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Owner Resources

Self-Managing Owner's Resource Hub

Free guides, checklists, and templates to help you run your rental like a pro. Use what you need, and reach out when you would rather hand it off.

Leasing
Screening
Maintenance
Inspections
Accounting
Rental Laws
Calculators

Leasing

Price it right, market it well, and fill it fast. Guides on professional listings, market-based pricing, and showings that bring in qualified tenants.

Leasing Cycle

Leasing
Price It Yourself
Price It Yourself
Pull comps from Zillow, Rentometer, and nearby listings to set a competitive rent. Too high and it sits empty; too low and you leave money on the table. Recheck weekly while it is vacant.
Photograph It
Photograph It
Clean, stage, and shoot quality photos, ideally a walkthrough video too. Photos are the first showing, and weak ones cost you views. Plan a few hours to get it right.
List Everywhere
List Everywhere
Post to every platform that matters (Zillow, Apartments.com, Facebook, Craigslist) with accurate copy, then keep each listing fresh as it ages.
Field Inquiries & Show
Field Inquiries & Show
Answer every call, text, and email, schedule showings around your own day, and meet prospects in person or over video. Expect plenty of evenings and weekends.
Follow Up
Follow Up
Chase down interested applicants, answer their questions, and keep them warm, or lose them to the next available listing.
Track Your Activity
Track Your Activity
Keep tabs on inquiries, showings, and applications each week. If the calls are not coming, your price or your photos need to change.

Tenant Screening

Vet every applicant the right way. How to run background, credit, income, and rental-history checks that stay fully compliant with Washington State law.

Screen
Set Your Criteria
Set Your Criteria
Decide your income, credit, and rental-history standards up front, write them down, and apply them the same way to every applicant. Inconsistency is how fair-housing complaints start.
Collect Applications
Collect Applications
Provide an application, collect screening fees legally, and gather pay stubs, IDs, and references from everyone 18 and over. Then verify income and employment yourself.
Run the Reports
Run the Reports
Sign up with a screening service to pull credit, criminal, and eviction reports, review income documents for completeness, and flag anything that does not add up.
Do the Math
Do the Math
Calculate income-to-rent ratios, weigh credit, and check for inconsistencies across documents, carefully, because missing a fraud signal is expensive.
Make the Call
Make the Call
Look at the whole application, not just a score. Call previous landlords and current employers to confirm what is on paper before you decide.
Decide & Notify
Decide & Notify
Approve or deny, and if you deny, send a compliant Adverse Action Notice. Get this step wrong and you have created legal exposure for yourself.

Maintenance

Keep repairs from turning into emergencies. Practical guides on handling requests, finding trustworthy vendors, and protecting your property between tenants.

Repairs
Take the Request
Take the Request
Be reachable by phone, text, and email, including nights and weekends. Emergencies do not wait for business hours, and tenants expect a fast reply.
Triage It
Triage It
Decide what is an emergency versus what can wait, and respond quickly. A slow reply on a small leak turns into a big repair bill.
Find a Vendor
Find a Vendor
Keep your own list of licensed, insured, reliable vendors, get quotes, and coordinate access with the tenant, every single time something breaks.
Document Everything
Document Everything
Save photos, invoices, and notes for every repair. You will need them at tax time, in a deposit dispute, or just to remember what you spent.

Inspections

Catch small problems before they get expensive. What to look for at move-in, move-out, and through the year, and how to document it properly.

Accounting & Reporting

Keep your rental's finances clean and organized. Guides on owner statements, trust accounting, and the records you will want at tax time.

Reporting
Collect the Rent
Collect the Rent
Send reminders, take payment, and chase late rent every month. Apply late fees correctly under your lease and Washington law, or you cannot enforce them.
Handle Utilities
Handle Utilities
Track water and sewer usage and bill it back accurately if your lease allows, while keeping the city accounts in your name current.
Pay the Bills
Pay the Bills
Receive, track, and pay every property bill on time, taxes, insurance, utilities, and vendor invoices, and keep the receipts.
Review Monthly
Review Monthly
Block 30 minutes each month to reconcile income against expenses and keep clean records. Skip it and tax season becomes a scramble through a shoebox of receipts.
Manage Mgmt
Manage Mgmt
Set aside a reserve for repairs and vacancies, and track what you are actually clearing, not just the rent that lands in your account.

