Christmas is over and it is colder than a mother. We all might be a touch strapped for cash at the moment but is there a darker issue lurking? Could it be that you have already or are about to receive an eviction notice?

You're fully aware that you have either stopped paying rent or are behind farther than you had ever planned and thankfully have been able to use the eviction moratorium safety net. Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but, she gone! The Eviction Moratorium is over and you CANNOT IGNORE the notices that show up in the mail or have been attached to your door or you will be kicked out of you're staying with no legal recourse.

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Thankfully Yakima County Volunteer Attorney Services (VAS) is here to help. Erika Rutter, the on-staff attorney has put together some steps to assist you in taking back your power and getting your feet underneath you again.

What Can Be Done

  1. If you are a tenant and you are behind on rent, you can apply for up to 15 months of rental assistance through any of the rental assistance agencies in Yakima County.
  2. If you are a tenant and you have received a notice to vacate, call VAS as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the less there is we can do for you.
  3. If you get a notice to participate in mediation from the Yakima County Dispute Resolution Center, call them as soon as possible and say you are willing to participate.  If you ignore them, they send a certificate to the landlord saying you weren’t willing to participate, and Landlord gets to proceed with filing an unlawful detainer (eviction).
  4. If you are offered a repayment plan, you only have 14 days to respond to your landlord.  You do not have to accept the first plan they offer you, but you do have to respond and negotiate.  This is something VAS can help you with!

Yakima County Volunteer Attorney Services also have bilingual staff, just in case. To contact them call 509-453-4400. They are open Monday-Friday 9 am - 4 pm but closed this Friday for New Year's Eve.

6 S. 2nd Street, Suite 702

READ ON: Here's how to apply for rent relief

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