Seattle council set for vote on resolution to override eviction moratorium end date
Feb 21, 2022, 9:35 AM
Councilmember Kshama Sawant. (Seattle City Council, Flickr Creative Commons)
(Seattle City Council, Flickr Creative Commons)
A Seattle City Council resolution that would effectively overturn the expiration date for the city’s eviction moratorium will go up for a vote Tuesday.
Sawant calls for extension of Seattle eviction moratorium
Mayor Bruce Harrell initially set a Feb. 28 end date for the moratorium, which has been in effect for nearly two years, dating back to the early days of the pandemic in 2020. Harrell cited a recent decline in COVID-19 cases as the basis for his decision, as well as a goal to “drive more deliberate and focused efforts to support those most in need.”
After Feb. 28, renters “who demonstrate enduring financial hardship preventing them from paying rent” will continue to be protected against being evicted for “at least six months.” Landlords will also be permitted to move forward with “just cause evictions” in all other cases.
Even so, Seattle Councilmember Kshama Sawant has argued that an end to the eviction moratorium now could trigger “a wave of evictions” that would exacerbate the city’s already-prominent homeless crisis. That’s backed by a recent report from the U.S. Census Bureau, which estimates that nearly 19% of adults in the Seattle metropolitan area (spanning Seattle, Tacoma, and Bellevue) have either missed a recent rent or mortgage payment, or have low confidence in their ability to make rent next month.
Why extending eviction moratoriums could actually hurt renters
If passed, a proposed council resolution from Sawant would override Harrell’s Feb. 28 end date for the moratorium, and instead have it remain in place for the duration of the city’s COVID-19 public health emergency.
Seattle’s civil emergency related to COVID-19 has been active since March 3, 2020, and can be ended at any time by Mayor Harrell. While it’s in effect, it streamlines federal aid and state assistance, and affords broader authority to the mayor’s office to address the pandemic in a variety of ways.
The council will vote on Sawant’s resolution during Tuesday’s 2 p.m. session.
