Tenant Screening Services Seattle, Redmond, Bellevue, WA

Landlord Protection Services, tenant screening, employment screening

ARTICLES

Seattle Mayor Durkan allows winter eviction ban to become law

Evictions will be banned between Dec. 1 through Mar. 1 within the City of Seattle &  will provide tenants covered by the ban with a defense in court. Here’s what you need to know:

  • It will apply to tenants at or below the area’s median income who miss rent payments or are accused of violating some other lease terms.
  • It won’t apply to tenants above the median income, nor to tenants who engage in criminal or nuisance activities.
  • It also won’t apply to tenants whose landlords own four or fewer housing units.

Landlords will still be able to file evictions during the winter, requiring tenants to respond in court by citing the ban. Tenants protected under the legislation will still accrue debt for missed rent, and landlords still will be allowed to evict them in March.

Click the Seattle Times link below to read more…

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/seattle-mayor-durkan-allows-winter-eviction-ban-to-become-law-proposes-more-funding-for-prevention/?utm_source=marketingcloud&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Morning+Brief+2-26-20_2_26_2020&utm_term=

Rental Housing Registration and Inspection Program

Rental Housing Registration and Inspection Program

October 1, 2012

Summary of Program Elements

Registration

• Registration required for all rental housing units, from single family houses to large apartments; exceptions include

o Short‐term vacation rentals

o Commercial lodging such as hotels, motels and B&Bs

o Housing units in state licensed facilities like assisted living, adult family homes or veterans homes

o Hospitals and hospices

o Emergency or temporary shelters or transitional housing

o Facilities owned by or managed for Major Institutions

o Housing units in a religious facility occupied by members of the religious order

o Housing units, owned by a government entity or housing authority, like SHA

• Inspections apply to all registered rental housing units, except those receiving public subsidies that are already subject to regular inspections, those getting regular inspections from their lending institution, and accessory dwelling units if occupied by an immediate family member of the resident home owner

• The following schedule applies for the registration requirement:

o By July 1, 2014, all properties with 10 or more rental housing units

o By December 31, 2014, all properties with 5 to 9 rental housing units

o By December 31, 2016, all properties with 1 to 4 rental housing units

 

• Each registration must include a sworn statement that the rental housing units meet specified subset of the health and safety standards called for in Seattle’s housing code

 

• Registrations must be renewed every five years

 

Inspections

• All registered properties will be inspected within the first ten years of the program

 

• Rental properties subject to this program that have had two or more Notices of Violation or one or more Emergency Orders issued within a two year period will be inspected within the first year of the program

 

• Five years after its first required inspection, properties are subject to re-inspection

http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/Compliance/RentalHousing/Overview/default.asp

http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/Compliance/RentalHousing/Overview/default.asp

Income Verifying process

Verification of Income Procedures

At the very start of the application process, make sure your potential tenants provide the following:  drivers license or other photo ID, and or Social Security Card and a recent paystub from employer showing income with year to date totals.

By retaining a copy of the Paystub you have a chance of seeing the applicants earnings and any garnishments that are being taken out. Even when the screening company is able to obtain wages it is still a good practice to always require this documentation of the employees paystub. Plus, if you do end up sending them to collections for money owed the collection company will have more information on how to proceed against them.

Self employed applicants will need to provide 2 years tax returns or banks statements showing deposits in a regular pattern equaling what they state they make each month.

Retirees, unemployed and other income recipients will need to provide proof on income by showing bank statements, retirement funds, or other statements showing proof of the amount they get each month.

When the screening company is able to verify the employment reference themselves, it should be just a standard back up to what you the landlord have already been provided by the applicant.

The trend seen today is for many of our corporations to have passed this  Human Resource service to a third party call center, such as 900 Number /Work Number or some online employment verification companies. These are not cheap and require added fees. Many times they will only release minimal information such as hire date and position only.

 

 

Carbon Monoxide Alarm News

Carbon Monoxide Alarms – WAC 51-51-0315 Section R315-Carbon monoxide alarms
It is looking like carbon monoxide alarms are going to be required in all rental units by the first of the year. Get use to the idea and be pro-active in your compliance.
RCW 19.27.530 provides that the tenant is responsible for the maintenance once it is installed. This would include replacing the batteries if needed and checking the testing of the alarm. It would still be best to have this included in your lease agreement to cover all the basic information.
There are two different types of CO alarms, hard wired and plug in battery operated. You can have either one and be in compliance of the law since it does not state you have to have one over another. The battery or batter backup would seem to be the most preferred and the easiest to install and maintain. Plus you have an easier ability to place it in a location that may not have a power source.
Either way you must make sure the CO alarms are listed as complying with UL 2075. This designation means the alarms will alert occupants when CO levels reach a certain concentration and remain there for a period amount of time. Make sure you read the manufacturer’s instructions on the location of where to place the alarms and where not to place them.
Take notice of how many alarms are required in your units. Regulations states that the alarms must be installed outside of each sleeping area in the immediate vicinity of the bedrooms and on each level of the dwelling in accordance to manufacturer’s recommendations. See again the manufacturer’s instructions