All Forum Posts by: Josh Tsang

Thank you, everybody.  If anyone has a recommended collections company (or two), I would be most appreciative!  

Originally posted by @Theresa Harris:

You are unlikely to ever see any of the money, so you may as well do collections and let them spend the time trying to locate him.

Thanks, Theresa.  That is my assumption as well.  But to clarify, I guess my question is really:  do I need to first offer my former tenant a repayment plan and follow a specific timeline and process to do this, or am I free to head down the collections route ASAP with no need to first offer a repayment plan?   

The only information I could find from various state, county and other various rental resources focuses entirely on how to go about the eviction process or collection of debt (while the tenant remains in the unit), following the expiration of the eviction moratorium.  It doesn't seem that dealing with my use-case is widely discussed.  I'm assuming I can just move forward with collections now since he has moved out and an eviction is no longer a concern, but would be curious to know if anyone else has experienced my use-case yet and is able to confirm that my assumption is true.

Thank you!
  

Hello BiggerPockets Community!

I apologize in advance if this topic has already been discussed but I was unable to find it.  I have a tenant who moved out of one of my rental units in Bellevue, WA, in July 2021.  He stopped paying rent starting in April, 2021 and now owes about $8K. Fortunately the unit was cleaned and undamaged, and I sold it shortly after.   

When he moved out, he of course said he would pay back the amount due, but couldn't provide a repayment timeline.  He also failed to provide me with a forwarding address despite repeated attempt to get this information from him.  He has now gone radio silent by phone, text and email and no attempt has been made to repay any of the outstanding rent. 

My question is as follows:  do I need to offer him a specific rental repayment plan that mirrors the requirements set forth in SB 5160 (send him a letter offering him a repayment plan with monthly amounts due that are not to exceed 1/3 of the monthly rental amount)?  And only if he fails to respond and/or agree to the plan within 14 days, or if he agrees to the plan but misses a payment deadline, then am I able to move forward with pursuing collections?

Or, at this point, am I free to move forward with pursuing collections ASAP (without offering him a payment plan).  Secondly, if I wish to be more reasonable, can I make one more attempt to offer a repayment plan of my choosing and within a shorter timeframe, and then pursue collections if he fails to respond to that plan and/or starts missing payments per the terms of the plan?  

Thank you for any clarification that can be provided.

Hello BP Ccommunity - I own an investment unit at an older, smaller condominium complex (18 units) in Bellevue. I'm also on the board of directors for the HOA. We're looking to hire a new property management company for our association. Do any of you have experience with any such property management firms? Given that we're a very small complex, we're trying to find a company that provides good service but is also affordable. Thank you!

Michele and James, thank you very much for your input!  I ended up just doing a M2M lease, and kept it simple.  

Thanks again.

I have seen residential landlords with month-to-month leases that specify tenants cannot terminate their leases during specific months of the year (i.e. November - January) as to avoid vacancy and headaches during periods that are usually more difficult to find tenants. Do any of you know if such language is legal and enforceable and allowed in Washington state? If it's questionable, or un-enforceable, could such language make an entire lease null and void?  Thank you!