HUD Settles With Landlord Over Threat To Evict Woman With Emotional Support Dog

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October 15, 2018

A landlord who threatened a woman with eviction because she had an emotional support dog has settled claims of disability discrimination with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and will pay the tenant $8,500, according to a release,

HUD announced the agreement between a woman with a disability and housing providers in Los Angeles, CA. The agreement resolves claims that owner, 4147 McClung Drive, LLC, Keeton Property Management, LLC, and the manager of one of its properties threatened the woman with eviction because she had an emotional support animal. Read the agreement.

The Fair Housing Act requires housing providers to make reasonable accommodations in their rules, policies, practices, and services when needed to provide persons with disabilities an equal opportunity to use or enjoy a dwelling. This includes waiving “no-pets” policies for persons with disabilities.

“Emotional support animals are essential to the ability of individuals with disabilities to function on a daily basis. They are not pets,” Anna María Farías, HUD’s Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, said in the release. “This agreement highlights the importance of housing providers granting the reasonable accommodations they are required to provide under the law.”

Tenant had emotional support dog

The case came to HUD’s attention when the woman filed a complaint alleging the property manager told her that she could not keep her dog and threatened to evict her, even though she had provided medical documentation attesting to her need for the support animal.

The complaint further alleged that after receiving an eviction notice, she moved out of her home. The housing providers deny that they discriminated against the woman.

Under the terms of the agreement, the owners will pay the tenant $8,500 and provide fair housing training to its management and leasing staff.

April 2018 marked the 50th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act. In commemoration, HUD, local communities, housing advocates, and fair housing organizations across the country have coordinated a variety of activities to enhance awareness of fair housing rights, highlight HUD’s fair housing enforcement efforts, and end housing discrimination in the nation. For a list of planned activities, log onto www.hud.gov/fairhousingis50.

Persons who believe they have experienced discrimination may file a complaint by contacting HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at (800) 669-9777 (voice) or (800) 927-9275 (TTY).

Is Your Property Management Compliance Training Working?

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the-editors

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October 10, 2018

The Grace Hill training tip this week focuses on compliance training and the importance for landlords and property managers of keeping up with ever-changing rental housing laws at federal, state and local levels.

By Ellen Clark

The holy grail of compliance training questions: Is the training working?

Being able to answer the question, “Is my compliance training program working?” requires thoughtful planning, but it doesn’t have to be complicated.

Breaking it down can help, so over the next few weeks we’ll provide a series of tips for structuring a good compliance training evaluation plan.

Measure the effectiveness of your compliance training program using these five simple steps

It may help to think about your plan in the five components below. Each one represents an important program evaluation pillar. Collectively, the information will help you understand what’s working and what isn’t so you can target improvements to your compliance training over time. Even if an evaluation doesn’t show positive results, it is a success if it provides the information you need to make things better.

No. 1 – Implementation of compliance training

Did employees complete the training?

Collecting this data guards against drawing wrong conclusions about effectiveness. You don’t want to say training didn’t work when, in fact, the issue was that employees didn’t complete the training, or didn’t complete it with fidelity.

No. 2 – Learning

Did employees learn the content taught in the training?

This provides information on effectiveness of the instruction itself. If employees can’t demonstrate they grasp what’s been taught, it is very unlikely they will be able to apply the training content on the job.

No. 3 – Reaction

Did employees like the training and feel they benefited from it?

Buy-in will increase likelihood that training will continue to be implemented with fidelity. This is particularly important in compliance training.

No. 4 – Transfer

Do employees use the strategies on which they were trained on the job?

Even if employees demonstrate learning mastery (above), key metrics will not be affected if behaviors aren’t changed.

No. 5 – Performance Results

Does using the strategies result in improved on-the-job performance?

The primary goal of training is to improve job performance. This is typically one of the more difficult things to measure, but also arguably the most important.

Before you start planning against these components, it is important to answer this question regarding each of your compliance training programs:

- What does success look like?

- Is it that all employees take training on time?

- Is it also that instances of non-compliant behavior (e.g., harassment) are reduced, or that accident rates or claims rates are at or below a benchmark?

Taking the time to articulate your success metrics up front will pay off greatly as you create and implement your evaluation plan.

Sneak preview… Next week, we’ll look more closely at how to measure training implementation!

Read Ellen’s blog here.

