Eviction After Foreclosure

The information on this page regards landlord-tenant law only in the state of Washington. Even for Washington, while we strive to keep the content of this website current, the law changes and the content of this page may not be up to date. Also, the information is general in nature and is not a substitute for legal advice about your circumstances.

A successful bidder at a trustee’s sale (non-judicial foreclosure) must serve all occupants with a required notice. The notice form is mandated by statute. The post-foreclosure sale notice must be served by both regular mail and certified mail. 

If there are no tenants in the foreclosed property, the foreclosure buyer is legally entitled to possession of the property twenty days after the foreclosure sale. RCW 61.24.060. No additional notice is required for the new owner to evict the previous owners after the twenty post-foreclosure sale period expires. Savings Bank v. Mink, 49 Wn. App. 204, 741 P.2d 1043 (1987).

However Washington law requires the foreclosure purchaser to provide sixty days notice to evict tenants after foreclosure.  

If anyone–former owners, tenants, or other occupants, refuses to vacate then the foreclosure purchaser must go through the eviction process (unlawful detainer process) in court.