Washington State Tenant Removal

[Chris Parrish]

My partner and I are about to close on a 5 unit apartment complex in Longview, Washington. One of the tenants has been in the unit for a decade and has been smoking in their unit. Not only that, but the unit needs major repairs and the tenant is not "quality tenant" material. While we were looking at the property, the tenant was screaming at us from upstairs not to raise their rent! 

Here are the main details: 

- The tenant is currently in a month-to-month lease with the previous owner. 

- Tenant receives rent help from HUD.

- The unit has drywall in the unit that is falling down from the ceiling and may not be a safe place to live. 

- We want the tenant gone. Plain and simple. We suspect drug use, but obviously can't prove anything. 

How would you proceed with this? Does anyone recommend a real estate lawyer or property management company in Washington that we should chat with in order to get adequate advice? We are happy to pay a consultation fee, but we just want to make sure everything is done correctly. 

[Marcia Maynard]

@Chris Parrish

Washington State Landlord-Tenant laws are good for landlords and tenants. "No Cause" Termination is a simple way to go and can't be contested and is an effective way to remove a tenant (not allowed in King County). Since the tenant is on a month-to-month agreement, you could go that route.  In most places it is a 20-day Notice to Terminate. In others it is a 60-day Notice to Terminate.

Longview is in Cowlitz County. So that's good. I'm going to tag @Michele Fischer since she used to invest in Longview and may know some resources for you.

We work with Quinn Posner, who also represents the Clark County Rental Association. He's good. He's done two evictions for us that were swift.   His website has some valuable information for landlords, so it's worth reading.  His office is in Camas, WA and he serves all of Clark County and Skamania County.  He may be able to give you a referral for Cowlitz County.

If the tenant receives rent assistance from HUD and it is a building owned by a private party, that probably means the tenant is in the Section 8 voucher program. If so, I can't imagine how the unit could pass their inspection from how you describe it. Even so, you need to follow the rules for Section 8 too, which you can find out from the Longview Housing Authority. You may be able to talk to the tenant's case manager for some tips too. The current owner may have a contract with the Section 8 office, so try to get a copy of that.

Good Luck!