Does a landlord need a reason to evict a tenant?

It depends on the state. Seayora holds a published statute for 4 states and the District of Columbia. The table below gives the figure for each, with the statute it comes from.

Cause needed to end a tenancy, state by state

StateCause needed to end a tenancySource
CaliforniaThe Tenant Protection Act applies just cause to most units after 12 months of tenancy, and caps rent increases.Cal. Code Civ. Proc. §§ 1161, 1161.1, 1166, 1167, 1170.5; Cal. Civ. Code §§ 789.3, 1946.2 (Tenant Protection Act)
District of ColumbiaThe Rental Housing Act limits eviction to statutory grounds for almost every unit in the District.D.C. Code §§ 42-3505.01, 16-1501, 16-1502; D.C. Super. Ct. L&T R. 3
New JerseyThe Anti-Eviction Act limits eviction from most residential units to eighteen statutory grounds.N.J.S.A. 2A:18-53, 2A:18-61.1, 2A:18-61.2, 2A:42-10.16; N.J.S.A. 2A:39-1
OregonOregon requires a statutory cause to terminate a tenancy after the first year, and caps annual rent increases.ORS 90.394, 90.396, 90.427, 105.113, 105.137, 90.375
WashingtonWashington requires a statutory cause for every termination of a residential tenancy.RCW 59.18.057, 59.18.650, 59.12.030, 59.18.365, 59.18.290; RCW 59.18.630 (eviction resolution)

This is a summary of the published procedure, not legal advice. Courts, local rules and the facts of a tenancy change what applies, and a defect in a notice or a filing can end a case. Have a lawyer review anything before it is served or filed.

Only states where Seayora holds a published statute appear above. Where no statute is recorded, no figure is shown rather than a guess.

The answer in full, for the biggest rental markets

Does a landlord need a reason to evict a tenant in California?

Yes, for most tenancies. The Tenant Protection Act applies just cause to most units after 12 months of tenancy, and caps rent increases. Nonpayment is a just cause, but the notice and the relocation rules differ for "no-fault" grounds. In California the eviction procedure itself is set by Cal. Code Civ. Proc. §§ 1161, 1161.1, 1166, 1167, 1170.5; Cal. Civ. Code §§ 789.3, 1946.2 (Tenant Protection Act).

More on California

Does a landlord need a reason to evict a tenant in New Jersey?

Yes, for most tenancies. The Anti-Eviction Act limits eviction from most residential units to eighteen statutory grounds. Nonpayment of rent is the first of them; anything else needs a Notice to Cease and a Notice to Quit before a complaint may be filed. In New Jersey the eviction procedure itself is set by N.J.S.A. 2A:18-53, 2A:18-61.1, 2A:18-61.2, 2A:42-10.16; N.J.S.A. 2A:39-1.

More on New Jersey

Does a landlord need a reason to evict a tenant in Washington?

Yes, for most tenancies. Washington requires a statutory cause for every termination of a residential tenancy. RCW 59.18.650. In Washington the eviction procedure itself is set by RCW 59.18.057, 59.18.650, 59.12.030, 59.18.365, 59.18.290; RCW 59.18.630 (eviction resolution).

More on Washington

Does a landlord need a reason to evict a tenant in Oregon?

Yes, for most tenancies. Oregon requires a statutory cause to terminate a tenancy after the first year, and caps annual rent increases. ORS 90.427, 90.323. In Oregon the eviction procedure itself is set by ORS 90.394, 90.396, 90.427, 105.113, 105.137, 90.375.

More on Oregon

Does a landlord need a reason to evict a tenant in District of Columbia?

Yes, for most tenancies. The Rental Housing Act limits eviction to statutory grounds for almost every unit in the District. In District of Columbia the eviction procedure itself is set by D.C. Code §§ 42-3505.01, 16-1501, 16-1502; D.C. Super. Ct. L&T R. 3.

More on District of Columbia

How Seayora uses this rule

Seayora does not file, serve or appear in an eviction, and is not anybody’s lawyer. When a tenant has stopped paying, it lays out these steps for the property’s own state and city with the statute beside each one, holds back any step that would come too early, keeps an append-only record of the case — and shows the resident what would end it, legal-aid links included.

Other rules compared across states

Every rule for one state

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