Top Duvall, WA Landlord Tenant Law Lawyers Near You

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Landlord Tenant Law

Landlord tenant law covers the legal rights and protections of both landlords and tenants. Lease agreements provide for the obligations, expectations, and rights of the renter and landlord and provide for remedies if there is a breach or a landlord tenant dispute.

Washington Landlord Tenant Attorneys

Landlord tenant lawyers can represent either the tenant or landlord when a rental agreement has been breached and the parties cannot reach an agreement. For tenants, these attorneys can usually delay or prevent an eviction, or immediately stop landlord harassment. If your landlord is illegally raising rent, failing to fix problems in the rental unit, or won’t give you back your security deposit, a lawyer can step in to protect your rights. For landlords, a lawyer can help you create a valid rental agreement, to protect your rights as a property owner. A Duvall law firm can also help you evict tenants who aren’t paying rent, and make sure you’re operating under the law when you take any actions against a tenant.

When Is My Duvall Landlord Allowed to Raise the Rent?

Rent increases are often a big concern for renters in Duvall, and in many cities across the country. Landlords generally can’t raise your rent while you are under an existing lease agreement. However, when you go to renew, your landlord may be allowed to increase the price of rent. Generally, the landlord must give you “proper notice” of the increase in advance, which may vary by local jurisdiction or the terms of your lease. If you’re on a month-to-month lease, the state determines how much notice your landlord must provide before an increase can go into effect.

Can You Be Evicted as Soon as You Stop Paying Rent?

Tenant rights provide some protections when it comes to evictions. Most leases provide a small grace period for late rental payments, usually within a couple of days from the due date. However, if you go beyond that, landlords are usually allowed to charge a late fee if the fee was included in the lease. In many states, a landlord has to wait a set amount of time before they can start the eviction process, usually a couple of days to a couple of weeks.

Can My Landlord Come In When I’m Not Home?

Just because your landlord owns the property does not mean they can come into your house or apartment without notice. A Duvall landlord has to have a reason to come in and they have to provide notice. Valid reasons for coming into the property include making repairs or inspections, performing agreed maintenance, and showing the property to renters or buyers. However, except for limited situations, the landlord still has to provide a minimum amount of notice.

Best Time to Seek Legal Help

No matter what your legal issue may be, it is always best to seek legal help early in the process. An attorney can help secure what is likely to be the best possible outcome for your situation and avoid both unnecessary complications or errors.

Top Questions to Ask a Lawyer

• What is the usual process to resolve my case? How long will it take to resolve this?
• What are likely outcomes of a case like mine? What should I expect?

An experienced lawyer should be able to communicate a basic “road map” on how to proceed. The lawyer should be able to walk you through the anticipated process, key considerations, and potential pitfalls to avoid. Once you’ve laid out the facts of your situation to the lawyer, he/she should be able to frame expectations and likely scenarios to help you understand your legal issue.

Types of legal fees:

Bill by the hour: Many attorneys bill by the hour. How much an attorney bills you per hour will vary based on a number of factors. For instance, an attorney’s hourly fee may fluctuate based on whether that hour is spent representing you in court or doing research on your case. Attorneys in one practice area may bill you more than attorneys in a different practice area.

Contingent fee: Some lawyers will accept payment via contingent fee. In this arrangement, the lawyer receives a percentage of the total monetary recovery if you win your lawsuit. In sum, the lawyer only gets paid if you win. Contingent fee agreements are limited to specific practice areas in civil law.

Flat fee: For “routine” legal work where the attorney generally knows the amount of time and resources necessary to complete the task, he/she may be willing to bill you a flat fee for services performed.

Common legal terms explained

Affidavit – A sworn written statement made under oath. An affidavit is meant to be a supporting document to the court assisting in the verification of certain facts. An affidavit may or may not require notarization.