Washington sees record eviction filings in 2024: ‘Not just an isolated incident’
SEATTLE - Evictions are plaguing people up and down the state. Now, data from the University of California, Berkley’s Eviction Research Network has found Washington had a record number of eviction filings in 2024.
The Eviction Research Network collects, analyzes and maps eviction data and this new report is painting a better picture at what they’re calling an eviction crisis.
"Eviction is a tragedy, and it's something no one in, neither the landlord nor the tenant wants to pursue, wants to end up there and if we could, we need to find better ways to avoid that," Sean Flynn, Executive Director and Board President of the Rental Housing Association of Washington said. He’s worked in the industry for 15 years and said he’s not surprised by the numbers the eviction research network found when it comes to Washington state and county eviction trends.
"Speaking from a like a 35,000-foot view, the eviction system in the state of Washington is broken and it needs to be reformed," Flynn said.
That data published on December 18, 2024, shows that based on information collected from January to November of 2024 last year was set to have the highest eviction filing count in the state’s recorded history. The Eviction Research Network found nine counties broke records in 2024, some of those counties include: King, Clark, Thurston and Spokane. As December numbers trickle in, they expect the rest of the state will likely have broken records, according to the Director for the Eviction Research Network at UC Berkeley Tim Thomas.
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He told FOX 13, at its core, the problem boils down to wages not meeting rising rents. "We have a very serious problem," Thomas said. "We have a crisis on our hands, and I’m afraid policy makers and businesses are really going to have to come, you know, to the truth of what's actually going on, because we can't sustain this."
Over the past 12 months, King County has had more than 7,362 eviction filings, according to the Eviction Research Network. Pierce County had more than 3,561, Spokane County saw 2,228, Snohomish County saw 2,118 and Clark County had 2,150. These are the five counties that had the most filings this past year, according to the Eviction Research Network data.
"I think funding tenant assistance is step one," Flynn said. He adds, the eviction process used to be a smoother and quicker process. "Pretty much since 2018/2019 there's been a lot of changes to the law that makes that timeframe stretch out a lot longer and makes the process more cumbersome," Flynn said. "Both for the landlord and the tenant, and also, more importantly, I think at this point for the justice system."
He told FOX 13, it now takes a lot more time and costs a lot more money. From start to finish, he explained, the eviction process can take anywhere between nine and 18 months. To put it into context before all the changes with the law, Flynn said, evictions would take roughly six months.
King County Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda sent FOX 13 this statement:
"The COVID pandemic exacerbated the existing housing crisis impacting communities across the state, and as pandemic-era protections and resources expire and rents continue to increase, more and more people are finding themselves one paycheck away from losing their homes. These are families with kiddos, workers, elders, members of our communities, who are finding themselves on the precipice of becoming homeless. This report underscores the need to invest in housing stability through permanently affordable housing, services, and rental assistance, and to protect households against practices like AI-driven rent gouging that are making housing increasingly unaffordable for households in our communities."
"This is actually happening to everybody across all different political, social, economic spheres. This is not just an isolated incident," Thomas said. "This is happening to veterans, this is happening to grandmothers, this is happening to our sisters with children."
To view the full report, visit the Eviction Research Network website.
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