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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Hello all—<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Dealing with an eviction here; my client is the landlord. Instead of rent, tenants put forms in the landlord’s mailbox for them to sign. They say it will allow landlord
to receive rent money from various charities and other organizations. My clients are an elderly couple, and they don’t want to be bothered with signing new papers and filling out forms every month. They just want rent money (yeah, yeah, I know… doesn’t every
landlord?). They refused to sign the papers and are now trying to evict.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">On the one hand, the .255 is pretty clear that landlord cannot discriminate on basis of income and has to accept rent from whatever source offers it. On the other hand,
nowhere in the statute does it say that landlords are required to sign papers, enter into agreements with third parties, and generally be filling out forms every month. At least, that’s the best argument I can come up with.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Anyone have experience with how the courts are construing this statute? Do my clients have a leg to stand on?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Thanks,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Ray<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Raymond V. Cleaveland<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">BURNS LAW, PLLC<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">524 Tacoma Ave. S.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Tacoma, WA 98402<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">(253) 507-5586 phone<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black">RCW <a href="http://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=59.18.255"><span style="color:#2B674D">59.18.255</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black">Source of income</span><span style="color:black">—</span><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black">Landlords prohibited from certain acts</span><span style="color:black">—</span><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black">Violation</span><span style="color:black">—</span><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black">Penalties.<o:p></o:p></span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black">(1) A landlord may not, based on the source of income of an otherwise eligible prospective tenant or current tenant:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black">(a) Refuse to lease or rent any real property to a prospective tenant or current tenant, unless the: (i) Prospective tenant's or current
tenant's source of income is conditioned on the real property passing inspection; (ii) written estimate of the cost of improvements necessary to pass inspection is more than one thousand five hundred dollars; and (iii) landlord has not received moneys from
the landlord mitigation program account to make the improvements;<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black">(b) Expel a prospective tenant or current tenant from any real property;<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black">(c) Make any distinction, discrimination, or restriction against a prospective tenant or current tenant in the price, terms, conditions,
fees, or privileges relating to the rental, lease, or occupancy of real property or in the furnishing of any facilities or services in connection with the rental, lease, or occupancy of real property;<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black">(d) Attempt to discourage the rental or lease of any real property to a prospective tenant or current tenant;<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black">(e) Assist, induce, incite, or coerce another person to commit an act or engage in a practice that violates this section;<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black">(f) Coerce, intimidate, threaten, or interfere with any person in the exercise or enjoyment of, or on account of the person having exercised
or enjoyed or having aided or encouraged any other person in the exercise or enjoyment of, any right granted or protected under this section;<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black">(g) Represent to a person that a dwelling unit is not available for inspection or rental when the dwelling unit in fact is available
for inspection or rental; or<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black">(h) Otherwise make unavailable or deny a dwelling unit to a prospective tenant or current tenant that, but for his or her source of income,
would be eligible to rent real property.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black">(2) A landlord may not publish, circulate, issue, or display, or cause to be published, circulated, issued, or displayed, any communication,
notice, advertisement, or sign of any kind relating to the rental or lease of real property that indicates a preference, limitation, or requirement based on any source of income.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black">(3) If a landlord requires that a prospective tenant or current tenant have a certain threshold level of income, any source of income
in the form of a rent voucher or subsidy must be subtracted from the total of the monthly rent prior to calculating if the income criteria have been met.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black">(4) A person in violation of this section shall be held liable in a civil action up to four and one-half times the monthly rent of the
real property at issue, as well as court costs and reasonable attorneys' fees.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black">(5) As used in this section, "source of income" includes benefits or subsidy programs including housing assistance, public assistance,
emergency rental assistance, veterans benefits, social security, supplemental security income or other retirement programs, and other programs administered by any federal, state, local, or nonprofit entity. "Source of income" does not include income derived
in an illegal manner.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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indicated otherwise, any federal tax advice contained in this communication (including in any attachments) is not intended or written by Martin Burns or Burns Law, PLLC to be used, and cannot be used by the taxpayer, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties
that may be imposed on the taxpayer under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing, or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein or in any attachments.
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