Free lawyers for renters in Washington State
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Renters who have a low income in Washington State may be appointed a free lawyer before a court can proceed with an eviction lawsuit. Read this to find out who is eligible, and how to find a free lawyer.
Fast facts
Under Washington State law at RCW 59.18.640, tenants who have a low income may be appointed a free lawyer before a court evicts you.
The law says that “indigent” tenants must be given a free lawyer in an eviction court case. “Indigent” means either:
- the tenant earns less than 200% of the Federal poverty level
or
- the tenant receives public assistance, for example:
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
- Aged, Blind, or Disabled assistance benefits (ABD)
- Food stamps (for example, an EBT card)
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
- Poverty-related Veterans’ benefits
- Refugee Resettlement benefits
- Medicaid (Apple Health)
- Pregnant individual assistance benefits
Courts will only appoint a lawyer after the tenant receives court documents starting an eviction lawsuit, called a “Summons” and a “Complaint.”
The Complaint and Summons may have already been filed with the court (and have a case number), or they may have been given to the tenant without being filed. Either way, the court must appoint a free lawyer for tenants who are “indigent.”
No. Renters who receive an Eviction Summons and Complaint should call our Eviction Defense Screening line at 1-855-657-8387 or apply online to find out if they qualify for a free lawyer in an eviction case.
If your eviction hearing date and time arrive and you have not yet been given a free lawyer, you should go to the hearing and ask the judge for more time to get a free lawyer. The judge may then postpone the hearing to give you time to call our Eviction Defense Screening line at 1-855-657-8387 or apply online.
Maybe! Before you receive an Eviction Complaint and Summons, your landlord should have given you an eviction notice. For example, you may receive a “14 Day Notice to Pay or Vacate,” a “10 Day Notice to Comply or Vacate.” Because you haven’t yet received an Eviction Summons and Complaint, the court will not appoint a free lawyer yet.
But you can still try to get free legal help in responding to the termination notice.