Seattle, WA · Member since 2014 · 308 posts · 170 votes
There is a movement sweeping across the nation and it seems to be growing steam. Its the don't pay rent even if you have the funds to. I really don't like what I am reading. Myself I own multiple properties and had plans to add but as of now I am suspending that activity. I have moved funds earmarked for REI into dividend paying stocks. A Olympia Wa councilwoman who is now refusing to pay rent pens a very damaging article. Wa state also has legislation harming landlords. I suggest every landlord go read this article and get involved. One thing of relevance here is this person states she does have the ability to pay but wont.
This site wont let me give a link but search "An open letter to my constituents (and my landlord)"
I find her article pretty lame. She has zero interest in helping others and only interest in herself. It is clear there is an underlying “issue” between the renter and her LL..
i honestly believe most tenants want to pay rent if they can. I think that we are moving Into a time where LLs need to treat tenants as the customers they are.
@Jay C. I thought Seattle had the nutty councilpeople. Obviously I was wrong Olympia has a real one too. Come to think of it. San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland and LA have them too. Yikes!
Some great response so far. To add Wa State currently has a eviction freeze and rent increase freeze. Landlord's hands are tied. Her landlords reply is pretty good. I hope this link will post. It has her and him on video.
The councilwoman’s article, and her decision not to pay rent, despite no mention of having lost her job nor suffered any personal economic hardship, is nothing less than shameful. Her landlord’s written response to her article was excellent though.
The councilwoman’s article, and her decision not to pay rent, despite no mention of having lost her job nor suffered any personal economic hardship, is nothing less than shameful. Her landlord’s written response to her article was excellent though.
Great response! This is why I never rent units to attorneys (not a protected class) and I surely won’t be renting to any government officials in the future.
When it's all said and done the landlord should take her to court and sue for damages and lost rent. If the councilwoman admits that she has the ability to pay but willfully chooses not to, then it's pretty much an open and shut case for a judgement.
Washington allows for wage garnishment, so in the council womans case, this would be a prime example of your government literally working for you.
She is the exact type of person that in addition to eviction, she needs to be sued for the back rent and also punitive damages for intentionally violating their contract.
I'd also love to see her landlord challenge her in the next election.
First things first.....anything happening on the east or west coasts is not normal, and is hardly “sweeping across the nation”. I wouldn’t invest on either coast. Everything in the Midwest is business as usual and going well.
@Scott Mac in Seattle, WA they cant as their is a new mandate that you IF you dont pay rent for 6 months, you still cant get evicted. That is new information
@Jay C. A lot of people have been talking about rent strikes on on social media in May. Unfortunately some elected "leaders" in WA state have also been calling on people to withhold rent even if they can pay. The encouraging thing is that both industry data and my anecdotal data (my portfolio) is that very few people have followed through with this. I have only a couple tenants who needed some extra time to pay rent and none on rent strike.
My view is that this situation is not about tenants or social justice but rather political theater for people with extreme points of view to get attention. While it is irritating as landlord to be constantly portrayed in a negative light rather than for the value we create, this does not change my desire to invest in real estate.
Change is the only constant in life and this just another thing to adapt to. My strategy is to provide a great product, market it well, do good tenant screening and provide excellent customer service. It doesn't cost you anything to treat people well. It's not fancy or revolutionary but it is very effective.
Its good you have rules you can navigate by. I think most of us do. As far as the coast the population centers will always have a diverse opinion. They will as well have much higher rents attracting REI investors so it may be a trade off. We get higher rents but the wack jobs as well :-))
Some West Coast markets have recently evolved to have more "tenant friendly" laws. It seems like a better way of characterizing that is anti-Landlord. The rental markets are tight in some of these areas, and inevitably housing scarcity will be created.
In Seattle, the low income housing opportunities are going to diminish with recent legislation. What landlord wants to take a chance with a tenant with fear of non payment for six months? I would have some strict minimum requirements to rent to anyone. I'd rather keep the unit an extra month vacant.