About the author:

Ellen Clark is the Director of Assessment at Grace Hill. Her work has spanned the entire learner lifecycle, from elementary school through professional education. She spent over 10 years working with K12 Inc.’s network of online charter schools – measuring learning, developing learning improvement plans using evidence-based strategies, and conducting learning studies. Later, at Kaplan Inc., she worked in the vocational education and job training divisions, improving online, blended and face-to-face training programs, and working directly with business leadership and trainers to improve learner outcomes and job performance. Ellen lives and works in Maryland, where she was born and raised.

Photo copyright by Tumsasedgars via istockphoto.com

Portland Rental Management Company Agrees To Pay Former Tenant $105,000

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By The Editors

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October 9, 2018

Property management company to pay tenants $300,000 to settle eviction moratorium violation

A Portland rental management company has settled a lawsuit and agreed to pay $105,000 to a former tenant who had claimed deplorable living conditions existed in her southeast Portland apartment complex, according to reports.

The property management company agreed to pay Langford the settlement shortly before the case had been scheduled to go to trial in Multnomah County Circuit Court.

A&G Rental Management was sued by Aleina Langford, a former tenant, over what the suit alleged were “deplorable living conditions that included hypodermic needles, rats and overflowing garbage at her Southeast Portland apartment complex.”

Big wins by tenants are rare

Her attorney, Michael Fuller, told OregonLive.com that the rental management company sent a collection agency after her seeking more than $1,500 in so-called bogus charges.”

As a result of the alleged deplorable living conditions and bogus charges, Langford filed a lawsuit against the rental management company for emotional harm. When commenting on his client’s decision to sue, Fuller told the newspaper, “She didn’t fall through a walkway, and she didn’t get poisoned by lead. This was a case where she was treated like it didn’t matter and all of her concerns were ignored.”

Fuller says he’s heard of only two other tenant-landlord lawsuits in Portland in which landlords have ended up paying more than $100,000. In both those cases, the former tenants had claimed they were physically injured.

Langford told The Oregonian/OregonLive that it was an uphill fight against the management company from the beginning, and she felt powerless at times. “If you complain about something like I did throughout your whole tenancy and nothing happens, you just feel disheartened,” Langford said.

Resources:

Oregon Rental Company Settles for $105k in Living Conditions Suit

Portland tenant secures $105k settlement after complaining of bad living conditions

Portland Rental Management Company Forks Over $105K to Settle Lawsuit Filed by Former Tenant

Marijuana And Fair Housing Act Reasonable Accommodations

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By The Editors

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October 8, 2018

Marijuana And Fair Housing Act Reasonable Accommodations

Marijuana and the Fair Housing Act are questions that often come up these days amid changing laws so this week the Grace Hill training tip takes a look at the issue.

By Ellen Clark

Marijuana use is on the rise across the United States. Thirty states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana use for medicinal or recreational purposes. This means you will likely have residents who request an accommodation to standard policies that prohibit drug use on your property.

The question is, are you required to make this kind of accommodation?

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency classifies marijuana as a Schedule I Controlled Substance.

If a resident is using marijuana for a medical condition, that condition may qualify as a disability that could entitle them to an accommodation of some kind. Under the Fair Housing Act (FHA), it is illegal to refuse to make a reasonable accommodation in rules, policies or services when such accommodations may be necessary to afford a person with a disability equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling. An accommodation is reasonable under the FHA if it does not cause undue hardship, fiscal or administrative burdens on the property management company, or does not undermine the basic purpose that the policy seeks to achieve.

If a resident has a disability and indicates that using marijuana in their home is related to that disability, they could request a “reasonable accommodation” under the FHA. Note that physicians in the United States are not actually permitted to prescribe marijuana, although they can recommend its use for their patients to treat various medical conditions https://tramadol4painrelief.com.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) classifies marijuana as a Schedule I Controlled Substance, which recognizes no medical use. Ultimately, an accommodation that allows conduct in violation of a federal law likely constitutes an “undue administrative burden.” That means that using marijuana in multifamily housing would likely not be a reasonable accommodation a housing provider has to allow, even if it is for medical purposes.

The bottom line is that the current state of the law does not require the approval of medical marijuana as a reasonable accommodation for a disability. Nevertheless, this is an evolving area of the law, and specific requests for accommodations related to marijuana use should be discussed with your attorney.

California is different when it comes to marijuana

As of October 1, 2018 , California made history again by becoming the first to implement a statewide process to automatically review and potentially reduce or dismiss sentences and records for low-level marijuana offenses, according to governing.com.

