With rent due for many people this week, worries are increasing for both tenants and landlords as more people find themselves out of work due to the coronavirus. Those worries remain despite a statewide moratorium on evictions and a pause in non-emergency court proceedings.
The effect of these actions is that people who are unable to pay rent should be able to stay in their homes for now. But the rent has to be paid eventually.
The moratorium issued March 18by Gov. Jay Inslee stops landlords from beginning the eviction process for tenants who can't pay rent. It remains in effect through April 17. The Supreme Court order limiting proceedings affects eviction hearings and remains in effect through April 24.
There is no centralized form of rental assistancecoming from the state at this point. What these orders do is give people time to try to come up with a plan, says Edmund Witter, managing attorney at the Housing Justice Project.
"You reaching out as a tenant is probably going to help if you indicate – if you're going to be short on something – what exactly your plan is to be able to address it," Witter said.
Witter spoke to nearly 100 people Thursday on a Zoom call organized and recorded by the Washington Community Action Network. Dozens more had signed up to ask questions about tenants' rights under these orders, but were turned away due to technological limits.
In addition to uncertainty about what happens after the moratorium ends, participants' questions revealed some of the complexities that are not directly addressed in the state's actions.
Some cities have enacted their own eviction moratoria that are broader than the state's, causing some jurisdictional confusion. The state's moritorium applies narrowly to rent-related evictions, so tenants may still face eviction for other reasons such as behavioral issues.
Renters and property owners also are feeling anxious about what happens after the moratorium expires.
"I think the anxiety level of folks calling into our office is about that fear of not knowing," said Kyle Woodring, government affairs director for the Rental Housing Association of Washington.
The association is lobbying for direct rental subsidies in addition to the moratorium because the economic fallout from the virus is expected to be so widespread.
"We think they're less complicated. They're easier for government to deliver quickly, and they help both the renter and the owner," Woodring said.
In addition to subsidies, Woodring says tax and mortgage relief would help. But those options could prove to be more complex.
The other issue is timing. If renters can't pay, then landlords who rely on rental income may have trouble paying their bills. Subsidies would keep things running, Woodring says.
A lot could happen between now and mid-April. For now, the advice from experts is to try to set up a payment plan or seek rental assistance if possible. Witter, the attorney, also recommends getting any deals about rent forgiveness or partial rent payment in writing.
