by Rich Smith • Mar 11, 2021 at 10:53 am
The just cause bill is one of a few major pieces of legislation aimed at preventing a wave of evictions that could exacerbate the state s homelessness crisis. ROB DOBI
Over the next few weeks lawmakers in Olympia will consider a few major pieces of legislation designed to strengthen tenant protections and help stem the tide of a potential wave of evictions set to begin at the end of the month, when the Governor s moratorium is scheduled to lift.
Next week the House will hear a big ol Senate bill, sponsored by Sen. Patty Kuderer, that requires landlords to offer reasonable payment plans for tenants who got behind during the pandemic, hooks up landlords with rental assistance dollars, sets up a temporary eviction resolution program, and gives poor people facing eviction the right to an attorney. (If that last provision remains in the bill, Washington would be the first state in the country to o