The City of Seattle has several COVID-19 recovery tenant protection bills that cover non-payment of rent, mandatory payment plans, and fair chance housing. 
The City of Seattle has several COVID-19 recovery tenant protection bills. They are:
Non-Payment of Rent (CB 119784)
- Non-payment is a defense to eviction for six months following the expiration of the Mayor’s eviction moratorium.
- Your tenant must self-certify financial hardship and inability to pay their rent because of COVID-19
- All 14-day notices to pay or vacate must include the following language:
If you cannot pay rent, during or within 6 months after the end of the Mayor’s moratorium on evictions, your inability to pay is a defense to eviction that you may raise in court.
- Failure to include this language is also a defense to eviction and a deficient notice is also subject to recission if a tenant brings it to our attention
- No attorney fees are awardable
Mandatory Payment Plans (CB 119788)
- Payment plans are required during and up to 6 months after the City of Seattle’s declared civil emergency ends
- If a tenant is 1 month overdue – the payment plan can be as much as 3 consecutive equal monthly payments
- If a tenant is 1-2 months overdue – the payment plan can be as much as 5 consecutive equal monthly payments
- If a tenant is 2 months + overdue – the payment plan can be as much as 6 consecutive equal monthly payments
- Alternatively, you and your tenant can mutually agree in writing on an alternative payment plan schedule
- The payment plan becomes part of the rental agreement once agreed upon
- You cannot charge late fees/interest on late rent for up to 12 months after civil emergency ends
- All 14-day notices must include the following language:
City Law entitles you to pay overdue rent in installments. If your landlord does not accept payment according to the installment schedule, you may raise this as a defense to eviction in court.
- Failure to include this language and/or refusal to enter, into a payment plan provides a defense to eviction
- No attorney fees are awardable
Fair Chance Housing and Eviction Records Ordinance (CB 119787)
- Landlords cannot take adverse actions against a tenant or a potential tenant based any eviction related records from the start of the COVID-19 related civil emergency (March 3, 2020) and for six months after the declared civil emergency is over. Seattle Office for Civil Rights is the department that will enforce any violations of this ordinance. There is an exception for imminent threats to health and safety and other situations already exempted from Fair Chance Housing coverage
- The definition of eviction history is expanded to include eviction court filings, issuance of eviction notices, and any notification of an intent to evict.
- Landlords must include the following information on all applications for rental properties:
- Landlords are prohibited from taking an adverse action against a tenant based on eviction history occurring during or within six months after the end of the civil emergency proclaimed by Mayor Durkan on March 3, 2020
- Rebuttable presumption: If a landlord views a tenant’s COVID-19 related eviction records and then takes adverse action against that tenant, it is assumed the landlord acted on those records and therefore violated the law.