Evicting Squatters, Guests, and Trespassers – Landlord Guide
We’ve written this article because there’s a lot of bogus information online about evicting squatters and other non-tenant residents. Much of this bad info seems to be written by property managers and realtors who confuse adverse possession with the laws relevant to active squatter situations. It’s disappointing what companies do for search engine optimization. Here […]
Is locking out your tenant cheaper than an eviction? *Yikes*
Evictions are expensive–often costing $2,000-5,000. They also take a long time–usually at least four months from start to finish. Due to these high costs, frustrated landlords sometimes wonder whether it’s worth the risk of just skipping the eviction process and locking their tenant out of the unit illegally, a practice known as landlord “self-help.” This question […]
Why Tacoma’s new eviction bans are (probably) illegal
If you’re a Tacoma landlord, you’ve probably heard of Tacoma’s infamous (and ironically named) Landlord Fairness Code–the bombshell anti-landlord ordinance voted into law as initiative no. 1 in November 2023. In other articles on this website, we’ve covered both the effects of the Landlord Fairness Code on Tacoma landlords, and the bonkers story of how […]
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, […]