Legal + Regulations

Stay on the right side of Washington landlord-tenant law. Plain-language guides to rent increases, notices, evictions, and your obligations under RCW 59.18.

Rental Regulations by City

Search for your city to see which local rental regulations apply beyond Washington State law (RCW 59.18).

Local rental rules change often. This directory is a starting point, not legal advice. Always confirm current requirements on the city's official ordinance page or with the city before acting.

Seattle
Heavy
12 regulations
Registration Inspections Just Cause First-in-Time Move-in Cap Rent Notice Rent Cap Payment Plan Income Protection Relocation Fair Chance Right to Counsel
Seattle PM City Ordinance Page
Bellevue
State Law Only
1 regulation
Income Protection
Bellevue PM City Ordinance Page
Kirkland
State Law Only
1 regulation
Income Protection
Kirkland PM City Ordinance Page
Redmond
State Law Only
1 regulation
Income Protection
Redmond PM City Ordinance Page
Issaquah
State Law Only
1 regulation
Income Protection
Issaquah PM City Ordinance Page
Sammamish
State Law Only
1 regulation
Income Protection
Sammamish PM City Ordinance Page
Mercer Island
State Law Only
1 regulation
Income Protection
Mercer Island PM City Ordinance Page
Woodinville
Heavy
7 regulations
Just Cause Move-in Cap Rent Notice Rent Cap Payment Plan Income Protection Right to Counsel
Woodinville PM City Ordinance Page
Bothell
State Law Only
1 regulation
Income Protection
Bothell PM City Ordinance Page
Kenmore
State Law Only
1 regulation
Income Protection
Kenmore PM City Ordinance Page
Renton
Registration
2 regulations
Registration Income Protection
Renton PM City Ordinance Page
Kent
Registration
2 regulations
Registration Income Protection
Kent PM City Ordinance Page
Auburn
Registration
2 regulations
Registration Income Protection
Auburn PM City Ordinance Page
Federal Way
Registration
2 regulations
Registration Income Protection
Federal Way PM City Ordinance Page
Burien
Moderate
4 regulations
Registration Inspections Just Cause Income Protection
Burien PM City Ordinance Page
Tukwila
Moderate
3 regulations
Registration Inspections Income Protection
Tukwila PM City Ordinance Page
SeaTac
Registration
2 regulations
Registration Income Protection
SeaTac PM City Ordinance Page
Des Moines
State Law Only
1 regulation
Income Protection
Des Moines PM City Ordinance Page
Puyallup
State Law Only
1 regulation
Income Protection
Puyallup PM City Ordinance Page
Shoreline
State Law Only
1 regulation
Income Protection
Shoreline PM City Ordinance Page
Everett
State Law Only
1 regulation
Income Protection
Everett PM City Ordinance Page
Marysville
State Law Only
1 regulation
Income Protection
Marysville PM City Ordinance Page
Mukilteo
State Law Only
1 regulation
Income Protection
Mukilteo PM City Ordinance Page
Mill Creek
State Law Only
1 regulation
Income Protection
Mill Creek PM City Ordinance Page
Lynnwood
State Law Only
1 regulation
Income Protection
Lynnwood PM City Ordinance Page
Edmonds
State Law Only
1 regulation
Income Protection
Edmonds PM City Ordinance Page
Mountlake Terrace
State Law Only
1 regulation
Income Protection
Mountlake Terrace PM City Ordinance Page
Bremerton
State Law Only
1 regulation
Income Protection
Bremerton PM City Ordinance Page
Gig Harbor
State Law Only
1 regulation
Income Protection
Gig Harbor PM City Ordinance Page
Pacific
State Law Only
1 regulation
Income Protection
Pacific PM City Ordinance Page
Lake Stevens
State Law Only
1 regulation
Income Protection
Lake Stevens PM City Ordinance Page

Free Calculators

Run the numbers before you make a move. No-cost tools to weigh self-managing against a manager, decide whether to rent or sell, and see what a vacancy really costs.

Tired of Doing It All Yourself?

There is no prize for the hardest way. When you are ready to hand off the late-night calls and the paperwork, we are here. No pressure, just a straight conversation about your property.

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