Estimated values: The U.S. Census suppresses field-level data for small places. Estimated from constituent census tracts, pop-weighted from real underlying ACS data.
Tenant beats landlord
47.6%
/ 100 outcomes
In court-decided eviction outcomes for Cougar, WA, tenants prevail in roughly 47.6% of contested cases. A higher number means landlords face stronger tenant defenses, longer calendars, and more required documentation, and landlord-friendliness drops as this rises.
Timeline
147d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Cougar, WA until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 147 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$8.3–19.7k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Cougar, WA costs landlords $8,253 to $19,710 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$1,028
29% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Cougar, WA is $1,028 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 29% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
20.6%
of households
20.6% of occupied housing units in Cougar, WA are renter-occupied (vs owner-occupied). A higher renter share usually correlates with more eviction filings, more turnover, and a more active rental market.
Poverty
29.2%
5.4% unemp.
29.2% of Cougar, WA residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 5.4%. Both feed into the economic-stress sub-score in our Eviction Risk Score model because rent payment problems track poverty + joblessness more reliably than any other single signal.
Time machine
Scrub 50 years
197619861996200620162026
2026
● LIVE · today◀ REPLAY · historical
Nine-axis profile
9-axis profile · today
Shape of the risk surface
1 landlord · 10 tenant
Sub-scores · with sparkline
Where the score comes from
1 → 10 scale
Local political climate
GOP margin +19.9% (2024)
5.7
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
5.7
State political climate
Washington legislature & governorship
6.0
Economic stress
29.2% poverty · 5.4% unemp.
1.0
Supply constraint
$1,028 average · 20.6% renters
1.0
Rent Control risk
29.0% of income on rent
5.1
Eviction process difficulty
147 days filing → judgment
5.8
Tenant organizing strength
20.6% renters
1.0
Housing court bias
County bench composition
3.8
Geographic context
Risk heat across Cougar and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Cougar compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Cowlitz County
Moderate
#7of 11 cities
#7 of 11 cities in Cowlitz County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Washington
Low
#425of 637 cities
#425 of 637 cities in Washington for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
6.5
/ 10 · ELEVATED
The verdict
A Elevated-tier market.
Composite 6.5/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a sharp climb.
50-yr trend+4.2 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steepening since 2010 · COVID inflection visible
147d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $1,028/mo. A contested eviction takes 147 days and costs $8,253–$19,710 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
20.6%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 151 residents, 20.6% rent. 29% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 29.2% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
5.7
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 5.7 and 5.7 (GOP margin +19.9% (2024)). State climate at 6, a mid-range statehouse.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
6
State politics
The process
Moderate calendar, moderate friction.
State political climate 6/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies, and it shows up in the process. Eviction process difficulty reads 5.8, housing court bias 3.8, rent-control risk 5.1. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +0.8 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
1
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 1. Supply constraint: 1. The numbers behind those: 29.2% poverty, 5.4% unemployment, 29% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Cougar sits in the slow & expensive quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Cougar · 147d · ~$14.0k all-in ($95/day) · score 6.5National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Cougar, Washington, presents an elevated-friction market where documented notices and proactive screening matter. The Eviction Risk Score is 6.5/10 (ELEVATED tier), drawn from the nine sub-axes shown above, covering rent-control exposure, eviction-process difficulty, housing-court bias, tenant-organizing strength, supply constraint, economic stress, and local, regional, and state political climate. This is not a quick-fix market: it's a Elevated-friction market where lease drafting, screening discipline, and well-documented notices materially change outcomes.
Cougar is a city of 151 residents where 20.6% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 29.0% of income on rent. At an average rent of $1,028/month, the typical renter household here spends more than the federal 30% threshold on housing, a leading indicator of payment volatility and a precondition for the kinds of tenant defenses that show up most often in housing court.
01Process
How Cougar eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 5.8/10, a number that combines statutory complexity (notice categories, just-cause rules, mandatory pre-filing disclosures) with operational realities (court calendar length and clerk responsiveness). The typical contested filing in Cougar closes 147 days after the initial notice. For non-payment of rent the first step is a properly-formatted, properly-served pay-or-quit notice; for material lease breaches it's a cure-or-quit; for tenancies under just-cause protection an at-fault grounds notice (or a no-fault notice with statutory relocation assistance) is required.
