A Seattle homeowner will have to sleep in his van for another five months while his bad tenant continues to occupy his three-bedroom, two-bathroom home without paying rent.
Jason Roth must wait until March 2024 for a court hearing in which he will try to evict his tenant Kareem Hunter, who is months behind on rent and had illegally listed the house as a short-term rental on Airbnb for $434 per night.
King County Housing Court has a massive backlog of more than 600 eviction cases, pushing Roth’s case past the point of the property’s lease term, valued at $621,000 by Zillow estimates.
Roth claims Hunter has paid only $1,000 of the $30,000 he owes in back rent since moving into the 1,720-square-foot property in March.
When Roth bought the house in 2016, he fixed it up and started renting rooms to friends for an affordable price. However, in 2023, he decided to rent out the entire house to earn extra money for pilot school, and moved into a small apartment to make room for Hunter.
Jason Roth (pictured) must wait until March 2024 for a court hearing in an attempt to evict his tenant Kareem Hunter
The three-bedroom, two-bath Seattle property is worth $621,000, according to Zillow estimates.
Kareem Hunter (pictured) is months behind on rent and illegally listed the house on Airbnb as a short-term rental for $434 per night.
However, Roth’s bills eventually became too high for him to afford, and he moved into his van.
Meanwhile, Hunter skipped rent payments and made extra money by renting out living space in Roth’s house on Airbnb.
“I’m tired of sleeping in my van and on couches. I just want to be back in my house’ Roth told KIRO 7.
On Friday, October 20, Roth took Hunter to court for the initial hearing, but as usual, a stay was granted.
However, the backlog referred to thus far was set on March 12, 2024 by King County Commissioner Mark Hillman.
Meanwhile, Roth is still making mortgage payments on his Rainer Valley home and paying for pilot school.
“There are so many things ready for the city to shelter people in the winter, but I’m a homeowner who won’t have that,” Roth said.
Adding: ‘The hearing is past the lease end date, and he will be there after the release date. It’s just crazy,” he said.
A Seattle homeowner must sleep in his van for another five months while his bad tenant continues to occupy his three-bedroom, two-bathroom home without paying rent
Meanwhile, Roth is still making mortgage payments on his Rainer Valley home and paying for pilot school
Hunter (right), who received a free attorney (left) through the King County Bar Association’s Housing Justice Project, told KIRO 7 he was cleared to run an Airbnb
Hunter, who received a free attorney through the King County Bar Association’s Housing Justice Project, told KIRO 7 he was cleared to run an Airbnb.
Airbnb has now suspended the listing, but Roth believes Hunter was generating at least $2,000 a month from the revenue.
The tenant also explained that he believes more information will be revealed, saying, “Once all the facts are out, you’ll see.”
‘It’s frustrating, extremely frustrating. It’s something I can’t quite figure out,” Roth said.
“I often come here just to look at my house, and I miss it … and wish I could be there,” he said.
Adding: ‘I’m on my own, which is perhaps the worst thing for me because there will always be people who abuse the system and commit scams.
“But the city should be there to recognize when that happens. And no one has been able to offer me any tangible help, or anything meaningful.”