Rental Restoration

This is the third in a series of blogs pertaining to the special considerations of renting new construction units.

Is there a code that requires me to install window coverings for a tenant?

In many urban areas, this is included in Landlord/Tenant code, but not in Seattle.  However, you have to ask yourself if you’d rather be the one to put holes in the walls or trim or would you rather the tenant perform his own handywork?  Also, if you plan on putting the house- or any adjacent units- on the market before the end of the tenancy, do you want to be in control of the exterior appearance?  It’s absolutely possible someone will want to use a Union Jack flag as a curtain.  (Obviously, if there is a requirement for neutral window coverings already written into a community’s CC&Rs then you’re covered… but all of the SFHs and townhouses I’ve seen lately in Seattle don’t have HOAs.)

Do I have to install a washer/dryer?

Nope.  However, your place will rent much faster with a washer and dryer already installed.  And again, do you really want a tenant doing a bad washer install and ending up with water soaking through the sub-floor?  Here’s a good idea:  Get your property manager to find some decent units on craigslist for a couple hundred dollars and have them installed by someone you trust to do it right!  Write up an addendum to the lease that says that the w/d are provided for convenience only and tenant use is at their own “risk”-  as in, “We’ll remove it if you want us to, but if it breaks during your tenancy, we’re not fixing or replacing it.”

Who does the landscaping?

The leases we use state that it is the tenant’s responsibility to maintain the yard in “good” condition.  It goes on to say that the landlord can, at the tenant’s expense, hire a service if the tenant fails to do so.  However, a tenant’s idea of “good” and an owner’s could vary greatly.  We recommend that with new construction, properties that will be marketed for sale during tenancy and properties with specialty landscaping, the owners provide a service as part of the rent.  Most property management firms have great relationships with vendors such as landscapers and can obtain services at a very reasonable rate.

Eleanor