Housing is too expensive. Why? Because we aren’t building enough
Redfin reported that only 21% of American houses sold in 2022 were affordable. 79% were unaffordable. The median home price is now $431,000, which is up more than 100% from the Great Recession lows of 2009. Compare that to the rate of inflation, which has (*only*) been around 44% during that same period. There’s no […]
Damage Deposits and Fees in Washington State
Fees and deposits are essentially a form of insurance intended to prevent landlords from losing money if a tenant damages the unit or fails to pay. In this article, we explain how the Washington Residential Landlord Tenant Act deals with damage deposits and fees. Importantly, a few municipalities like Seattle and Tacoma have enacted their […]
Tacoma’s July 2023 Rental Law Changes – Landlord Guide (Updated 2024)
Most Washington landlord-tenant laws are set at the state level (which is why we’ve written our Washington Eviction Guide), but cities and counties can impose their own laws too. In July 2023, the City of Tacoma updated its rental housing code to add many additional tenant protections. This article is about those July 2023 updates. […]
Emotional Support Animals are a dumb idea but landlords can’t ignore them
We’ve been hearing lots of questions about emotional support animals in recent years. This article is about the legalities of emotional support animals. What are they, and does your tenant really have one? “Emotional support animals” are not “service animals” Most people are familiar with service animals. Service animals are specially trained to help disabled […]
Seattle Rental Housing Laws – Landlord Guide (Updated 2024)
It’s tough being a landlord in Seattle these days, especially for mom-and-pop landlords who don’t deal with housing laws every day. In this article, we we provide an overview of Seattle rental housing laws. It’s important to understand where Seattle’s sit in the legal hierarchy. Washington State landlord-tenant laws take priority and local municipalities like […]
Washington Eviction Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
In this article, we’ll discuss some of our favorite questions about the Washington eviction process. If you’re looking for an overview on the process, check out our Washington State eviction guide, or our guides for Tacoma and Seattle. Below, we discuss the following questions: Can I lock the tenant out instead of evicting them? Can […]
The (only) 17 reasons you can evict a tenant in Washington State
If you haven’t done so already, you might want to start by reading our guide to evicting a tenant in Washington State. If you own or operate properties in Seattle or Tacoma, you might also want to check out our articles on Seattle and Tacoma rental housing code. This article will make more sense after […]
Handy tips for Washington Landlords. Learn from our mistakes!
It’s no secret that Washington evictions can be long and expensive. It’s not just attorneys’ fees and court costs; often, the tenant doesn’t pay rent while the eviction is pending so the landlord is out several months of rent as well. If it’s an older unit, the landlord may need to rehab it before rerenting, […]
How to Evict Tenants in Washington State – Landlord Guide (2024)
Washington eviction law has changed a lot in recent years. We’ve written this article to be the most thorough and accurate overview of the Washington State eviction process available. Be careful about trusting other eviction information on the internet, as much of it is outdated, incomplete, or otherwise inaccurate. In this article, we discuss the […]
Conditional Use Permits: A discretionary hurdle to development
The Truth about Conditional Use Permits Conditional use permits are often touted as a kind of exception to the zoning code for uses that are beneficial to the community. For instance, Tacoma’s conditional use tip sheet, still explains conditional use permits in this way. However, that is no longer the whole story. Today, conditional use […]