Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Bill would require landlords to keep payment portals open during evictions, but tenant groups say it removes judicial discretion
Summary
Sponsor says the bill would let tenants make partial payments during unlawful detainer proceedings while preserving landlords’ right to continue eviction; tenant advocates and some housing-reform witnesses oppose removing judges’ discretion and warn of unintended harm.
Senator Drew Hansen told the Senate Housing Committee that Senate Bill 6,139 would require landlords to continue to accept previously agreed payment methods and to keep payment portals open during the pendency of an unlawful detainer action, while clarifying that a partial payment "does not constitute nor may it be construed as a reinstatement of the lease" and does not stop an eviction proceeding.
Hansen said the bill grew from repeated courtroom examples a King County Superior Court judge flagged: tenants who could scrape together a partial payment but whose landlords refused to accept it,…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