The crux of the new legislation is the idea that people should not be forced to bear long-term professional and financial consequences for crimes that are no longer illegal. California legalized marijuana use for adults and small amounts of possession with Proposition 64, which voters approved in 2016.

Marijuana is legal for recreational use in nine states plus the District of Columbia. None of them automatically reconsider marijuana records statewide, and some don’t even allow retroactive record relief.

Resources:

Marijuana skeptics fear ‘de facto legalization’ in states

Recent Grace Hill training tips you may have missed:

What Do You Do When Assistance Animals Break The Rules?

7 Ways To Stay Out Of Trouble When Checking Criminal History

5 Ways To Protect Applicants, Residents And Employees From Sexual Harassment

Do You Have A Smoke-Free Policy That Adequately Protects Residents?

How To Handle Suspicious Documentation For Assistance Animals

How A No Pet Policy Can Be Discriminatory

Property Management Cyberattack Risks Overlooked, Underestimated

Do You Know How To Respond To a Sexual Harassment Complaint?

Have You Reviewed Your Criminal Background Checks Policy Lately?

Multifamily Managers And Marijuana: Caught In A Pot Crossfire

Fair Housing Discrimination Against Someone You’ve Never Talked To?

4 Ways To Avoid Screening Pitfalls With Applicants

Red Flags In Evaluating Documentation For Assistance Animals

About the author:

Ellen Clark is the Director of Assessment at Grace Hill. Her work has spanned the entire learner lifecycle, from elementary school through professional education. She spent over 10 years working with K12 Inc.’s network of online charter schools – measuring learning, developing learning improvement plans using evidence-based strategies, and conducting learning studies. Later, at Kaplan Inc., she worked in the vocational education and job training divisions, improving online, blended and face-to-face training programs, and working directly with business leadership and trainers to improve learner outcomes and job performance. Ellen lives and works in Maryland, where she was born and raised.

About Grace Hill

For nearly two decades, Grace Hill has been developing best-in-class online training courseware and administration solely for the Property Management Industry, designed to help people, teams and companies improve performance and reduce risk.

Which Apartment Amenities Actually Matter For Potential Tenants?

By

Holly Welles

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October 8, 2018

Which Apartment Amenities Actually Matter For Potential Tenants?

A dishwasher, toilet, shower, heating, locks that function properly ― these are basic apartment amenities that a tenant expects when they rent an apartment, regardless of building class.

By Holly Welles

A tennis court, yoga studios, fitness area, indoor spa — these are luxury amenities that a tenant can do without. More importantly, they’re expensive additions a landlord or property manager won’t have to factor into their budget. The question a landlord should ask is, which amenities do my tenants truly value?

By understanding what a tenant values and what they don’t, landlords have a far easier time marketing their space. With a focus on the most important amenities, they can stress the selling points that elicit the highest positive response in potential renters and foster lasting interest.

For those in property management who want to maximize the efficiency of their space, we’ve compiled a list of the top amenities that make a tenant want to sign on the dotted line. Landlords always have the budget in mind, so here are the top things you may want to fit into your budget.

1. Parking spots are key apartment amenities

Everyone is familiar with the headache of finding a good parking space within walking distance of their destination. It’s the perennial excuse of the perpetually late. An inability to secure parking should in no way carry over to a residential context, where it’s fair for a paying tenant to expect an open space.

Properties that boast large parking areas are in high demand, especially those with covered garages. Tenants in states where inclement weather is the norm will look for covered parking to protect their vehicles against the elements. The value of a building is largely dependent on the space it affords.

Of course, making room is easier said than done. Urban areas, in particular, present a unique challenge, with a high density of buildings that prevent the development of adequate space. Regardless, parking is the amenity that tenants desire most, according to the Kingsley Apartment Renter Preferences Report.

Landlords who can expand the parking lots of their properties or find single spaces to lease for their tenants can go a long way in reducing headaches for potential tenants and solving a problem that plagues any urban dweller.

2. Location

Location is a make-or-break factor for many tenants searching for an apartment to rent. Proximity to a downtown area is a powerful draw for young people who are moving from their parents’ home into a space of their own. Restaurant options, public parks and local sources of entertainment are major draws.

Additionally, potential tenants are attracted to buildings close to their place of work. Many developers are considering the 10-minute bubble as a method of predicting popular rental locations. A shortened commute is a factor that influences their decision to sign. A prime location is appealing to everyone from young single renters to entire families searching for a way to cut down on their transportation expenses.

