Tenant Relocation

What Is It?

A white man with a beard thinking about moving. We require landlords to offer tenants relocation assistance if tenants must move out of their rental unit due to redevelopment, or certain code violations.

What It Isn't

The City does not require a landlord to pay relocation assistance to a tenant who is evicted by order of the King County Superior Court. If a unit is cited for a code violation, but the violations are being corrected so that the tenant does not have to move, relocation assistance is not paid.

Rules To Follow

Landlords need to pay tenant relocation assistance in certain situations if the tenant meets the following income eligibility:

Household Size	50% of Area Median Income
1 Person	$52,700
2 People	$60,250
3 People	$67,800
4 People	$75,350
5 People	$81,400
6 People	$87,450
7 People	$93,400
8 People	$99,450

Our codes apply to the following situations:

Your building is being torn down or renovated. If housing is being torn down or renovated, if its use is being changed, or when certain restrictions on its use are removed, relocation assistance is paid to low-income tenants who have to move. Each low-income tenant household must be paid $5,133 in relocation assistance; half is paid by the City, and half is paid by the property owner or developer.
Your building is being converted to a cooperative. The property owner must pay $500 in relocation assistance to a tenant when his or her housing is changed into a cooperative.
Your building is being converted to a condominium. The property owner or developer must pay low-income tenants relocation assistance equal to 3 months of rent when housing is converted into condominiums.
Your unit is not allowed under our Land Use Code and you must move. A landlord must pay relocation assistance to a tenant when the landlord must stop renting an illegal unit, no longer wants to rent an accessory dwelling unit, or must reduce the number of unrelated tenants living in a housing unit. A low-income tenant must be paid $2,000; a tenant who is not low-income must be paid an amount equal to 2 months’ rent.
Your unit is vacated and closed due to an emergency condition that is within the control of the landlord. If you must move because your housing unit is ordered vacated and closed, the property owner must pay you relocation assistance. The amount to be paid to a low income tenant is $6,091; the amount paid to a tenant who is not low income is 2 months of rent.

Tip 123, Seattle's Tenant Relocation Assistance Ordinance
Tip 601, Unsafe and Vacated Buildings
Director's Rule 11-2022, Adjustment to the Amount of Relocation Assistance Payment Under the Tenant Relocation Assistance Ordinance
Renter's Handbook

Read the Code

Tenant Relocation Assistance Ordinance, Seattle Municipal Code (SMC) 22.210
Cooperative Conversion Ordinance, SMC 22.902
Condominium Conversion Ordinance, SMC 22.903
Units Not Allowed Under Land Use Code, SMC 22.205.010, (22.205.010.I, 22.205.010.J, and 22.205.010.M)
Units Vacated Due to Emergency Conditions, SMC 22.206.265

Fines

See each specific code for fines that apply to that situation.