Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in Washington

Re: Roommate abuses dogs

My first litigation rule: Don't take legal advice from potentially adverse parties, especially when they are not lawyers.

In WA, rental agreements can be verbal, and they are enforceable. Tenants and landlords have duties and obligations whether there is a writing or not.

Obviously, you should get your animals out of a situation where they are in danger of being abused.

Your notice is not 30 days, it is 20. But the 20 day's notice has to be given on or before the 10th of the month to be effective for the end of the same month, calculated from the day the rental period starts.

If they pay rent on the first, you give notice terminating the tenancy on the 10th and it is effective on the 30th (February is another story).

Unfortunately today is the 23rd so you are potentially stuck with these people until the end of October.

You could give them a notice today saying that the tenancy is over, no matter what, on October 31, 2007.

If they don't pay rent for October, you can commence eviction proceedings based on non payment of rent. You can also give them written notice to clean up the mess or face eviction.

You can also just try negotiating. You can offer them money to leave sooner. Evicting them is going to take time and your money, so maybe it would be more cost effective to negotiate an agreed move out date and give them a little money to get out, rather than paying a lawyer to do it.

Sorry this has been such a nightmare for you. I strongly advise you to NOT attempt a do-it-yourself eviction, because if you mess it up they will still be there and you could have to pay their fees.

Hope this helps. Elizabeth Powell