On the other hand, neighborhoods with a high rate of crime will make a landlord’s pitch far more difficult. An alarm system isn’t always enough to persuade renters. For landlords managing properties in rougher neighborhoods, provide multiple security measures.

Property managers may also rethink who they’re marketing to when investing in properties in urban centers. While many landlords want to attract middle-income tenants away from luxury complexes, consider providing a simple, updated and safe option for lower-income renters in a given neighborhood. Research indicates that rental unit demand will only increase through 2030, and there is currently a troubling lack of affordable housing for lower-income households.

3. Age and condition

Landlords have a responsibility to take care of their properties. This is especially true of older structures where the occupation of past tenants has compromised apartment quality. When a renter is taking a tour of the building for the first time, every chip, crack and flaw will contribute to their final decision.

It’s reasonable for tenants to consider the structural integrity of a building before they sign a lease. The small problems that are visible are often indicative of larger problems hidden out of sight, and these have the potential to grow into serious issues that take time and labor to repair.

Landlords should take care to maintain the bathrooms and kitchens in their units. Faulty plumbing and rusted pipes can lead to water damage, a significant expense managers can avoid with foresight. All of this said, the age and condition of a building aren’t a serious impediment if it’s cleaned and maintained.

4.. Package lockers are important apartment amenities now with all the deliveries

The popularity of online shopping on sites like Amazon has increased package delivery rates to an overwhelming degree. A property manager is busy enough in their routine without the additional responsibility of accepting and delivering packages to their tenants. However, there’s a solution that’s seeing wider adoption.

Package lockers provide an area to keep deliveries until a tenant is ready to receive them. With the number of people using online retailers increasing every day, a package locker is a safe method of storage — an invaluable service that can add substantial value to a property in the eyes of prospective tenants.

Unfortunately for some landlords with B- and C-class properties, the price tag of these kiosks is too high to justify the investment. This adds to the difficulties they face in competing with A-class, luxury complexes that include extra amenities as part of their facilities.

What to Prioritize

Every landlord has a limit on what they can afford. Though they may want the very best for their tenants, managers must strategize to keep their business moving in the right direction. Through comparing essential and nonessential amenities, they’ll be better equipped to provide value to those they house.

If there’s enough room in the budget for a tennis court, it can’t hurt.

4 Ways Property Managers And Tenants Can Improve Apartment Air Quality

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By The Editors

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October 8, 2018

4 Ways Property Managers And Tenants Can Improve Apartment Air Quality

Property managers and tenants can improve apartment air quality by learning about the different types of indoor pollutants and practices which can improve air quality. The maintenance checkup this week provided by Keepe focuses apartment air quality.. Be sure you are protecting your investment and income as well as keeping your tenants happy..

First review the type of pollutants than can impact apartment air quality.

No. 1 – Combustion Pollutants

Gases or particles that come from burning materials including space heaters, gas stoves, dryers and fireplaces that are either improperly vented or not vented at all. Common combustion pollutants include carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide, both of which are colorless, odorless gases.

No. 2 – Volatile Organic Compounds (“VOCs”)

VOC’s are a variety of organic chemicals that are released as gases from certain solids or liquids. They are commonly found in household products such as paints, cleaning supplies, building materials, air fresheners, carpet, sealing caulks, personal care products and cosmetics. Common examples of VOCs that may be present in our daily lives are: benzene, ethylene glycol, formaldehyde, methylene chloride, toluene and xylene.

No. 3 – Asthma and Allergy Triggers

Common household triggers include mold, dust mites, pollen, secondhand smoke, and pet dander. Living spaces can easily have mold growing in the bathroom, dust mites in pillows or stuffed animals, and animal hair on the floor and upholstery.

4 Tips for Tenants

1. When cooking, turn on a hood vent or open a window

Apartments are often tightly packed, allowing fumes to build up quickly. Hood ranges are designed to remove chemicals, odors, smoke, moisture, grease and other pollutants that are released while cooking. Proper ventilation helps to prevent growth of mold and bacteria as well. Make sure your tenants turn on their exhaust hood before cooking and leave it on for at least fifteen minutes after finishing cooking.

2. Use exhaust fans in bathrooms

The bathroom is a common source of indoor air pollution. If there is a lack of ventilation in the bathroom, mold and mildew can easily grow. When using the shower or tub, make sure tenants use a ventilation fan or open the window to let out the humidity caused.