The slow part of Cougar's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 3.8/10 here, meaning judges read borderline procedural defects in the tenant's favor more often than the national norm. The practical implication: every notice and every proof of service needs to be airtight before it gets filed.
02Cost
What it costs (and how long it takes)
An all-in eviction in Cougar runs $8,253 to $19,710 per case once you account for filing fees, attorney time, lost rent during pendency, sheriff lockout, and unit turnover. That range is wide because the upper bound assumes a tenant answer plus motion practice, common when housing court bias is high. The lower bound assumes a default judgment after proper service.
For landlords running the numbers on holding costs vs. cash-for-keys: if your projected timeline times your monthly rent already exceeds the high-end cost number, cash-for-keys at 1–2 months' rent is typically the economically rational choice. With 147 days of typical timeline and $1,028/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 1/10 in Cougar, and the city has limited rent control exposure (5.1/10). Operations practice that survives audit in this environment looks like:
Screening discipline. Document income (verified at 2.5 to 3x rent), credit (with a clear minimum), and prior-tenancy reference checks, but do not screen on protected categories or source-of-income where banned. Keep a written, consistent screening criteria document for every applicant.
Lease specificity. Use a state-specific lease that names every term clearly: rent due date, late fees within statutory caps, deposit handling, smoke and CO disclosure, lead paint disclosure (pre-1978 stock), and a clean attorney's-fees clause.
Security deposit handling. Itemize deductions within the statutory window. Photograph move-in/move-out condition. In Washington, deposit cap and refund window are statute, so exceed them at your own risk.
Mid-tenancy documentation. Keep date-stamped records of every rent receipt, every habitability request, every notice served. The day you need them in court is too late to start.
04Strategy
What an everyday landlord should actually do here
If you own one to four units in Cougar: hire a property manager who knows the local court. The pricing differential between self-managing and hiring out is small relative to the cost of one botched eviction in a ELEVATED tier market. If you own five or more: build relationships with a local landlord-side attorney before you need one, since retainer fees are negligible compared to emergency-rate billing when an eviction is already moving.
The avoidable mistakes here are all upstream of the filing: weak screening, an informal lease, sloppy rent receipts, and notice templates pulled off the internet that don't match Washington's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $19,710 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Cougar
Trap · 5.1 POINTS
Clark County voted Democratic by 5.1 points in 2020, a baseline that correlates with tenant-protective legislative pressure under HB 1236 + RCW 59.18.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
Can I evict a tenant in Cougar for no reason?
No. Washington state law requires a "just cause" reason to evict a tenant, even after their initial lease term has expired. This could be non-payment of rent, lease violations, or specific landlord reasons like selling the property or moving in a family member.
Q2
How long does an eviction typically take in Cougar, WA?
On average, a contested eviction in Washington state, including Cougar, takes around 147 days from the initial notice to regaining possession. This can vary depending on court schedules and tenant actions.
Q3
What is the maximum security deposit I can charge in Cougar?
You can charge a maximum of 1.00 month's rent as a security deposit in Washington state. You must also provide a written receipt and deposit it into a trust account.
Q4
Do I need an attorney for an eviction in Cougar?
While you can represent yourself, it's highly recommended to hire an attorney for an eviction in Cougar. Washington's landlord-tenant laws are complex, and mistakes in procedure can lead to significant delays and costs.
Q5
What is a 14-day pay-or-quit notice?
This is the required notice for non-payment of rent in Washington. It informs the tenant they have 14 days to either pay the overdue rent in full or vacate the property. If they do neither, you can then proceed with filing an eviction lawsuit.
A 6.5/10 places Cougar in the 35th percentile of Washington cities on the Eviction Risk Score index. The score is the average of the nine sub-axes, all calibrated on a national 1 to 10 scale where 1 is most landlord-friendly and 10 is most tenant-protective. The 50-year reconstruction shows this score has risen sharply since 1976, a structural drift driven by court-calendar growth, rent-control adoption, and the rise of tenant-side legal aid. The trajectory matters more than the snapshot: the score is the climate, not the weather.
Cities with similar eviction risk to Cougar (6.5/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
