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Page 2 of 15 Information for Tenants <br />give a termination notice at least 20 days before the <br />start of the next rental period. Good causes include: <br />1. The tenant fails to pay rent within 3 days of receiv- <br />ing a notice to pay rent or vacate. <br />2. The owner has notified the tenant in writing of over- <br />due rent at least 4 times in a 12-month period. <br />3. The tenant does not comply with a material term <br />of a lease or rental agreement within 10 days of <br />receiving a notice to comply or vacate. <br />4. The tenant does not comply with a material ob- <br />ligation under the Washington State Residential <br />Landlord-Tenant Act within 10 days of a notice to <br />comply or vacate. <br />5. The owner has notified a tenant in writing at least 3 <br />times in a 12-month period to comply within 10 days <br />with a material term of the lease or rental agreement. <br />6. The tenant seriously damages the rental unit <br />(causes "waste"), causes a nuisance (including <br />drug-related activity), or maintains an unlawful busi- <br />ness and does not vacate the premises within three <br />days of notice to do so. <br />7. The tenant engages in criminal activity in the building <br />or on the premises, or in an area immediately adja- <br />cent to the building or premises. The alleged criminal <br />activity must substantially affect the health or safety of <br />other tenants or the owner; illegal drug-related activity <br />is one crime specified by the ordinance. An owner <br />who uses this reason must clearly state the facts sup- <br />porting the allegation, and must send a copy of the <br />termination of tenancy notice to the SDCI Property <br />Owner Tenant Assistance (POTA) Unit. <br />8. The owner wishes to occupy the premises person- <br />ally, or the owner’s immediate family will occupy the <br />unit, and no substantially equivalent unit is vacant <br />and available in the same building, and gives the <br />tenant written notice at least 90 days prior to the end <br />of a rental period. Immediate family includes the <br />owner’s spouse or owner’s domestic partner, and the <br />parents, grandparents, children, brothers and sisters <br />of the owner or owner’s spouse or owner’s domestic <br />partner. SDCI may require a property owner to sign <br />a certification of the intent to have a family member <br />move in if a tenant has reason to believe the owner <br />will not follow through with this reason. It is a viola- <br />tion if the designated person does not occupy the <br />unit for a continuous period of 60 days out of the <br />90 days after the tenant vacates. A tenant whose <br />tenancy is ended for this reason has a private right <br />of action if he or she feels the owner has failed to <br />comply with these requirements. <br />9. The owner wishes to terminate a tenant who lives in <br />the same housing unit with the owner or the owner's <br />agent; or the owner desires to stop sharing his or her <br />house with a tenant living in an approved accessory <br />dwelling unit (ADU) in an owner-occupied house. <br />10. The tenant’s occupancy is conditioned upon em- <br />ployment on the property and the employment <br />is terminated. <br />11. The owner plans major rehabilitation and has <br />obtained required permits and a Tenant Relocation <br />License. A tenant terminated for this reason has a <br />private right of action if he or she feels the owner <br />has failed to comply with these requirements. <br />12. The owner decides to convert the building to a <br />condominium or a cooperative. <br />13. The owner decides to demolish a building or to con- <br />vert it to non-residential use and has obtained the <br />necessary permit and a Tenant Relocation License. <br />14. The owner desires to sell a single family residence <br />(does not include condominium units) and gives <br />the tenant written notice at least 90 days prior to <br />the end of a rental period. The owner must list the <br />property for sale at a reasonable price in a news- <br />paper or with a realty agency within 30 days after <br />the date the tenant vacates. Property owners may <br />be required to sign a certification of the intent to sell <br />the house if SDCI receives a complaint. There is <br />a rebuttable presumption of a violation if the unit is <br />not listed or advertised, or is taken off the market or <br />re-rented within 90 days after the tenant leaves. A <br />tenant terminated for this reason has a private right <br />of action if he or she feels an owner has failed to <br />comply with these requirements. <br />15. The owner seeks to discontinue use of a unit not <br />authorized under the Land Use Code, after receiving <br />a Notice of Violation. The owner must pay reloca- <br />tion assistance to tenants who have to move so <br />that the owner can correct the violation. Relocation <br />assistance for low-income tenants is $2,000; for other <br />tenants it is an amount equal to two months’ rent. <br />16. The owner needs to reduce the number of tenants <br />sharing a dwelling unit in order to comply with Land <br />Use Code restrictions (i.e., no more than 8 people <br />per dwelling unit if any are unrelated). <br />17. The owner must terminate a tenancy in a house <br />containing an approved ADU in order to comply <br />with the development standards for ADUs, after <br />receiving a Notice of Violation of the Land Use <br />Code. (If the violation is that the owner has moved <br />out of the house and has rented both units, one <br />unit must either be reoccupied by the owner or be <br />removed.) The owner must pay relocation assis- <br />tance to displaced tenants in the amount of $2,000 <br />for low-income tenants, or two months’ rent in other <br />cases. SDCI may require a property owner to sign <br />a certification of his or her intent to discontinue the <br />use of the ADU. <br />18. An Emergency Order to Vacate and close the property <br />has been issued by SDCI and the tenants have failed <br />to vacate by the deadline given in the Order.