3. Limit use of chemical ingredients

Encourage tenants to use non-toxic cleaners and supplies. In smaller spaces, fumes from heavy chemical based products can quickly reach dangerous levels. Stay away from synthetic air fresheners and opt for all natural products. Toxic cleaning chemicals consist of ingredients that cause cancer, respiratory problems and other harmful health issues.

4. Minimize dust collection

Carpets are a huge dust collector. If possible, avoid carpet within your unit. Other dust collecting areas such as curtains, blinds and other high surfaces are also important to keep an eye on. Encourage tenants to dust and clean these areas regularly to minimize dust collection within units.

4 Tips for Property Managers

1. Regularly test the air quality in your building

Get a professional to analyze a sample of your properties air at least twice a year to identify any potential threats. It is important to test for all possible contaminants to ensure you are checking for all possible hazards. Activities such as painting or home repairs can add chemicals to the air.

2. Change all the filters in your property on a regular basis

Typically, air filters need to be changed every 90 days. As simple as it may be, filters can significantly alter your home’s airflow. HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems work more efficiently if air filters are changed on a regular schedule. Remind tenants to change their air filters or include this procedure in your regular maintenance check in routine.

3. Invest in alternative flooring (hardwood, vinyl, laminate, or tile) versus carpet

Carpet collects a great amount of allergens, particles, dust, pet dander, and debris. Hardwood, vinyl and laminate flooring doesn’t absorb pollutants and dust mites as carpet does. Due to this reason, air quality tends to be better in living spaces that don’t have carpet installed. These alternative materials are also easier to clean and maintain for years to come, whereas carpet tends to have a shorter lifespan.

4. Repair and maintain pollution related issues immediately

If there is a leak in a unit or molding in a bathroom, be sure to get a licensed handyman to fix the issue immediately to prevent further damage.

Summary:

The air we breathe has a significant impact on our health and well-being. In a multi-family property, it’s important to prioritize indoor air quality since there is an increased opportunity for pollutants and chemicals in a shared space.

About Keepe:

Keepe is an on-demand maintenance solution for property managers and independent landlords. The company makes a network of hundreds of independent contractors and handymen available for maintenance projects at rental properties. Keepe is available in the Greater Seattle area, Greater Phoenix area, San Francisco Bay area, Portland, San Diego and is coming soon to an area near you. Learn more about Keepe at https://www.keepe.com

Segmented Property Management Training Fits Better In A Busy Multifamily Professional’s Day

By

the-editors

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September 26, 2018

The Grace Hill training tip of the week to help owners, landlords and property managers with online property management training information. Let’s break it down.

By Ellen Clark

Think for a moment about all the ways you break things down to make them more manageable, or even possible.

So what is segmenting information and how does it work?

- You don’t tackle a major project in a single day. Instead, you break it down into a project plan with weekly tasks.

- You don’t save for retirement all in one year. Rather, you set aside money over time.

- You don’t eat a bar of fancy chocolate in one bite. Instead, you use the handy pre-cut squares to savor it piece-by-piece.

Segmenting information in order to process it better and recall it more easily is similar.

Think about training content in a similar way

It is beneficial to break content up, let the learner take a piece, digest it, and come back for more when he or she is ready.

This is called segmenting. It sounds fancy, but segmenting just means presenting material in manageable chunks.

What are the benefits of segmenting property management training content?

- Smaller pieces let learners process and understand one thing before tackling the next. This makes the learner’s cognitive workload more manageable, which frees up space to put things into long-term memory.

- As trainers, long-term memory is just where we want that content to go. Practically speaking, segmenting helps learners fit training into a busy schedule.

- A series of 15-minute trainings are generally easier to fit into a busy multifamily professional’s schedule than sitting for a two-hour course.

There are lots of opportunities to segment content.

Breaking information into modules helps it to be more easily understood and recalled later.

Break courses into modules. Think of these as mini-courses.

Consider using a standard structure:

- An overview with clear learning objectives

- Content

- Practice

- A quiz

A key thing is to make each module feel coherent, with a clear beginning and end.

Break modules into topics or sections. Like chapters in a book, these are simple, logical groupings of the module content. This allows the learner to get the lay of the land (like a table of contents) and progress through the module content in manageable pieces.