"I think that we are moving Into a time where LLs need to treat tenants as the customers they are."
My God- if Landlords could treat tenants like customers then many would be out on the street. Go into a store and walk out without paying, even though you could. Sit down for a meal and tell the waiter afterward that you don't want to pay even though you can! Customers... yeah.
You treat a "cancel renter" like a customer and you'll be locked up!
@Mary M. Unfortunately you can't have it both ways. You cannot say "I will treat this person as a customer" because the law gives them far, far more protections as a tenant.
Likewise, when you as a landlord, fulfill your duties under the lease and the tenant their's - then all is well and you should have a mutually beneficial landlord-tenant relationship.
If you decided you wanted to treat Renata like a customer and not a tenant, you would be in violation of the law.
If this is because you have some hang-up with the terms landlord and tenant and feel that if we used different terms, like customer, things would be peachy-keen, then that is proposterous.
Rule number two. Refer to rule number one. I don’t care if the person graduated from law school at Alaska Mid Southwest Northeast Tech A&M at the bottom of their class and took 8 tries to pass the bar exam and still has not passed. That person can and will use their knowledge to find and creat every conceivable loophole.
@Patrick M. hey, the great thing about REI is that it isnt one size fit all.
I take my job (owning MF RE) seriously. It is my livelihood and therefore i am a professional. I stay up to date on the law, i have experts to assist if I need it etc.
And yet even so I treat my tenants as paying customers with rights, yes,but also. As human beings.
Now, i own new build B+ commercial MF bldgs in a metro area so my experience will be different than others.
"Will tenants skip out on April's rent?" They didn't.
"Will tenants throw a rent strike and not pay?" Very few followed through.
If you want to find an extremist view online about [insert topic], you will find it.
The "we hate landlords" fan club is loud, rude and obnoxious, but actually represent a small minority of renters in America. Of course, the media loves shining a spotlight on these folks to rile up the bases.
For the most part...
- Most tenants just want a place to live and be left alone. And they'll pay to get it.
- Most aren't sitting at home scheming up ways on how to screw over landlords. They're watching Netflix.
"Will tenants skip out on April's rent?" They didn't.
"Will tenants throw a rent strike and not pay?" Very few followed through.
If you want to find an extremist view online about [insert topic], you will find it.
The "we hate landlords" fan club is loud, rude and obnoxious, but actually represent a small minority of renters in America. Of course, the media loves shining a spotlight on these folks to rile up the bases.
For the most part...
- Most tenants just want a place to live and be left alone. And they'll pay to get it.
- Most aren't sitting at home scheming up ways on how to screw over landlords. They're watching Netflix.
@Joe Cassandra: Love your post man. Everything you said is the truth.
1 tip I have for any landlord big or small is to explain and understand expectations up front:
What I do with any tenants (not just during COVID) is when we sit down to sign the lease together, I go over it in detail. We eventually get to the part about late or missing payments. I explain to them very specifically for at least a few minutes what will happen if they do not pay rent. I let them know that I'm polite, I'll communicate with them, and try to help them. But ultimately I am running a business, and I have worked with my tenants in the past if they undergo a hardship. I'm not a bloodthirty tyrant. But I also have to follow my lease.
Above all, I make them understand that while I do not want to file an eviction on them, if I don't have the rent by the 3rd, a late fee will apply. If I dont have it by the 5th of the month they will get a pay or quit 3-day notice. If they don't pay by the 8th, I will file an eviction. And this eviction will stick to your personal record for 7-10 years of your life, and it will make it almost impossible for them to rent anywhere.
Every single tenant that I have explained this too has never even attempted to skimp on rent. All of my tenants are great people, and I treat them as such.
If you have tenants that are not paying rent, explain to them that if they do not pay, you will file an eviction on them, and it will haunt them for the next decade, as it sits on their record unable to be wiped away. If they reply with....
"The government says you cannot evict me", reply with
"They say I cannot evict you right now. Once this rule is lifted, I will file the eviction. No matter what. If you do not pay, you will not live here."