With the passage of the Tacoma Landlord Fairness Code (Tacoma Municipal Code 1.100) in December 2023, unlawful detainer actions (evictions) within the Tacoma City Limits are now subject to restrictions during the school year and during the winter. According to TMC 1.100.060 (4), the school-year and winter eviction bans will not apply under the following conditions ..read more

With the passage of the Tacoma Landlord Fairness Code in December 2023, unlawful detainer actions (evictions) within the Tacoma City Limits are now subject to restrictions during the school year and during the winter.   Tacoma Public Schools began the 2024-2025 school year on September 9th, 2024. Every household with children living in Tacoma City ..read more

Tacoma's updated Rental Housing Code requires that prospective tenants earn at least 3 times the monthly rent when the monthly rent amount is below the Fair Market Rent (FMR) amount set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and at least 2.5 times the monthly rent when the monthly rent amount is at or above the HUD FMR.   LandlordSolutions has put together a short guide on how calculate Fair Market Rents for your properties. HUD provides comprehensive FMR databases that housing providers should reference when calculating FMR for your property. First, identify the ..read more

New guidance published by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) explains the rights of applicants and the responsibilities of housing providers and tenant screening companies under the Fair Housing Act (FHA). It aims to ensure nondiscriminatory screening practices and help applicants recognize when they might be unlawfully denied housing. In selecting a tenant screening company, housing providers should inquire into the ways in which the company ensures its screenings are accurate and nondiscriminatory and comply with all applicable Federal, state, and local laws. How we c ..read more

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On Wednesday, May 29, the King County Superior Court adopted an emergency amendment, effective immediately, to LCR 40.1(b)(1)(L), for unlawful detainer actions where noncompliance by the defendant is alleged to substantially affect the health and safety of other tenants. This emergency ruling appears to be an attempt to streamline unlawful detainer actions for resident behavioral issues that pose a risk to other tenants. LCR 40.1(b)(1)(L)(ii) In an action where substantial noncompliance by the tenant with any portion of RCW 59.18.130 or 59.18.140 is alleged to s ..read more

After Measure 1 passed in Tacoma and became the Landlord Fairness Code Initiative, the winter eviction ban became law. Tacoma's winter eviction ban runs until April 1st of the calendar year, which means that the ban expired on Tuesday, April 2nd, 2024 and will go into effect once more on Friday, November 1st, 2024. As anticipated, the expiration of the winter eviction ban created a bottleneck. Writs of restitution issued during the winter ban are now backlogged at the Sheriff's office. Currently, LandlordSolutions is still waiting for Tacoma writs issued on March 12th to be processed. Any case ..read more

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, booking a show cause hearing at the King County Superior Court in Kent took 4-6 weeks. Show cause hearings are the first step in the unlawful detainer (eviction) process in Washington State. However, the unlawful detainer process typically lasts at least another month after a show cause hearing before a judgment can be reached in court. By the time a writ of restitution is ordered and an appointment with the sheriff's office can be scheduled, several more months will have passed. As of Thursday, March 7th, 2024, the next available Ex-Parte show cause hearing at th ..read more

Due to a shortage of personnel in the Pierce County Sheriff's Office, writs of restitution in Pierce County are facing a significant delay in being processed and posted. As of Friday, February 16th, the Pierce County Sheriff's Office has unprocessed writs that go back to January 24th. This delay has occurred as a result of understaffing in the Sheriff's Office, as two support staff have left their positions at the beginning of the year and only one Legal Assistant continues to process writs at the office. The Sheriff's Office anticipates bringing on new support staff team members in March. As ..read more

Jim Henderson appeared on KIRO7's Jesse Jones Show that aired on February 11th, 2024. Just like tenants, no landlord wants to go through an eviction. If we want to stop evictions and homelessness, we need to increase rental assistance. Rental assistance is an equitable solution that keeps our senior, Veteran, and disabled neighbors housed. Rental assistance should be the #1 priority for WA State lawmakers ..read more