Property Management Blog

Seattle's "First-in-Line" Law Upheld by Washington State Supreme CourtWhat this means for youBy Levio PolettiOn Thursday, November 14, Washington State’s Supreme Court upheld Seattle’s first-come, first-served law for renters. Landlords were claiming that the law, which took into effect in 2016, was unfairly taki...

When landlords and investors hire a professional property manager to protect and maintain their rental properties, they often do so because the laws are so detailed and complex. As a landlord, you are required to pay attention and obey a number of federal, state, and local laws. If you don’t know these laws, or you don’t have ...

Maintaining your rental property is an important part of being a landlord for two major reasons. First, it keeps your tenants happy, and happy tenants will pay their rent on time, help you take care of the property, and be more willing to renew their leases. Second, maintaining your property increases the return on your investment because...

Advertising your Seattle rental property strategically will make the difference between finding a highly qualified tenant and suffering through a long vacancy period. The goal is to get your property in front of as many people as possible, and to attract a large pool of interested tenants from which to choose.Maximize Your Marketing Effor...

Fair housing laws are in place to protect classes of people against discrimination when it comes to rental housing. When landlords violate these laws, it’s often because they don’t completely understand them. Avoid mistakes with fair housing by following these four tips.Be Consistent and FairYou have to treat everyone the same...

The real estate industry was was instrumental in changing the required timeframe for security deposit settlements from 14 to 21 days effective June 9, 2016.This means Landlords have more time to make an accurate and final accounting within a timeframe that is more reasonable. One important pitfall to be aware of however is that most lease...

The Civil Rights department of Sеаttlе has rесоrdеd diѕсriminаtiоn сhаrgеѕ аgаinѕt 23 lаndlоrdѕ after a progression оf sting ореrаtiоnѕ went fоr finding inсlinаtiоn against rеntеrѕ. The wоrkрlасе раid "analyzers" асting like prospective rеntеrѕ to check fоr illegal discriminat...

  We are often asked by property owners interesting in renting out their homes or a condominium is whether they should or could rent their property furnished as opposed to unfurnished. This is often due to a transfer out of town and not wanting to put the furnishings in storage.   While there can be some advantages to leasi...

As a landlord in Seattle, you’re going to have to deal with occasional emergencies, even when your property is well maintained and in good condition. Inevitably, there will be a water heater leak, a breakdown in the heating system or a tree that falls onto the roof. It’s important that you respond quickly and properly. &n...

We get a lot of questions from landlords and property investors who want to know if they should remodel their properties before putting them on the rental market. It really depends on how your home looks to prospective tenants, and whether you have the necessary money to invest in large upgrades and updates. Make the repairs and upgrades ...