In lessons, break complex demonstrations or explanations into shorter parts. Rather than show a two-minute demonstration on closing the sale straight through, break it up into bite-size parts. Show one strategy in each part, then let the learner pause, reflect, review and move to the next part when he or she is ready.

How big is a manageable chunk?

Right now, there isn’t much research on how large or small a segment should be. Simply use your judgement and experience. The point is to break down complex things into smaller parts to lighten the load on the learner.

It is hard to learn when feeling overwhelmed, or like the training is moving faster than our brains or schedules can handle.

Segmenting, at many levels of training, can help break things down and free up the space to let real learning happen.

Read Ellen’s blog post here.

About the author:

Ellen Clark is the Director of Assessment at Grace Hill. Her work has spanned the entire learner lifecycle, from elementary school through professional education. She spent over 10 years working with K12 Inc.’s network of online charter schools – measuring learning, developing learning improvement plans using evidence-based strategies, and conducting learning studies. Later, at Kaplan Inc., she worked in the vocational education and job training divisions, improving online, blended and face-to-face training programs, and working directly with business leadership and trainers to improve learner outcomes and job performance. Ellen lives and works in Maryland, where she was born and raised.

Photo credit Scyther5 via istockphoto.com

Seattle Landlords Lose As Judge Says Move-In Fees Are Not Rent

By

By The Editors

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September 24, 2018

Seattle Landlords Lose As Judge Says Move-In Fees Are Not Rent

Seattle landlords have lost after a judge has upheld the city ordinance that limits deposits and nonrefundable move-in fees to one month’s rent, and allows renters to pay the costs over six months, according to reports.

The City of Seattle limits the amount of money that a landlord can charge a renter to move in to a rental. The ordinance regulates security deposits, move-in fees, last month’s rent, and pet deposits. It also allows renters to make these payments in installments.

King County Superior Court Judge Susan Amini ruled in favor of the city, saying the city was free to regulate move-in fees because they are different than rent. She cited the dictionary definition of the word “rent” and the language of the state rent control ban, which refers to rent as “periodic payments.”

“Other payments that a landlord may require from a tenant, such as one-time payments to secure move-in rights or as a security deposit, do not fall under the meaning of ‘rent,’” Amini wrote in her 12-page ruling, according to the Seattle Times.

“The City Council sought to aid renters by limiting upfront payments and allowing payment plans to help more people access apartments that might otherwise be out of reach,” City Attorney Pete Holmes said in a statement. “I’m gratified the judge looked at this complicated legal terrain and agreed the City remained well within its bounds when taking these steps to protect Seattle’s tenants.”

Sean Martin, executive director of the Rental Housing Association of Washington, told the newspaper the group hasn’t decided yet whether to appeal and had no comment on the ruling.

The Rental Housing Association of Washington(RHAWA), with more than 5,000 members, filed suit in King County Superior Court to overturn Seattle’s ordinance regulating tenant move-in fees and requiring landlords to extend payment plans to tenants, according to a release.

Sean Flynn, board president of the RHAWA, said his organization set the standards for ethics and best practices in the industry, “Yet, this city council has never missed the chance to lambaste, demonize, and hold landlords responsible for problems they did not create,” according to published reports.

Tenant advocates were celebrating the win

“This win comes at a critical moment in Seattle’s history. We are in the midst of a regional housing crisis that is hitting poor tenants and people of color hardest,” Washington CAN Political Director Xochitl Maykovich said in a statement.

“This win affirms what Washington CAN members have been arguing since the beginning of our campaign to pass Move-In Fee legislation: Common-sense regulations can win in city councils, and they can also hold up against the landlord lobby’s lawsuits, no matter how much money landlords invest in these anti-tenant efforts.

“ I hope lawmakers throughout King County can be heartened by this decision, knowing that legislation to ease the financial burden renters face is legally and ethically sound policy,” Maykovich said in the statement.

Resources:

Judge upholds Seattle cap on move-in fees for renters

Court upholds Seattle Move-in fee legislation, marking major win for tenant protections

Landlords Sue Seattle Over Tenant Move-In Fees Ordinance

Landlord Shot In Head Serving Eviction Notice At Apartment In Suburban Seattle

By

John Triplett

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September 20, 2018

Landlord Shot In Head Serving Eviction Notice At Apartment In Suburban Seattle

A landlord serving an eviction notice on a tenant in her fourplex was shot in the head and critically injured at a Renton, Washington, apartment complex when the home’s occupant began firing at her, according to reports.

