and what’s legal and what’s not legal when it comes to renting and their rights,” said KIRO Radio’s Gee Scott.
Alexis Krell: Pierce County starts free eviction resolution program before COVID-19 moratorium ends
News Tribune, Tacoma, Wash. 12/18/2020 Alexis Krell, The News Tribune (Tacoma, Wash.)
Dec. 17 Pierce County Superior Court has started an eviction resolution program before moratoriums in response to the COVID-19 pandemic end. Currently there are both federal and state mandates suspending evictions based on the non-payment of rent, the court said in a news release Thursday. Once those mandates end, Pierce County expects a large number of eviction cases to be filed in Superior Court.
Gov. Jay Inslee s eviction moratorium and the federal eviction moratorium are both set to expire Dec. 31.