Committee debates revisions to eviction law, habitability and accommodation defenses

House Bill 19-15, a broad revision to eviction-related provisions of Washington's Residential Landlord-Tenant Act (RLTA), drew contested testimony Feb. 17 before the Washington State House Housing Committee, with landlord groups urging rejection and tenant advocates and legal services urging support.

The bill matters because it would change eviction notice periods, create new defenses for tenants in unlawful detainer actions, alter repayment-plan rules after judgments, and restrict when landlords can obtain money judgments — changes that parties on both sides said could affect the speed of evictions, housing stability for low-income tenants and landlords' legal and financial risks.

Audrey Vasek, staff to the committee, summarized the bill's main changes: it reorganizes causes for eviction to place required notice periods at the start of each cause; for certain covered dwelling units (including some federally funded units), nonpayment would require at least 30 days' written notice rather than the 14-day standard; notices for substantial breaches must specify acts, date/time and identities involved; the bill defines unlawful harassment consistent with the civil protection order law; and it removes obsolete references to an expired eviction-resolution pilot and rescinded proclamations.

Significant substantive…