Just cause eviction rules in Spokane, WA β sometimes called tenant protection or "for cause" eviction ordinances β list the specific legal reasons a landlord can end a tenancy.
Spokane landlords must comply with Washington HB 1236 (2021), which requires just cause to terminate any residential tenancy. Sixteen enumerated reasons include nonpayment, lease violations, owner move-in, and substantial renovation, each with specific notice periods.
Spokane tenants are protected statewide by RCW 59.18.650, enacted by HB 1236 in 2021. A landlord may not end a month-to-month or fixed-term tenancy without one of the sixteen statutory just causes. Common grounds include nonpayment of rent with a 14-day pay-or-vacate notice, material lease violations with a 10-day cure notice, criminal activity on premises, owner or family member intending to occupy the unit with at least 90 days notice, sale of the single-family home with 90 days notice, and substantial rehabilitation requiring displacement with 120 days notice. For no-fault terminations tied to sale, owner move-in, or demolition, the landlord must provide written notice citing the specific statutory subsection. Retaliatory or discriminatory terminations are prohibited under RCW 59.18.240 and the Washington Law Against Discrimination. Spokane Municipal Code Chapter 10.57 supplements state law with source-of-income protections. Failure to provide a valid just-cause notice is a complete defense in unlawful detainer court.
Improper notice voids the eviction. Tenants can recover attorney fees, actual damages, and up to three months rent in wrongful eviction suits.
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