Seattle Rental Group Blog

The other day I had a landlord say to me, “We’re really looking for a family to lease our home. We don’t want multiple single, younger individual tenants or room mates and prefer just leasing to a nice family.”

While I can see the fear an Owner might have with leasing to multiple people Landlords must adhere to very basic landlord tenant laws here in Seattle:

1. Fair Housing Laws
It is illegal for landlords to select one rental application over another on the basis of race, color, national heritage, religion, gender, disability, or familial status. That might sound like an simple law to follow, but it’s easier to violate than you might suspect. For example, if you advertise for a tenant in your local Catholic circular, and nowhere else, you’re in violation of the Fair Housing Act. Or if you have two rental applications, one from an older couple whose children have already moved out and who have slightly lower income, and one from a family of five with several young children who have slightly larger income, you can be found guilty of discrimination if you chose the older couple. Clearly, the older couple is far less likely to cause damage and substantial wear and tear on the rental property, but you’ll need to find a different reason to accept their rental application (for example, maybe they have better credit, or perhaps have a cleaner criminal or eviction history).

Besides Fair Housing Laws we also need to consider and look out for Security and Pet deposits, Lead disclosures and all other disclosures along with proper background and criminal checks. There are many things to look out for and if you’re not a “Pro or Guru” consider looking at Seattle Rental Group as a service or a resource for your possible Leasing solution.

For a lot of people, Renters Insurance can be an afterthought.  Tenants tend to think it’s an unnecessary expense and landlords tend to think it’s the Tenants responsibility and shouldn’t be a concern of theirs.  The fact of the matter is both parties need to be aware of the benefits that come from a solid renters insurance policy.

The first and most obvious benefit is coverage of the tenants personal belongings.  Often people think they don’t have enough property to make paying for a policy worthwhile.  But if you take a look at what can be covered by a renters insurance policy, you’ll notice that it can really add up.  Clothing, furniture, television, entertainment systems, computers, sporting equipment, and jewelry…these are just a few items that are covered under a Renters Insurance Policy.

What most people aren’t aware of is the benefit to the landlord.  Not only does renters insurance cover personal property, it can also help pay for damages caused by the tenant.  Some of the most common Renters Insurance claims are fires and floods.  Leaving a candle burning, knocking a fire sprinkler off when moving, or causing damage with cigarette burns are just a few ways that a perfectly normal landlord-tenant relationship can head South.  Renters Insurance can help cover all of these issues.  So while you may require a stiff security deposit, there is always a chance that something catastrophic can happen.  And when something does happen it’s important to make sure you and the tenant are covered!

Failing to do background or credit checks could mean a big mistake with your new tenant!

There’s an internal sensor we have that let’s us size up a person’s character in one meeting.  This isn’t always a good outcome when it comes to leasing your home.

A nicely dressed, well-spoken person could be living beyond their means or be a great salesman (aka con person).

When entrusting one of your biggest financial assets to a stranger, the rule is this: screen all applicants properly.

As the Owner you want to know whether an applicant has been evicted in the past; whether they have a history of criminal behavior that could jeopardize you, your neighbors or your property; and whether they earn enough. An industry standard is a monthly income at least three times the rent.

Here’s where Seattle Rental Group (SRG) can be particularly helpful. We have relationships with background-investigation firms that know the laws surrounding data searches. SRG uses these agencies to supplement a criminal and financial screening.

The credit score is very important but credit scores alone are not all-telling as it’s possible for people’s credit to be damaged (after a hospitalization, divorce or short sale/foreclosure for example) without their ever having missing a rent payment.  This is why being armed with the proper Agent and Agency is important for a combination of “internal voice” and screening to make the most educated decision possible when leasing out your home.