Blog
Don’t Discriminate Against Section 8
It used to be that landlords could choose to not accept Section 8 vouchers. That changed on September 30th of this year when a new law went into effect. This law now prohibits residential landlords in Washington from discriminating between tenants based on their source of income. This law prohibits a list of specific actions…
Read MoreHow to evict a tenant that has stopped paying rent.
It happens to even the best landlords. For whatever reason certain tenants stop paying rent or get impossibly behind in their rent. This post outlines steps for such a landlord to legally regain possession of their property. Update or create the rent ledger While easy to overlook, the first thing a landlord should do is…
Read MoreUnemployment Appeals
In Washington State, employees may be entitled to compensation from the state unemployment insurance system when they become unemployed through no fault of their own. When a person (claimant) files a claim, the Employment Security Department will determine whether the claimant is entitled to unemployment benefits. Whether the Department grants or denies the claim, both…
Read MoreDocumenting agreements and conversations
We make agreements and have important conversations all the time. Where are separated parents meeting to exchange the children? Where should a tenant pay his rent? Which neighbor is paying for the broken fence? A common legal problem occurs when a person thinks they have an agreement with another, but later the second person does…
Read MoreCan I modify my spousal maintenance?
As part of a divorce, a Washington court may order one spouse to pay the other a certain amount of money over a certain period of time as maintenance. This spousal maintenance is intended to help equalize the economic positions of the parties after the divorce. In setting maintenance, the court considers several factors such…
Read MoreUnlawful Detainer (eviction) – Part 3 – Resolution or Show Cause Hearing and Beyond
As covered in the previous post, if the summons and complaint are answered then the landlord cannot prevail without a show cause hearing (for residential tenancies) or trial. The show cause hearing is set by the motion of the landlord. The court then will issue an order for the tenant to appear and show cause…
Read MoreUnlawful Detainer (eviction) – Part 2 – Summons, Complaint, and Answer
Once a landlord knows that his tenant is in unlawful detainer he may start the lawsuit. The lawsuit begins by serving at least two documents on the tenant, the summons and the complaint. The summons is a formal document that provides notice to the tenant that his landlord is bringing a lawsuit to evict him,…
Read MoreUnlawful Detainer (eviction) – Part 1 – Notice
Before a landlord files an action for unlawful detainer (eviction), the tenant must be in a state of unlawful detainer first. Otherwise the landlord risks not only having his action dismissed by the court but also having to pay the tenant’s attorney’s fees. In most cases, a written notice must be served on the tenant…
Read MoreUnlawful Detainer (eviction) – Introduction
The legal action for a landlord to recover their property from a tenant is called unlawful detainer. In layman’s terms it is an eviction. This is the introductory post for a three part series outlining the process. Unlawful detainer is a special expedited legal process. Unlike most lawsuits, a contested unlawful detainer matter can be…
Read MoreDeclaration Writing Tips
If you have a matter in court then sooner or later you will probably need to write a declaration. This is a general guide on how to write an effective declaration.
Read MoreDisclaimer
The information provided on this website is for general purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by reading this site, posting comments, or sending the attorney emails. These articles represent their author's opinions and ideas at the time of writing. Mr. Mutchler reserves his right to revise his opinions at anytime without notice. Unless otherwise stated, the law discussed is for Washington only.