Get Help

DUE TO HIGH CALL VOLUMES, WE ARE PRIORITIZING PERSONS WHO HAVE EVICTION ACTIONS IN COURT OR WHO HAVE RECEIVED A SUMMONS.

We can help by:

• Providing free legal advice (legal consultations) for low-income renters with eviction related issues
• Answering questions about eviction paperwork
• Negotiating with landlords if you’re a renter facing eviction
• Representing renters at courthouse eviction hearings (show cause hearings)
• Sharing referral and resource information

We do not:

• Help property owners (landlords), business tenants, or homeowners
• Give advice to commercial or business renters
• Assist those living outside King County
• Offer legal assistance with non-eviction cases

To request eviction-related legal assistance, you can contact us in four different ways:

1. Complete this online form to request legal assistance.
2. Call (206) 267-7069 to leave a message with our staff.
3. Email hjpstaff@kcba.org.
4. Visit one of our walk-in legal clinics (Currently closed due to COVID-19). We offer walk-in legal clinics at the King County Courthouse in Seattle and the Regional Justice Center in Kent.

When you contact us, please let us know:

• If you need free assistance from an interpreter and your preferred language.
• Your name
• Your phone number

We cannot guarantee a response if you do not provide your phone number.

• A brief description of the eviction issue you need help with
• Any legal documents your landlord has sent you (for example: 3 or 10-day notices, lease agreements, etc.)

You can expect to receive a call back from our staff Monday – Friday between 8 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. If you have contacted us and have not received a response after 3 business days, please call or send us an email.

Once we have reviewed the information about your eviction notice, you may qualify for free legal advice.

To prepare for your session with our legal team, try to bring:

• Lease agreement
• Rent receipts or cancelled checks
• Print outs of all paperwork from the landlord or landlord’s attorney (for example, 3-day notice, 10-day notice, summons & complaint, order to show cause, etc.)
• Record of all letters or emails to and from the landlord or landlord’s attorney
• Photos
• A timeline of events (when possible)
• Witnesses (on the day of hearing only)

Legal clinic locations and hours

Note: Our walk-in legal clinics are currently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. You can still get help via this online form, emailing hjpstaff@kcba.org, or calling (206) 267-7069.

If you need help with an eviction notice (court action), please review the legal documents (pleadings) to determine whether the eviction notice (court action) was filed in Kent or Seattle. If you don’t know where it was filed, go to the walk-in clinic where you live.

Seattle, Eastside, and North King County If you live in King County north of Interstate 90 or within the city limits of Seattle, Mercer Island, Bellevue, Issaquah, North Bend, and Vashon and Maury Islands, you should go to the King County Courthouse in Seattle.

King County Courthouse 516 Third Avenue, Room-W314 Seattle, WA 98104

Monday: 8 – 10:30 am or 3:45 – 4:45 pm Tuesday – Friday: 8 – 10:30 am

South King County If you live South of Interstate 90 and don’t live in any of the cities listed above, you should go to the Regional Justice Center in Kent.

Regional Justice Center 401 Fourth Avenue North Room 1281 Kent, WA 98032

Monday – Friday: 8 – 10:30 am

What legal assistance or resources are available during the COVID-19 pandemic?

• Governor’s COVID-19 Resource Page: Up-to-date statewide resources.
• Unemployment Law Project: Provides low-cost representation and free advice and legal services to people in Washington
• United Way: COVID-19 resource page.

What are my rights as a renter?

• Information for Tenants: Outlines renter and landlord rights and responsibilities.
• Tenants Union: Provides information on tenant rights and on organizing tenants for community action.
• Renting in Seattle: Renter resources for people living in the city of Seattle.

What other organizations can I contact for help?

• 2-1-1: Call for referrals to financial assistance, legal help, and housing advocacy resources.
• Washington Law Help: Free legal information and court forms to guide you through the court processes of eviction and security deposit disputes.
• Tenant Law Center: Free legal help for low-income tenants facing eviction, subsidy terminations, or legal disputes with their landlords.
• King County Law Library: Sells King County eviction forms and instructions for standard landlord-tenant situations.
• Northwest Justice Project: Operates a toll-free intake and referral hotline for people seeking free legal assistance.
• Solid Ground: Connects people with resources and tools to help them stabilize their housing, access healthy food, and build stronger futures for themselves and their families.