washington residential landlord tenant act, landlord's right to evict tenants

Chapter 59.18 RCW is the Residential landlord-tenant act. Chapter 59.12 RCW is the Forcible entry and forcible and unlawful detainer statutes. The statutes are here: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?Cite=59 .

When you bought the property, you accepted whatever agreement the tenants had with the former owner. You will need to review that agreement.

Before you start legal proceedings, have you talked with the tenants? Perhaps they have been wanting to move anyway. If they agree to move, everyone will avoid the hassles of the legal proceedings.

If the tenants will not voluntarily move, you will have to go through the legal procedures to force them to move.

The parties in an unlawful detainer (eviction) proceeding must follow the statutory procedures. Failure to follow the procedures likely will result in the party not following the procedures losing.

You likely should review your facts and options with an attorney.

If the tenants are month to month, serve a notice terminating tenancy.

This notice is ofter referred to as a "20-day Notice". This is a bit of a misnomer. It does not mean you add 20 days to the current date. Instead, you are required to give the last day of a rental period as the date of termination and serve the notice at least twenty days in advance.

Time and manner service requirements are strictly construed against the landlord. See my Legal Guide on avvo.com.

http://www.avvo.com/legal-guides/ugc/how-to-properly-serve-an-eviction-notice-in-washington

For free forms see my website - http://www.accessevictions.com/free-eviction-forms-washington.html

If the tenants do not comply with the notice you will have to bring an unlawful detainer action.