{"id":50336,"date":"2021-06-24T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-24T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/news\/governor-extends-some-protections-for-washington-renters\/"},"modified":"2021-06-24T13:06:58","modified_gmt":"2021-06-24T20:06:58","slug":"governor-extends-some-protections-for-washington-renters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/news\/governor-extends-some-protections-for-washington-renters\/","title":{"rendered":"Governor extends some protections for Washington renters"},"content":{"rendered":"
Washington tenants will have more time to catch up on rent payments without fear of being evicted. <\/p>\n
On Thursday (June 24), Gov. Jay Inslee announced an order that protects renters after the state’s eviction moratorium expires June 30.<\/p>\n
Starting Aug. 1, landlords can evict tenants who refuse to seek help from a rental relief program or a repayment plan, under the new proclamation, which runs through September.<\/p>\n
“I’m proud of the things we’ve done to protect families from homelessness during the COVID pandemic,” Inslee said during a news conference. “This extension is a bridge that will support both tenants and landlords during this transitional period.”<\/p>\n
This week’s announcement comes after housing advocates across the state asked the governor for more time to get rental assistance programs up and running, as well as for existing ones to work through a backlog of tenants needing help.<\/p>\n
Relief dollars were not expected to reach many landlords before the eviction moratorium expired.<\/p>\n
“The money is there, it’s just the process,” Inslee said. “There’s no shortage of cash in the drawer. We just need the functioning grant-making process, the application process and the clearance process to get these grants out the door.”<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, the Legislature earmarked $500 million for rental assistance. Another $650 million from the federal government should be available in July.<\/p>\n
Though the total amount of past-due rent during the pandemic could be as high as $1.2 billion — averaging about $110 million each month, officials said.<\/p>\n