Washington has completely disabled ability to manage your rentals

[Jack B.]

I've had these 3 19 year old room mates renting a house from me since February and it's been a disaster ever since. Holes in walls, carpet trashed, utilities unpaid, neighbors complaining. I've served them with a 10 day notice to comply or vacate, and even that they are fighting. 

Talked to an attorney and apparently I can't even enforce rules to stop them from damaging the property. They are now denying me access claiming I need their permission to enter to fix a plumbing issue THEY reported. The drain won't drain and I'm trying to get a contractor in there to fix it.

So I found out the city of Federal Way where the rental in question is, has a 120 day just cause eviction ordinance. So on top of the 60 day notice the governor decreed, I now have to have an attorney prepare and send them a 120 day notice that I'm selling the house, my only way to get them out. 

The attorney said that unless the police are called there regularly or the house is burning down, I can't do anything, and that once the governor added the 60 day notice clause to the eviction moratorium as a way for landlords to get people out, by selling or moving into the property with proper 60 day notice, she said she had an INFLUX of investors like me who called her telling her they don't want to be a landlord in California or Washington anymore and to liquidate their portfolio, beginning with sending the proper notice to the tenants.

I'm right there with him. I have a half a million dollar house people are damaging, and I'm being told that *I* will be the one fined or possibly arrested by the state for trying to protect my property from damage. People can basically move in and do whatever they want and live for free. Fortunately to date they have been paying rent, but I fully expect them to stop paying that and coasting the next few months at my expense.

Meanwhile I'm looking at a minimum 10K fine if contacted by the AG's office and jail time for trying to protect my property from bad tenants with repeated documented violations and damages.