Gov. Jay Inslee extended his moratorium on evictions on April 16, while also expanding his legislation to include more protection for renters, including prohibiting landlords from increasing rents.

“It is clear that as we deal with the challenges around COVID-19, the financial impacts on Washingtonians are significant,” Inslee said. “People have lost their livelihoods through no fault of their own and we must continue to take steps to ensure they don’t also lose the roofs over their heads.”

In a press conference this week, Inslee said the state paid $125 million in jobless benefits last week—the most that has been paid in any week since the program began in the Great Depression during the 1930s.

“Continued support and protection for tenants is the right thing to do and I am extending and expanding the moratorium on evictions through the beginning of June, which will allow for two additional rent cycles,” he said. 

Inslee’s new proclamation extends and expands the original moratorium on evictions through June 4 and adds protections for renters by prohibiting landlords to raise rents or threatening to assess late fees. 

In addition, when the moratorium lifts, landlords cannot turn unpaid rent into enforceable debt unless they offer a reasonable payment plan and the tenant then fails to comply with that plan.

 “No one should lose their home because they can’t pay rent during this crisis,” wrote Inslee on Twitter.

The order, which goes through June 4, includes the following protections for renters: 

• Prohibits residential evictions in dwelling situations, including but not limited to:
• Lots/parcels (some motorhome owners own the vehicle but lease the lot)
• Transitional housing
• Public lands – camping grounds

• Prohibits enforcement of agreements to vacate.

• Prohibits a landlord from requiring a non-paying tenant to move to a lesser unit, and prevents landlords from threatening to take action against tenants.

• Prohibits landlords from assessing or threatening to assess late fees or other charges for non-payment.

• Prohibits landlord from assessing (or threatening to assess) rent for housing/parcel where the tenants access or use was prevented as a result of COVID. Such as:
• Seasonal/college housing closed;
• People who planned to move in but are prevented from doing so due to COVID-19;
• People who were forced to leave due to COVID needs of their own or others.

• Prohibits landlords from increasing rents or deposits for residential and commercial units.
• As it relates to commercial rental properties, this prohibition applies only if the commercial tenant has been materially impacted by the COVID-19, whether personally impacted and is unable to work or whether the business itself was deemed non-essential or otherwise lost staff or customers due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
• This proclamation protects commercial tenants by prohibiting rent increases or threats of rent increases.

• Prohibits landlords from treating unpaid rent and charges as an enforceable debt, unless the landlord demonstrates by a preponderance of the evidence to a court that the resident was offered, and refused or failed to comply with, a reasonable repayment plan that was reasonable based on the individual financial, health, and other circumstances of that resident.