The Landlord Survivor Relief program can award payments of up to $5,000 for damages directly to the landlord when the conditions below are met. Any landlord is eligible if:
- their Washington rental property has unpaid charges for damages;
- the tenant(s) are fleeing domestic violence, sexual assault, unlawful harassment or stalking;
- the tenant(s) have been permitted to vacate with no notice; and
- the tenant(s) have received a full refund of their security deposit.
How to qualify for the program
Commerce will review, approve and pay claims as quickly as possible. However, failing to provide proper documentation to satisfy the requirements below may cause a claim to be denied. Please have the following required documents scanned to attach to your claim. We will request missing documentation but cannot make exceptions for documents that are not available. The claim cannot be approved if we do not receive all required documents or other requested supporting evidence.
Documents required for rent loss claims
- Obtain a Washington Statewide Vendor Identification number
- An executed written rental agreement between the landlord and the tenant
- A tenant ledger showing all charges, payments and running balance from the last zero balance
- A tenant security move-out letter for tenants who have vacated the rental unit
- The move-in condition report executed by the tenant at the time of claim approval
- The police report, restraining/court order or tenant self-affidavit (see “Burden of proof”)
- Complete the entire claim submission form
Due to the high risk of fraudulent claims through this program, survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, unlawful harassment or stalking must be willing to provide documentation to substantiate their eligibility for this program. Only one of the documents below will be required:
- Police Report, or
- Restraining or Court Order, or
- Signed and notarized self-affidavit
- Qualified third-party form (example: RCW 59.18.575)
The landlord must provide the following documents for claim consideration:
- The most current lease agreement, and
- The move-in condition report completed by the landlord and tenant at the time of move-in, and
- Full tenant ledger showing all charges for repairs, and
- Move-out letter showing the return of the full security deposit
- The claims to the Landlord Survivor Relief Program claims are extremely sensitive by nature. For this reason, claim information is not shared with anyone other than the claimant or tenant identified in the claim. Public record requests for this program will be denied.
- Any approved and paid claim will prohibit the landlord (or agency on the landlord’s behalf) from pursuing legal action against the tenant for damages or remaining rents owed from March 1, 2020, until Dec. 31, 2021.
- The Landlord Survivor Relief Program is not subject to Public Record Disclosure to protect the identity of the survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, unlawful harassment or stalking. Information relating to claims will only be shared with the claimant and the survivor. Co-occupants/roommates are not entitled to claim information.
Resources
- Apply for Reimbursement through Secure Access Washington (SAW)
- Instruction for Secure Access Washington one-time setup (PDF)
- Landlord Discrimination Counseling
- Statewide Vendor ID Number
- Authorizing Statute: RCW 43.31.605
- Public Disclosure Act, Chapter 42.56
Landlord Mitigation Metrics Dashboard
Review the information provided on our information dashboard to learn more about the financial assistance provided through the Landlord Fund.