All Forum Posts by: Scott M.

In 2018 the State of WA made it requirement for landlords to accept all types of income.  Therefore you can not discriminate against someone who has Sec 8 or social security or SSI or rent assistance as their source of income.  This doesn't mean you have to accept someone who has Sec 8 but you can't deny them simply because they are on Sec 8.  You also have to calculate your income requirement properly.  Meaning if rent is 1K and you require 3x the rent in monthly income so you require 3K in income but Sec 8 pays 900, SSI pays 400 then the income requirement must be 3K - 900 - 400 or 1,700.  If they make less then 1,700 you can deny them based on income.  If they make 1,700 or more you can't deny them based on income. 

If you want to self manage there is no reason to keep the PM in place.  Your deal, you are the boss, do you.  If you don't want to self manage well, then you have a PM in place you can start with and try.  You get to choose.  

But no reason to keep the manager in place just because they are in place.  You can step in and take over no problem.  

Your post makes it sound like the ones that can't do the work until June/July are cheaper.  What are their bids like?

Very common terms on both compensation and liability.  Nothing out of the ordinary.  Rates will vary from region to region but all common.  

I understand the appeal of the 3 year lease but that is a very long time.  A lot can happen in 3 years both personally and in the economy.  The only way this works in your favor is if rents stay stable (or go down) and they are an excellent tenant.  But you won't know either of those things until you are well into the term.

Terrible tenant but pays on time can almost be impossible to get rid of.  Rents continue to soar and before you know it you are way under market value.  

Over the past 2 years we have seen changes to eviction laws locally (even non-covid related) that makes a long term lease even less desirable.  Be sure you know your local laws around this as well.

We have one client that last year agreed to a 2 year term and now they want to sell it.  They don't want to sell it tenant occupied though and thus they are stuck.  They have another year to go.  

Pass for me on the 3 year lease

Hey @Colleen F. you are 100% correct that there is a carve out for an ESA and an undo hardship put on the landlord if the breed will get their insurance cancelled.  

Personally, if this is a tenant you want I would start with petscreening.com so you know exactaly what you are dealing with.  ESA (as Colleen said) or "service" animal as the OP said, maybe they are the same in general talk but there is a difference between ESA and Service animals in the law.  

Potential tenants have been known to say my animal is a ESA or Service animal but when you have them go to petscreening.com their story changes.  I would start there, get the facts if this is someone you are considering.  

Correct.  If it is indeed a service animal you are not allowed to deny them for that reason.  You should be using petscreening.com to help you on this topic.  Free to use for you and they will help you get to the bottom if the animal is a service animal or not.  

"Section 8 is a highly discussed topic in the real estate industry"

Also here on BP.

Not saying you won't get responses, sure you will, but if you use the search and look for both Sec 8 and Section 8 lots of threads with hundreds of replies show up on the experience others have had.  

haha, you are 100% correct.  

"First loan officer had a mental breakdown on the phone and wept violently then hung up"  Wow, sounds like a scene from a movie!