Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in Washington

Tenant refusing to leave

My sister has a roomate who's refusing to leave. My sister owns the home, and there's no rental or lease agreement whatsoever. My sister gave her plenty of notice, but she is simply just not trying to find another place and expects to stay there for as long as she needs to. Is there a law in Washington State that gives this person rights even without any sort of rental or lease agreement? The reason she wants her out is because they aren't getting along and this person hasn't paid a single dime or helped out in any way since moving in several months ago. What can my sister do to get this person out?

Thanks for your help


Asked on 2/01/07, 6:42 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Elizabeth Powell ELizabeth Powell PS Inc

Re: Tenant refusing to leave

Yes, in a nutshell, its the Residential Landlord Tenant Act, found at 59.18.020 et seq.

Your sister can give her tenant a 20-day notice ending the tenancy. It is not necessary to give a reason, and advisable not to give a reason. No reason is necessary.

The notice must be given on or before the 8th of the month to be effective in February. It should be personally served, and it's ok for your sister to do it - but that means the piece of paper must be handed to the tenant, not left on the TV for the tenant to find.

If your sister needs more help than that, she's going to need to consult a lawyer who has experience in unlawful detainer.

Hope this helps. Powell

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Answered on 2/01/07, 8:52 pm


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