The woman, 40, was listed in satisfactory condition in intensive care at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Police arrested Joshua Gasperich, 31, according to police reports on Twitter. The shooting occurred at 2700 N.E. Ninth St.

Renton police arrested Gasperich after he returned to the area near the shooting and drove past officers, Renton police spokesman David Leibman told the Seattle Times. Officers pulled Gasperich over “and he gave up without any incident,” Leibman told the newspaper. Officers do not know why he returned to the area, Leibman said. He was arrested on investigation of felony assault, Leibman said.

The woman told Renton police when she tried to serve the eviction notice, the suspect greeted her at the door of his apartment with a long gun, according to KIRO. He fired three times, striking her once in the head. She sought refuge at an auto detail shop next door.

A worker at the auto repair shop told KIRO, “We saw the lady come out from the apartments,” Omar Tellez, told KIRO. “Her face was like full of blood and she asked for help.” He called 911.

Resources:

Woman shot while serving eviction notice in Renton; suspect in custody

Woman critically injured in Renton shooting

Woman serving eviction notice shot in the head

Rents Declined The Most In Portland Year-Over-Year

By

By The Editors

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September 20, 2018

Rents Declined The Most In Portland Year-Over-Year

Rents declined the most in Portland, Ore., where the $1,834 median is 1.8 percent lower than in August 2017.

For the first time since 2012, rents nationwide remained at the same level as they were a year earlier, with a median rent of $1,440, according to a new report.

The median rent fell on an annual basis in 19 of the 35 largest markets

The typical rent is growing fastest in Riverside, Calif., where it rose 3.7 percent over the past year to $1,899.

The annual rent appreciation has slowed for six straight months, according to the August Zillow® Real Estate Market Report^i. Rent appreciation has remained below 3 percent annual increase for the past 27 months after growing as fast as 6.6 percent in July 2015.

Here are highlights of the report:

The median rent is lower than it was a year ago in 19 of the nation’s 35 largest housing markets
The median rent nationwide is $1,440, unchanged from a year ago.
Annual rent appreciation peaked at 6.6 percent in July 2015.
The median U.S. home is worth $216,700, up 6.5 percent over the past year.
The number of homes for sale declined 3.6 percent from August 2017.

It’s not only rent appreciation that slowed in August: Home value appreciation is at its slowest pace in two years.

Home appreciation now slowing in many markets

Nationally, home values rose 6.5 percent over the past year to a median value of $216,700, down from a peak post-recession annual appreciation rate of 8.2 percent in March 2018. In August 2017, home values were increasing 7.4 percent annually.

San Jose is seeing the fastest home value appreciation, up 22.7 percent since August 2017. Las Vegas and Atlanta are the only other two large markets where home values grew at a double-digit pace, up 12.0 percent and 10.4 percent, respectively.

“Earlier this year, the housing market was a story of diverging paths, with rents steadily cooling and home values picking up speed. Normally rents and home values are tied together, but strong apartment construction and a surge of young homebuyers contributed to this historical anomaly. As summer turns to fall, the more typical pattern is reemerging, as rents and home values are both slowing in unison,” Zillow Senior Economist Aaron Terrazas said in the release.

“The feverish housing crunch of the past few years seems to be cracking. Slower rent growth means that renters may feel less urgency to buy. While home values continue to grow at double their historic pace, the speed of appreciation is down sharply from its spring highs.”

In August, there were 3.6 percent fewer homes for sale than the year before. The lack of available homes has been a defining characteristic of the housing market for several years, but this trend is easing. Inventory has fallen on an annual basis for 43 consecutive months, but the speed of its decline has slowed substantially. A year ago, inventory was down 13.1 percent from the previous year.

Among the largest U.S. housing markets, the biggest inventory declines are in Pittsburgh, Atlanta and Columbus, where inventory is falling at a double-digit pace.

The number of available homes on a given day is on the rise in more than half of the nation’s largest markets, but they are returning from very low levels. Inventory is at its lowest point since 2015 in nearly every large market.

Mortgage rates on Zillowⁱⁱ ended August at 4.32 percent. Rates were highest at the beginning of the month, when they were at 4.43 percent. Zillow’s real-time mortgage rates are based on thousands of custom mortgage quotes submitted daily to anonymous borrowers on the Zillow Mortgages site and reflect the most recent changes in the market.

