Legal Question in Real Estate Law in Washington

Re: rental

Sorry to hear about your situation. A landlord can terminate a residential month to month with 20 days notice to vacate. You should check your notice. The notice must indicate the address of the property and the date the tenancy is to terminate. Keep in mind that the 20 day notice must be served with at least 21 days remaining before the end of the month or period.

Re: rental

Unfortunately your status as a single mother is not legally relevant, although morally speaking, very much so. That said, under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act, yes, a 20 day notice on a month to month lease is all that's needed, provided it is in writing.

The technicalities can be an issue for a landlord, and if you fight things on that basis the landlord will resort to eviction procedures. As a renter who needs to find a new place, I suggest that you focus on finding a new place and talk to your current landlord about making sure they give a good reference and about the possibility of allowing you a couple extra weeks to find a place.

Giving a good reference should not be an issue since it helps you move, which helps the landlord get what they want. Asking for extra time now is much better than not communicating and having the landlord get upset and go through an eviction process which will be costly.

In other words, communication with your landlord is key here, as difficult as that is in a lot of situations.