Did you know... PROPERTY MAINTENANCE Critical maintenance issues have to be addressed even if a tenant is behind in rent.  For example, a tenant who is being evicted for non-payment of rent still has the right to a working heating system.  Furthermore, while the Washington State Residential Landlord Tenant Act restricts the actions a tenant can take to force a […]
Did you know... NOTICE – NOTICE – NOTICE Washington State law requires a twenty day notice telling a tenant they have to vacate the premises and a thirty notice to raise the rent.  This is the minimum notice; the lease or local ordinance may require additional notice.  (Notices in Seattle, for instance, may need to be served as much as 90 days in […]
Did you know... QUIET ENJOYMENT – TENANT’S RIGHTS Tenants have the right of quiet enjoyment, which includes the right to have house guests. The landlord, on the other hand, has the right to approve any changes in occupancy.  So if a houseguest wants to become an occupant, the landlord has the right to require written permission prior to occupancy.  Some leases define when […]
Did you know... CHILDREN AND RENTALS The prohibition of discrimination against families with children includes not applying “overly restrictive” rules on children under 16.  HUD recently charged an apartment in Texas with this violation*.  HUD alleges that the apartment: “Discriminated against families by prohibiting children under the age of 16 from being in their home without an adult, using the laundry […]
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Did you know... SHOWING YOUR RENTAL – WASHINGTON STATE The owner has the right to show the rental property to prospective buyers or tenants with 24 hours’ notice.  On the other hand, the tenant also has the right of quiet enjoyment.  These may be competing rights.  The tenants also have the right to reasonably say no to showings. The Landlord Tenant Act does not […]
Did you know... FURNISHED RENTALS We don’t handle furnished rentals?  In our experience the additional rent doesn’t justify the additional expenses and hassles.  For instance: We cannot begin to charge enough of a deposit to cover the potential loss or damage of personal property; By definition furnished rentals are short term (defined as less than 6 month lease) so more […]
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Did you know... RULES, RULES AND MORE RULES – Washington State There are more state laws regulating rentals than just the Residential Landlord Tenant Act, RCW 50.18.  For example, Title 19 requires that hot water heaters be set no higher than 120 degrees when the tenants move in. RCW 19.27A.060. Upon occupancy of a new tenant in a residential unit leased or rented in this state, […]
Did you know... DOMESTIC VIOLENCE & WASHINGTON STATE A tenant may terminate a lease if the tenant or a member of the tenant’s household is a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking and the tenant or household member has obtained a protection order or has reported the matter. The tenant must present a copy of the protection order or written record […]
Did you know... KEY SECURITY – WASHINGTON STATE There are no warranties, express or implied, including fitness for a particular purpose, made with respect to this communication. Nothing found herein should be construed as an attempt to offer or render a legal opinion or otherwise engage in the practice of law. You should obtain the advice of an attorney well versed in these […]
Did you know... RENTAL CAPS – WASHINGTON STATE A recent Washington State court case ruled that if a rental cap wasn’t imposed in the original CC&Rs, that an amendment to apply one requires a 90% vote by all owners. In the Filmore vs. Centre Pointe Condominium case the Court of Appeals ruled that the Centre Pointe’s rental restriction was not valid as it […]
Did you know... WHO IS YOUR EMPLOYER? The Seattle Office of Civil Rights is investigating whether discounts given exclusively to employees of certain companies is discriminatory.  Some landlords give discounts to employees of companies like Boeing, Microsoft and Amazon.  Equally qualified tenants who work for “non-preferred” employers are charged higher rent and/or deposits.  Critics, including the NAACP, claim the practice is discriminatory […]
Did you know... FREE LEGAL ADVICE – WASHINGTON STATE Washington State has a free advice and referral service for low-income people for civil matters, including Landlord-Tenant issues.  CLEAR has limited resources, but may: Give verbal or written advice that may help solve the problem; Send written legal information and/or forms to help solve the problem; Try to resolve the problem through negotiation; Referral to […]
Did you know... HARVARD & THE HOUSING REPORT * http://harvard-cga.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=0ffea521479a4585b383169bf00e2aa9 We are here to help you and your clients with all aspects of the rental market. Please contact us for further assistance! There are no warranties, express or implied, including fitness for a particular purpose, made with respect to this communication. Nothing found herein should be construed as an attempt to offer or […]
Did you know... TENANT SAYS, “BYE BYE” NOW WHAT? If a tenant vacates prior to the end of the lease term the landlord is required to make a good faith effort to re-rent the property. The courts will not compensate a landlord for damages that could have been avoided by reasonable effort or expenditures.  The courts usually interpret this requirement as meaning that the […]
Did you know... TENANT ‘MOVE IN’ INSPECTION There are no warranties, express or implied, including fitness for a particular purpose, made with respect to this communication. Nothing found herein should be construed as an attempt to offer or render a legal opinion or otherwise engage in the practice of law. You should obtain the advice of an attorney well versed in these […]
Did you know... 10 DAY NOTICE TO COMPLY… If a tenant is not complying with a term of the lease, the tenant can be served with a Ten Day Notice to Comply.  This notice is given to a tenant who is violating a term of the lease, for example, to a tenant who has an unauthorized pet on the property. A specific clause […]
Did you know... RENT INCREASE? THINK FIRST!!