Gov. Inslee extends eviction moratorium ‘bridge’ period through end of October

Gov. Jay Inslee announced Thursday that he is extending an eviction moratorium “bridge” period another month.

Why extending eviction moratoriums could actually hurt renters

The bridge period was originally scheduled to expire on Sept. 30, and will now end on Oct. 31 instead.

A more broad statewide eviction moratorium ended on Aug. 1, making it so that tenants were required to resume paying rent. Through the end of October, landlords will still be permitted to evict tenants only after offering a “reasonable repayment plan” if the tenant has not negotiated a reduced rate, and the tenant is not actively seeking financial assistance.

Inslee ultimately made the decision to issue the extension “to make sure local governments have an opportunity to issue the rental relief available to citizens.”

“This will help ensure no one is evicted while large amounts of funding are available to use,” he said.

Local housing groups have previously expressed concerns over delays in distributed rental assistance funds, with King County having allocated just 6.6% out of $340 million in federal funds as of early September. A coalition that includes the King County Housing Justice Project and the Washington Multi-Family Housing Association has blamed requirements that they say “create barriers, delays, and decrease participation in the program [by] denying assistance to families and housing providers in need of immediate emergency rental assistance.”

Addressing those concerns, Inslee said that the U.S. Treasury recently “changed rules to make it more easy to distribute money,” and believes the extension “provides ample time for these funds to get out to citizens.”

“We’re at the point where this makes sense,” he noted.

A citywide eviction moratorium in Seattle was recently extended through Jan. 15, 2022.

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