Seattle Mayor Extends Eviction Moratorium For Another 30 Days

SEATTLE — Seattle's eviction moratorium will remain in place for at least another month under a new executive order announced Wednesday morning by Mayor Bruce Harrell. The extended order bars evictions over non-payment for most residential, small business and non-profit tenants.

The first moratorium went into effect in March 2020 and was extended six times by former Mayor Jenny Durkan.

Harrell's Wednesday announcement comes as COVID-19 case counts continue to surge to new highs, currently averaging more than 5,700 new infections reported each day — an increase of 109 percent over the last week. Hospitalizations have risen rapidly, too, averaging more than 60 per day and up 102 percent over seven days.

"As this rapid surge in cases driven by the omicron variant drives further pandemic uncertainty, keeping vulnerable people in their homes must be the immediate focus," Harrell said in a statement. "Over the next month, we will continue to track changing conditions and seek improved metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of the moratorium and aligned policies."

Harrell said city departments will work through the extension to find more solutions and study the effects of the moratoria. The mayor's office shared a list of six tasks planned between now and Feb. 14:

• Forming an interdepartmental team to streamline acquisition and distribution of support funds, enhance data collection on the impact of the pandemic and eviction moratorium on tenants and small landlords, develop a plan for an online portal better connecting impacted tenants and small landlords to resources, and assess unintended consequences driven by the moratorium in certain situations where domestic violence, property damage, or other negative outcomes have occurred.
• Developing an outreach and education plan for Seattle residents at risk of eviction, informing them of their rights should the moratorium cease and educating tenants about the different types of eviction related communications they might receive.
• Creating an advisory group for the mayor composed of tenant advocates and small landlords.
• Thoroughly evaluating Seattle’s intergovernmental coordination in receiving and distributing financial assistance to tenants and small landlords.
• Reviewing aggregate effect of utility relief policies and utility shut off suspension, including long-term impact on ratepayers.
• Identifying and swiftly delivering outstanding utility assistance resources to tenants and small landlords.

"I am refusing to simply extend the moratorium and sit idly by as if our work is done — the City must go further to pursue the most effective methods of support for tenants and small landlords."

The mayor's executive order also extends two other pandemic-era protections by another 90 days. Seattle City Light and Seattle Public Utilities must continue to offer flexible payment plans and cannot perform utility shut-offs until April 15, and the city will not "boot" vehicles for unpaid parking tickets.