In washington state landlord tenant laws?

[herald]

in washington state the landlord- tenant laws if there is a 1 year rentals contract and your only 4 months into the contract can the landlord evict you because he wants to remodel and break the contract?

[colfre]

The landlord cannot evict without cause. Remodelling is NOT cause. Usually this type of situation comes up if they decide to convert it to condominiums. Which if that is the case they need to give you 90 days notice and first option to buy. I would look at the language in your lease to see if there seems to be something funky but no matter what the landlord CANNOT EVICT without cause.

I've been through this situation as a landlord before and I negotiated relocation costs to the tenant so they would agree to move out early. But if they refused there was nothing I could do since I had no reason to evict them.

It sounds like you have done nothing wrong and I would try to communicate with your landlord to see exactly what their intentions are.

[hussein]

As always - read your lease contract. Everything should be spelled out in there. If you need help, look for local "housing assistance" type services in your local community. They go by different names, so I can't be more specific. But they can help you with your rights/options with landlord disputes.

[armin]

It depends on the law, and it depends on the lease. Read your lease carefully, and read the law carefully. Here's the link...

[leland]

It is not Washington State Law here, but the terms of your lease. Normally, a lease for 12 months cannot be broken except for cause. however, some often have specific clauses buried in them which will allow one party of the other to cancel the lease with 30 or 15 days notice.

Sit down and read every word of your lease very carefully. If there is a clause allowing the owner to break the contract, make sure he followed the provisions about breaking the lease correctly.

So he may have a valid legal reason to break the contract. On the other hand some landlords are very flippant about following their own leases.

If you don't find a valid reason of something that would allow the landlord to terminate the lease, then notify the landlord that you do have a valid lease for 12 months but you are reasonable. If he wants you out early, you will accept compensation equal to the amount of 6 months lease payments plus the owner paying all costs for you to move into another apartment of your choice.

If you read the lease and are not sure, contact your local legal aid.

[iden]

You could probably talked to the Wa.State Better BUsiness Bureau and possibly seeking legal advice.

[elkan80]

I have never heard of a state statute that will allow a landlord to terminate a lease early based upon the fact he/she intends to remodel, in this case let the landlord prove their actioned over ride a signed contract