Eviction News Update - finally some Good News

[Account Closed]

Oops, my mistake. I thought they were going to give Landlords a break . . . Instead of easing the Eviction Moratorium to help Landlords, Instead of Providing Landlords with financial assistance, WA State and soon others, are going to Provide Free Legal Service to tenants to Fight the Landlords when evictions start up again.  

Washington state lawmakers push to provide lawyers for residents facing eviction

A bill up for final approval by the Washington state Senate aims to provide attorneys for some low-income residents facing eviction, which would make it the first state to enact such a measure.

© Getty Images Washington state lawmakers push to provide lawyers for residents facing eviction

The bill, a draft of which was initially passed in the state Senate and was approved with amendments by the House on Thursday, would provide lawyers for tenants who meet certain qualifying conditions.

Those eligible to receive legal representation from the state include residents receiving certain public assistance, individuals who have been committed to a mental health facility, those who can't afford an attorney or those who have incomes at 125 percent or below the federal poverty level, according to The Seattle Times.

Jim Bamberger, director of the state's Office of Civil Legal Aid, praised the legislation, telling the Times that it "is a powerful statement on the part of the legislature in terms of balancing power in the justice system between tenants and landlords."

"And I think it will work, honestly, in favor of both," he added.

However, an amendment added to the bill Thursday night has prompted concern from housing advocates, as it would end Washington state's eviction moratorium on June 30, the same day the federal order halting the practice amid the pandemic is set to expire.

Bamberger told the Times that if passed, the bill would require his office to hire 58 additional state attorneys, which he said may not be logistically possible in less than three months.

However, some state lawmakers have pointed out that the amendment would temporarily require the state to provide rental assistance directly to a person's landlord if a program qualified tenant does not have access to a lawyer starting July 1.

"The argument that the day the moratorium ends people are going to be on the street is just false," state Rep. Andrew Barkis (R) told the Times. "It takes months to go through the eviction process."

"We believe there will be plenty of time for these things to get set up," he added.

Bamberger noted that the legal representation program will likely cost his office an estimated $11.4 million in the first year.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced late last month, three days before the existing federal eviction moratorium was set to expire, that it would be extending the temporary ban on coronavirus-related evictions through the end of June.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement at the time, "The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a historic threat to the nation's public health. Keeping people in their homes and out of crowded or congregate settings - like homeless shelters - by preventing evictions is a key step in helping to stop the spread of COVID-19."

However, concerns have erupted in recent days after a new guidance issued by a Texas judicial advisory panel gave the green light for state courts to openly defy the CDC moratorium, putting hundreds of thousands of Texans at risk of being removed from their homes.

[Jerry W.]

@Eric Weldon-Schilling, your statement is wrong on so many levels that it is scary. Please read Atlas Shrugged, which was written by a woman who was forced to grow up in communism and escaped. If landlords cannot evict for failure to pay rent, how long before that housing falls apart? No money to paint, replace flooring, replace broken windows, fix roof leaks, broken toilets, repair electrical issues? If car companies could collect payments for selling cars or repair costs, how long would it be before they quit making cars and parts? If grocery stores could not stop shoplifters from taking all the food they want and not pay, how long until grocery stores quit selling groceries? If medical institutions could not collect for delivering babies, doing surgery, or even just seeing sick kids, in a few years people would quit being doctors and nurses. Imagine a world where kids die from the flu, ear infections, or where kidney stones, bad gall bladders and appendicitis are death penalties? If you don't pay people for the fruits of their labor they quit working. No one will ever buy a run down house and fix it up to rent if tenants don't have to pay rent. Would you allow someone to move into your house free of charge and live there forever? Would you allow people to take your vehicle and leave you with no way to go to work because you seem rich to them? How about eat your food if they are hungrier than you? How long will power plants run if no one pays for electricity? I could go on forever.