Legal Question in Real Estate Law in Washington

Eviction

My landlords have evicted me after 13 years of flawless tenency. They posted a ''Notice To Terminate Tenency'' (Feb. 8) with no prior warning, giving me twenty days to move out (Feb. 28). They want to re-model my apartment and move in themselves. I told them it would be impossible for me to find a new place in twenty days, as I was starting a home purchase search and had work commitments to two jobs. They offered to give me a ''couple'' of extra weeks (March 15?). I spent every spare moment looking for a house, and found one with a closing date estimated to be March 28. I asked if I could stay to the end of the month and pay the full month's rent. I did not have the resources to move twice. They declined and started eviction proceedings, and I am now facing a sherrif's order to be out on March 27th, paying their legal costs, and damaging my credit. I sent them a rent check anyway. I realize that I cannot stop this process, and what they are doing appears to be perfectly legal, although rude. Do I have any legal recourse after the fact to either clear my credit, or to sue them for treating a great tenent (not to mention a busy, upstanding professional) like a criminal?


Asked on 3/26/02, 10:33 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Gary Preble Preble Law Firm, P.S.

Re: Eviction

1. What right do you have in their property? Answer: Nothing more than you bargained for.

2. What did you bargain for? Answer: I infer you had no lease; you thus bargained for a month-to-month tenancy.

3. Are the landlords rude? Answer: No, they are gracious, having allowed you more time than the law or your contract allowed, and inconvenienced themselves for you.

4. As an upstanding professional with two jobs, what have you been spending your money for all these years instead of buying property? As my Granny used to say: "You pays yer money and you takes yer choice." Granted, your choice was ultimately not the most convenient, but you should have rented a storage unit and a motel room when they could not accomodate you. That is the risk you took, and you apparently had no savings set aside to meet such a contingency.

5. Are you a victim? Answer: Yes. First of circumstance, second of poor financial planning, and third of the false idea prevalent today that one should not have to bear the consequences of one's decisions.

6. Who is John Galt?

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Answered on 3/27/02, 1:23 am


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