All Forum Posts by: Rachel H.

@Rod Hanks thank you. Yeah, under any other circumstances, I'd suspect that, but I'm certain based on past communication that they are simply no longer responding. I can try an in person visit, I suppose, yes. 

My tenants, who have been in the property for close to three years, have become totally unresponsive. They pay their rent on time, but have not responded to any emails since October. I understand I cannot legally require them to respond, unless the notice specifically requires it, like for instance, a notice of entry, but it's making it difficult to manage the property, and I'm not sure how to proceed. I believe they will continue to respond to all notices where they are required to do so. But, for instance, I sent them a notice of rent increase effective February 1 and needed them to confirm that they have accepted the new payment terms through our electronic payment system, and even after repeated notices, they are not responding. I know that their email is accurate, and that is not the issue. I believe they are expressing their displeasure with the fact that I have not accommodated some of their recent requests that went far beyond the scope of what is required (like insisting a licensed electrician switch out a smoke detector when we could do it ourselves) and I had to set some boundaries after years of high maintenance for them. I'm curious if anyone has encountered a totally unresponsive tenant before, and what recourse there may be if any, or what tactics people have used. Thank you for any tips!

Thank you 🙏 

I have a tenant in Portland, OR in a house that needs the carpet restretched. During restretching, we may need to move some of the tenant’s furniture, though we will work around it if we can. This tenant has a 9-month-old and uses adhesive furniture wall anchors. She is requesting I reimburse her for the $150 she spent on these very specific particular wall anchors, if she needs to replace them. I can get equally safe wall anchors for under $20. It’s not a lot of $$$, but on principle I don’t feel like I should have to reimburse her for using those very specific anchors, right? If it’s a safety issue, I’ll of course make sure the premises are as safe as they were before any required maintenance was done, but she is now suggesting that if I don’t reimburse her for those specific anchors, I am violating fair housing laws for familial status and/or tenants rights regarding not incurring costs for required repairs. I will of course comply with any required laws here, but am I required to pay for specifically her chosen wall anchors? I can’t find anything on this, so hoping the forum knows. Thanks, everyone. 

Hi everyone, 

I have a tenant in Portland, OR who is requesting I make a "reasonable accommodation" for her disability. She won't specify what the disability is, though she says she can provide documentation from a medical provider, and it is mental health related. The issue is that the carpet has buckled badly and needs to be re-stretched, a job which shouldn't take more than a few hours. She is requesting the carpet stretching not be done until her tenancy ends, which normally I'd be fine with, but I've been told waiting too long to address it could damage the carpet long term (this is a higher end rental). Her claim is that her disability requires that she not move furniture and further that she is uncomfortable with anyone else moving her furniture and her mental health disability requires this accommodation. She claims that to deny her this exception would be unlawful discrimination under the Fair Housing Act. Before I contact a lawyer, I thought to ask the group here what you think. I can probably find someone who can come in and stretch the carpet working around her furniture, so I can try to go that route, but this is the first time I've ever received a letter of this nature and I'm not sure how to respond or whether I need to consult with a lawyer first. At this point, I have just asked that she provide the verification from the medical provider that she said could provide on request. I appreciate any insights or suggestions on how best to proceed. Thanks so much, everyone! 

Thank you. So do you say in your screening criteria that if total debt plus monthly rent payments = greater than 45% of gross monthly income, you will deny the application? 

Thank you! 

Hi Seattle landlords. Does anyone list particular debt limits (like, "no debt in excess of $1000 that isn't in a payment plan") as part of their screening criteria? I'm wondering what is both legal and advisable in this regard. Also curious if people are still listing a lower limit for credit score and whether that is legal and advisable as well. Thanks for your help, everyone! 

That’s what I thought too, but is that all I’m required to do by law, do you think? How would I find out? 

Hi Folks! I have a tenant who is requesting to childproof the crank windows in the home she's renting from me by installing a product that has to screw into the casing. This would permanently damage the window, and so I'm looking for an alternative. This tenant then messaged me to request a formal signed letter if I refuse to let her install the product she wants to use. I told her I would comply with whatever was legally required, but I'm not yet sure what that is, so I'm trying to find out. For crank windows that aren't in a bedroom, and aren't the only egress, would it be sufficient to simply remove the crank so they can't open, since there's no requirement that they do so? Any tips on where I can find out what specifically is legally required by landlords in these cases? I'm in Portland, OR. Thanks for any info, suggestions, and tips!