King County Evictions Skyrocket as Over Half of Southeast Seattle Is Rent-Burdened

New data shows a "massive surge" of eviction notices in the state of Washington since the 2020 pandemic, experts say. King County is no exception.

In 2024, King County landlords filed over 7,000 unlawful detainer cases, or evictions, according to data provided by the Office of Civic Legal Aid (OCLA) — the highest record in state history. Advocates pointed to increasingly higher rents, more expensive fees, and wage inequality. In the South End, over half of the district's tenants struggled to meet their rent.

But tenants are making their voices heard, and policies are shifting.

"Rents continue to rise everywhere," Washington State Low Income Housing Alliance policy director Michele Thomas said. Even when tenants try to move to avoid rent increases, "there's no place else to go that's affordable or within reach."

Before the pandemic, King County averaged between 4,000 and 5,000 eviction cases a year. A federal moratorium then temporarily paused most evictions for 2021, causing the number of cases to drop to 638. Since then, the county has seen its eviction filing numbers double each year.

On average, a two-bedroom apartment in Washington costs $2,097 a month, which would require an annual income of over $83,800 a year. In Renton, the same unit costs about $2,350 with an income of $96,626. With an annual 10% increase, rent could rise by $778 in just three years.

But in Renton, Southeast Seattle, and the Central District, about 51% of renter families pay more than a third of their income on housing — about 10% higher than downtown and Northern Seattle. Over 4,200 renters, who are disabled or extremely low-income, are on financial aid.

In King County, the average income per capita was over $71,000.

"In Seattle, we have a lot of people who earn a very high income," Thomas said. "And we have a ton of people who are stuck with a really modest or low income, despite how many jobs they're working or despite how hard they're working."

Even when a renter finds an apartment in their income range, landlords demand rent in advance, or an "unlimited amount of deposits" up front, Thomas said.

But renters have made their voices heard to lawmakers, and new state legislation will give tenants a leg up in the face of these economic standards.

Last month, Gov. Bob Ferguson passed a law capping annual rent increases at 10%, making Washington the third state to do so behind Oregon and California.

In December, Washington passed the Right to Counsel Act that grants the right to legal representation to low-income renters facing eviction. Since legislation was passed, only 15% of cases with court-appointed attorneys ended in eviction, according to the Northwest Justice Project.

The OCLA contracts with about 20 nonprofits around the state, including the King County Bar Association, that provide legal assistance to tenants. Before the bill was passed, almost no tenants had legal representation while battling cases against their landlords, OCLA Director Sara Robbins said.

"It was a very uneven playing field," Robbins said. "Tenants have better outcomes with attorneys."

If an eviction order is given, the displacement can lead straight into homelessness for many tenants, Thomas said. Last year, at least 16,868 people in King County experienced homelessness, a 28% increase from 2022.

"There's just no way that we're going to solve homelessness without solving for evictions and without creating more housing stability," Thomas said.

On June 11, a King County spokesperson wrote in a statement that the Housing Finance Program has helped build 1,248 affordable homes in 2024, along with 1,350 emergency housing units across 17 buildings.

"King County's goal is to expand housing stability so that every resident can thrive, and that looks different for everyone," spokesperson Hannah Kurowski said.

Thomas believes the recent changes at the state and county levels are a step in the right direction and encourages renters to keep voicing their concerns to lawmakers.

"Including these high fees that members are charging, high moving costs, deposits, and all of the things that are creating barriers in both getting into housing and staying in housing," Thomas said.