Did you know... SELLING A RENTAL PROPERTY? If a landlord cites the intention of selling a single-family dwelling as the reason for termination of tenancy, the owner will be subject to penalties if a good faith effort to sell the property isn’t made within 30 days after the tenant vacates.  For the purposes of this law: “There shall be a rebuttable presumption […]
Did you know... SELLING A RENTAL PROPERTY? When a property is sold with a tenant in place, the purchase and sale agreement should address how tenant deposits and pre-paid last month’s rent will be transferred to the buyer.  The buyer will need a copy of the original move in inspection report.  Without one, the tenant cannot be charged for any cleaning required […]
Did you know... TENANT APPROVAL CRITERIA Prior to obtaining any information about a prospective tenant, Washington State Law (RCW 59.18.257) requires that landlords provide their screening criteria in writing to prospective applicants. In the city of Seattle there are some screening limitations which differ from the rest of the state. Click on the buttons below to view our current criteria for tenant […]
Did you know... MEMORIAL DAY – 2022
Did you know... WASHINGTON LEASES. A lease is a legally binding contract. Everybody knows that, RIGHT?  But do you know what that means? Even though the landlord owns the property, it is the tenant’s home.  Once a tenant moves in, even if the owner raised their children in the house, it is now an investment property and, as such, the […]
Did you know... WHAT COVID-19 WROUGHT. The pandemic caused a variety of changes in the rental market?  The impact was varied and many changes appear to be permanent. Rents went down and then increased over the course of the pandemic.  In 2020, when many were working remotely, there was an exodus of tenants from cities to less expensive rural markets.  This […]
Did you know... SHOWING A RENTAL PROPERTY The landlord has the right to show a rental property to a prospective buyer or tenant with a 24-hour notice while the tenant has the right of quiet enjoyment.  These two rights are sometimes in conflict. The Landlord Tenant Act says that the tenant may not “unreasonably withhold consent.”  However, the landlord may, “not abuse […]
Did you know... FAIR HOUSING COMPLAINT #1 That the majority of Fair Housing complaints are regarding disability?  Of those, an increasing  number are regarding reasonable accommodation requests for service animals.  According to the Fair Housing Assistance Program, 44 percent of complaints included disability as a basis, followed by race at 20 percent and national origin at just under 10 percent.  In 2020 […]
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Did you know... I NEED TO SELL MY RENTAL. WAIT A MINUTE!! Before giving a notice to vacate because a landlord wants to sell a rental, the owner must determine which laws apply and what type of property the investment property is considered to be.  Besides state law, there are numerous local laws that may take precedence.  State law allows a landlord to give a 90-day notice […]
Did you know... CREDIT REPORTS – BEWARE! A seller cannot give the buyer copies of existing tenants’ credit reports when the property sells without the tenants’ written permission.  It is a violation of the fair credit reporting act for landlord to show anyone the credit applications except for landlord’s credit agency or their lawyer. We are here to help you and your […]
Did you know... THINK POSITIVE!
Did you know... Seattle’s Disappearing Rental Properties Seattle tracks the number of rental properties in the city through their Rental Registration and Inspection program?  According to the latest data from Seattle’s Rental Property Registration database, Seattle has had a net loss of 3,050 properties and 9,759 units since May 2021. During that time, just 27 rental units were added to the market. Of […]
Did you know... LAWS, LAWS AND MORE LAWS Multiple (Lots & Lots) of changes to the Landlord Tenant Act were recently passed by the legislature. 2019-2020 Legislative Session HB 1440 requires a 60-day notice for rent increases.  Local laws may increase the time required.  HB 1462 requires a 120-day notice to terminate any tenancy due to demolition, substantial renovation requiring a permit or […]
Did you know... JUST CAUSE OR NO CAUSE? Washington State is now a “Just Cause” Eviction state?  Prior to the passage of the Mandatory Lease Renewal bill last year, Washington was a “No Cause” Eviction state.  This meant that a landlord could require a tenant to vacate at the end of a lease term without stating a reason or cause.  For tenants on […]
Did you know... Retaliatory or Discriminatory?? Terminations of tenancy and rent increases that are retaliatory or discriminatory are illegal! A court may find that the landlord illegally retaliated against the tenant if a landlord takes certain actions within ninety days after a tenant asserts their rights or within ninety days after a government inspection or proceeding resulting from a tenant complaint. […]
Did you know... SEATTLE WASHINGTON RENTAL LAW The Seattle City Council voted down another extension of the city’s eviction moratorium?  The current moratorium is scheduled to expire on February 28th. Mayor Harrell stated that he won’t extend the moratorium an eighth time. In 2020 the city council passed a measure that provides tenants with a defense against rent-related evictions for six months after […]
Did you know... RENTAL MARKET REBOUND? According a survey by the Rental Housing Association and CoStar, the rental market rebounded in 2021. The rental market made a comeback in 2021 after a slowdown in 2020 due to the coronavirus exodus of office workers. In 2021, annual rents increased an amazing 10.4% in metro Seattle, year-over-year, after rents fell for the first time […]
Did you know... TOP PROPERTY MANAGERS – 2021
Did you know... WHAT’S IN A NAME??? Washington’s Just Cause Eviction Ordinance allows a landlord to give notice to vacate to a tenant if the owner wants to sell a single-family home?  The law has this definition of a single-family home. A “single-family residence” is a structure maintained and used as a single dwelling unit. Notwithstanding that a dwelling unit shares one […]
Did you know... MORE REGULATION? That there are four bills regarding rentals currently under consideration by the legislature?  House Bill 1300 adds requirements for tenant deposit accounting, some of which could make it harder for landlords to deduct charges from a tenant’s deposit. The full bill and link to submit a comment can be found here: https://app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill/1300 Senate Bill 5576 […]