Winter 2021 Newsletter 

Our Reliable Service | Your Peace of Mind

Spotlight on Property Managers: Morgan Rodin

Morgan came to work for Maple Leaf Property Management in the summer of 2016 after graduating from Washington State University. After working as an administrative assistant, she obtained her Real Estate License in 2017 and starting managing properties. Over the years she has worked various jobs in the company from assistant to bookkeeper to property manager to operations manager learning all aspects of the business.


She enjoys the ever-changing environment that property management brings and that no two days are ever the same with something new to learn with each experience. Morgan prides herself on helping the company, and through it our owners, always being up to date with the ever-changing laws and regulations in the industry.


When not at the office Morgan enjoys spending time with family and friends either checking out local breweries, hiking, or boating.

Seattle-Area Rental Market Rebounding from Pandemic

During the height of the pandemic in 2020, it felt like renters couldn’t get out of downtown Seattle fast enough. The pendulum is swinging back. Concession offers are disappearing, rents are steadily climbing, and the amount of time it takes to rent a property is dropping. Compared to last year, there’s been a 42.7% increase in the number of leases signed for downtown properties. While not yet back or exceeding pre-pandemic levels, young renters realize their window for finding housing downtown is quickly shrinking and they’re rushing in to find great rental opportunities. This trend is consistent across our region: rents going up and vacancies going down. The upturn can be attributed to many factors. The availability of single-family homes, especially on the Eastside, continues to dwindle yet the demand continues to increase as the local tech giants (Amazon, Microsoft, Google, etc.) continue to hire and relocate employees to the area. Rentals also continue to benefit from the highly competitive seller’s market. Pent-up demand is also a factor: people wanted to move during the pandemic but couldn’t. As the virus continues to decline, mobility increases. Owning rental property in the Northwest is proving once again to be a solid investment—even able to withstand a pandemic!

Seattle City Council Approves Two Bills Affecting Rent Raises

On Monday, Sep. 27, 2021, the Seattle City Council approved two bills that directly affect a landlord’s ability to raise rents. Per CB 119585, starting Nov. 9, 2021, landlords will be required to provide 180 days’ notice of any rent increases (six full months). Also, per CB 120173, landlords will be required to pay equal to three months of rent to low-income tenants who depart due to rent increases of 10% or more. The relocation assistance bill takes effect July 2022. All rent increase in Seattle must include the following language: If you need help understanding this notice or information about your renter rights, call the Renting in Seattle Helpline at (206) 684- 5700 or visit the web site at www.seattle.gov/rentinginseattle.

Eviction Moratorium Near End

There have been many extensions of the eviction moratorium since the start of the pandemic, but the end might finally be near. The federal eviction moratorium expired on July 31 after the Supreme Court prevented an extension. At the state level, we’re in an “eviction moratorium bridge,” meaning tenants must begin paying rent in full, pay reduced rent negotiated with a landlord or actively seek rental assistance—but cannot be evicted for nonpayment through October 31. In Seattle, the eviction moratorium was recently extended through Jan. 15, 2022. The extensions are in response to ongoing concern about a wave of evictions and the continued difficulty in obtaining rental assistance.
 
What happens when the moratorium ends? The eviction process will never return to how it was pre-pandemic due to a variety of recent laws, including the right to council and the Eviction Resolution Program (ERP). This program seeks to prevent evictions by bringing everyone concerned together with a mediator and exploring options such as payment plans and rent assistance. The ERP is not optional: landlords are required to undertake efforts to engage tenants and find a resolution before proceeding to the unlawful detainer process.

Fall Is The Best Time To Prepare For Winter

As the saying goes, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” The winter weather can be hard on homes and the best time to prevent problems is right now—fall! An emergency call to a plumber or heating specialist is going to be much more expensive than a routine maintenance check-up. Our property managers strive to keep your investments in great condition and also work hard to prevent major (expensive) problems. Here are a few things we recommend to our owners:

• Gutters and Downspouts. Make sure gutters and downspouts are clear of debris, water is flowing freely, and everything is tied into the drainage system—not pooling by the house. Pooling can cause damage to foundations and seep into basements.
• Make sure weather stripping around windows and doors is in good shape. A drafty house is not only harder to heat; it will cause more wear on your furnace.
• Have a routine maintenance visit by an HVAC professional. Catching problems early will save money in the long run and it will extend the life of your heating/cooling system.
• Ensure all pipes are well insulated, use frost-proof caps to cover outside taps, and make sure you know where the shut-off valve is.
• If you use the fireplace routinely, this is a great time to have the chimney cleaned. Gas fireplaces also need maintenance—igniters become dusty over the summer.
• Critters look for warm, dry homes this time of year. Make sure attic vents are covered with screens, trees and shrubbery don’t touch or overhang the house, and crawl spaces are secure.

What Are Landlords Required To Repair?

Owning rental property is like owning any other business: there are maintenance costs. While a landlord is not responsible for every whim of the tenant (such as changing the wall color), the landlord is required to maintain a property that is safe and habitable, and complying with all area codes and ordinances. RCW 59.18.060 is the Washington state code that outlines landlord duties. There are the obvious things to keep in repair: heat, water, hot water heater, roof, all structural components, electrical, plumbing and appliances. And there are some not so obvious ones: rodent and pest remediation, changing keys between tenants, and cleaning the gutters. A handy repairs facts outline can be found at http://tenantsunion.org/rights/repairs- faq.

Tenant Screening: Refresher Course

With so many new rental laws in Seattle, the First in Time rule feels like it passed a long time ago—but it’s only been two years. Although the law has had some legal challenges, it is still with us and has set the precedent for many other cities. The First-in-Time (FIT) ordinance requires that landlords rent to the first qualified applicant (or group of applicants). The law
is meant to fight implicit bias by landlords who may unconsciously discriminate against potential tenants because of factors like race, gender, or disability. Before FIT, landlords could get a group of applications, then pick the one with the best credit score or who they thought might stay at the property longest.

We Love ShowDigs!

We have always provided one-on-one tours of all the properties we manage, and will continue to do so. As Maple Leaf Property Management has grown, however, it’s not uncommon for a property manager to have multiple units on the market at once, which makes it hard to provide on-demand tours. Thank goodness for Showdigs! Showdigs is a consortium of licensed real estate agents who provide on-demand showings for many of our interested parties. It works a lot like having a house on the market to sell: the person showing the house might not be the listing agent, but he/she is licensed, able to answer questions and facilitates the application process. Showdigs has an online platform that is linked to all of our inquiries and our response time from getting the inquiry to booking the showing has gone down to minutes. Showdigs also provides excellent condition reports of the properties as well. To learn more about Showdigs visit showdigs.com. They’re a game changer!
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