June 2022 Newsletter
Our Reliable Service | Your Peace of Mind
Introducing Maple Leaf Foundation
We are thrilled to share the news about Maple Leaf Foundation. This grassroots, nonprofit organization has teamed up with Seattle Children’s Hospital, Owners affiliated with Maple Leaf Property Management and Showdigs to create affordable, nurturing, child-centered housing, for low to moderate-income families who must relocate for long-term pediatric cancer and cardiac care.
Often, a serious long-term treatment will come with the requirement that the child relocate to within a 60-minute drive of Seattle Children’s Hospital before treatment can begin. This means relocating to some of the most expensive and competitive housing in the country. These families often go bankrupt because housing is not covered on their insurance. Maple Leaf Foundation endeavors to take housing off the family’s long list of things to worry about by providing affordable, accessible, furnished homes within an easy commute of Seattle Children’s Hospital. Owners of homes accessible to the foundation will continue to receive rent, just like in any other tenancy, but the rent will be paid through a combination of tenant and foundation funds. We’ve already had several very generous owners sign up their homes to be a part of the program and donations continue to come in to help pay the rent.
A recurring monthly donation will go towards assuring families they can stay in these homes throughout their entire treatment. If you would like to make a donation, or if you have items you can donate to the home, please visit www.mapleleaffoundation.org. Make sure you check out the video! If you want more information on our program, please don’t hesitate to email Molly Landreth at molly@mapleleaffoundation.org
Launching Ralston House
We at Maple Leaf Real Estate are so grateful for our community. Our relationships are without a doubt the company’s most treasured asset. It’s these relationships that, in just a few months, have turned the vision of the Maple Leaf Foundation into a reality with the launching of the Ralston House. Owner Dave and Marlo Ralston of Sound Team Realty has worked with Maple Leaf Property Management to manage their rental property for several years. Upon learning about the foundation’s mission, Dave and Marlo didn’t hesitate to be the first owner to offer their property to be used by families with children in long-term care at Seattle Children’s Hospital. At the beginning of June, the first family moved in! Thank you, Dave and Marlo!
We’d also like to give a shout out to Kobi Bensimon, the CEO of Showdigs and Lorraine Hellum of Seattle Bank. The support we’ve received from these companies, and individuals, has been a game changer.
And, a huge round of applause to the amazing team of volunteers who recently turned the Ralston House into a home. Using all donated furnishings, this incredible group gave up a Saturday to pack a moving truck, haul furniture, arrange rooms, fill up kitchen drawers…the list goes on. Check out the pictures from moving day!
Thank you from everyone at Maple Leaf Foundation and thank you from all the families who will find comfort at Ralston House. www.mapleleaffoundation.org
Maintaining a Fixed Term Lease in Washington
The process for renewing a fixed-term lease in Washington has gotten a lot more complicated with the passage of HB 1236. In order to continue a fixed-term lease, and not have it revert to month-to-month, there are multiple steps to take on a specific timeline. If these steps aren’t followed, the tenancy can revert to month-to-month. We must now formally serve the extension documents to every adult at the property at least 60 days before the end of the current term. This means delivering hard copies of the extension document (one per adult) at the premises. If this deadline is missed, the tenants will have the option to stay at the property on a month-to-month basis.
Terminating a tenancy (not offering a lease extension) has also gotten more difficult. Housing providers must either offer a new term, allow the tenancy to continue month-to-month, prove there is just cause for termination, or prove that the tenancy is exempt from the regulation. Residents on month-to-month agreements can still terminate tenancy without cause.
The process of formally serving an extension notice requires a lot of time and resources. However, we believe it is still in the owner’s best interest to have fixed-term tenancies and we’ve quickly adapted our office practices to meet these requirements.
Seattle Requiring 180-day Notice of Rent Increase
In addition to the statewide requirement for formally serving lease extension notices, landlords in Seattle must now provide at least 180 days’ notice of any rent increase. If the increase is less than 10%, it can be sent via email but must still use a formal RHAWA notification form. If the increase is 10% or more, the notice must be formally served (paper copies served at the premises).
A rent increase of 10% or more also exposes Seattle landlords to a program that takes effect July 1: the Economic Displacement Relocation Assistance (EDRA) ordinance. Tenant households earning 80% or less of AMI (area median income) who must move because they cannot afford to pay a housing cost increase of 10% or more in a 12-month period, will be eligible to apply for EDRA through the City. The Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections’ compliance division will administer the program. Tenants will apply for relocation assistance and provide income verification. Relocation assistance equal to three months’ rent will be advanced to eligible tenants. The landlord is responsible for reimbursing the city of Seattle for the full amount. It should be noted that there is still not a specific number assigned to the area median income and several members of the Seattle City Council are trying to get rid of this requirement, meaning any tenant, regardless of income, could claim economic eviction if the rent increase is 10% or more and request relocation assistance.