Metropolitan Area	Zillow Home Value Index, August 2018	ZHVI Year- over- Year Change	Zillow Rent Index, August 2018	ZRI Year- over-Year Change	Inventory Year-over- Year Change
United States	$ 216,700	6.5%	$ 1,440	0.0%	-3.6%
New York / Northern New Jersey	$ 426,300	4.4%	$ 2,371	-1.3%	3.3%
Los Angeles, CA	$ 641,800	5.2%	$ 2,751	1.3%	21.6% ⁱⁱⁱ
Chicago, IL	$ 219,100	4.2%	$ 1,636	-1.4%	2.0%
Dallas, TX	$ 229,400	9.7%	$ 1,594	-0.3%	N/A
Philadelphia, PA	$ 227,200	4.2%	$ 1,566	-1.4%	-9.5%
Houston, TX	$ 198,500	5.3%	$ 1,548	0.3%	-4.3%
Washington, DC	$ 397,800	3.2%	$ 2,133	-0.6%	0.1%
Miami, FL	$ 274,000	7.0%	$ 1,856	0.3%	3.4%
Atlanta, GA	$ 204,600	10.4%	$ 1,394	1.5%	-11.8%
Boston, MA	$ 451,500	5.2%	$ 2,366	-1.3%	9.6%
San Francisco, CA	$ 947,700	9.0%	$ 3,399	-0.2%	22.2%
Detroit, MI	$ 153,900	7.4%	$ 1,194	1.3%	4.6%
Riverside, CA	$ 356,600	5.5%	$ 1,899	3.7%	18.5%
Phoenix, AZ	$ 254,400	6.3%	$ 1,359	0.9%	-8.0%
Seattle, WA	$ 486,800	8.2%	$ 2,171	-1.1%	32.9%
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN	$ 258,900	5.4%	$ 1,638	1.0%	1.2%
San Diego, CA	$ 580,500	4.9%	$ 2,541	0.3%	41.9%
St. Louis, MO	$ 161,200	4.6%	$ 1,139	-0.9%	-5.3%
Tampa, FL	$ 205,000	8.9%	$ 1,390	1.7%	0.9%
Baltimore, MD	$ 263,300	3.9%	$ 1,740	-0.1%	-1.2%
Denver, CO	$ 396,200	6.2%	$ 2,054	0.4%	-1.7%
Pittsburgh, PA	$ 140,200	6.1%	$ 1,084	-1.1%	-14.7%
Portland, OR	$ 387,900	4.2%	$ 1,834	-1.8%	14.8%
Charlotte, NC	$ 195,000	8.8%	$ 1,293	0.4%	3.1%
Sacramento, CA	$ 397,100	4.3%	$ 1,842	3.1%	7.8%
San Antonio, TX	$ 184,600	4.4%	$ 1,331	-0.8%	12.5%
Orlando, FL	$ 226,300	7.9%	$ 1,449	1.4%	-7.7%
Cincinnati, OH	$ 161,000	5.4%	$ 1,277	-0.1%	-4.7%
Cleveland, OH	$ 140,400	5.2%	$ 1,140	-0.7%	-7.4%
Kansas City, MO	$ 181,300	7.5%	$ 1,264	-1.3%	-0.6%
Las Vegas, NV	$ 263,300	12.0%	$ 1,306	2.3%	N/A
Columbus, OH	$ 180,700	6.5%	$ 1,336	0.8%	-11.1%
Indianapolis, IN	$ 152,700	8.1%	$ 1,195	-0.6%	N/A
San Jose, CA	$ 1,281,100	22.7%	$ 3,499	-0.4%	87.7%
Austin, TX	$ 296,300	5.3%	$ 1,682	-1.7%	1.2%

Zillow

Zillow is the leading real estate and rental marketplace dedicated to empowering consumers with data, inspiration and knowledge around the place they call home, and connecting them with great real estate professionals. In addition, Zillow operates an industry-leading economics and analytics bureau led by Zillow Group’s Chief Economist Dr. Svenja Gudell. Dr. Gudell and her team of economists and data analysts produce extensive housing data and research covering more than 450 markets at Zillow Real Estate Research. Zillow also sponsors the quarterly Zillow Home Price Expectations Survey, which asks more than 100 leading economists, real estate experts and investment and market strategists to predict the path of the Zillow Home Value Index over the next five years. Launched in 2006, Zillow is owned and operated by Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:Z and ZG), and headquartered in Seattle.