[WSBARP] Terminating a Church "tenancy"

[Kaitlyn Jackson]

I have a really tricky one that I think may require a creative solution.

Original owners of a residential property entered into a "Residential Lease
Agreement" with a church that has long since expired and moved to
month-to-month. The Agreement allows the Church to rent the property to up
to 10 individuals as clean and sober housing. The original owners have died
and their children are now the owners or the property. The Church still
pays the rent but the new owners don't like the way the property is being
managed and want to terminate their agreement with the Church but KEEP all
the "subtenants" living there. The pastors of the church do not live on the
property. No one from the Church does. One of the pastors has disappeared
and is suspected to be in prison because he was allegedly selling drugs to
the clean and sober tenants. The new owners have spoken to the remaining
pastor about terminating the lease agreement but that pastor cited
Proclamation 20-19.2. I'm not sure but I think Proclamation 20-19.2 may
only protect terminating tenancy "requiring a resident to vacate." I don't
think the termination of this particular type of arrangement requires a
"resident" to vacate since the new owners don't want any of the residents
to vacate but to terminate the contract with the Church.

My instinct here is to just write a letter and offer a resolution to buy
out the Church. But if the pastor won't agree - I wonder if there's a more
creative solution.

-- 
Thank you,

Kaitlyn R. Jackson | Attorney| DIMENSION LAW GROUP PLLC
130 Andover Park East, Suite 300 | Tukwila, WA 98188
t: *206.973.3500 *| f: *206.577.5090*| e: *kaitlyn at dimensionlaw.com*|
www.dimensionlaw.com

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