RRIO Checklist

Whether the investor uses a private inspector or the City of Seattle inspectors, this is the checklist that is used to inspect rental properties registered in the city's Residential Rental Inspection Ordinance (RRIO) program:

1. Exterior: Structure, Shelter, and Maintenance

Roof, chimney, foundation, stairs, and decks are reasonably free of decay (e.g., severe cracks, soft spots, loose pieces, deterioration, or other indications that repair is needed); maintained in a safe, sound, and sanitary condition; and capable of withstanding normal loads and forces. The building and its components, including windows, should be reasonably weather-proof and damp-free.

2. Interior: Structure, Shelter, and Maintenance

Walls, floors, stairs, and other structural components are reasonably free of decay, maintained in a safe and sound condition, and capable of withstanding normal loads and forces. Natural and mechanical lighting and ventilation is adequate and maintained in good working order for each habitable room in the unit.

3. Emergency Escape Windows and Doors

Every sleeping room built or permitted after August 10, 1972 must have an emergency escape window or door. Emergency escape windows must open to the exterior, have a minimum opening of 5.7 square feet with a minimum dimension of at least 24 inches high and at least 20 inches wide, and must not exceed a maximum sill height of 44 inches from the floor. In order to meet the total square footage requirement, a window size of nearly 2 by 3 feet is typically required. Sleeping rooms that were built under permit prior to August 10, 1972 are exempted from this requirement.

4. Room Size and Condition

All rooms used as living or sleeping rooms must meet minimum requirements for square footage and must not have dirt floors.

5. Heating System

Every bathroom and habitable room must have a functioning, properly ventilated, and permanently-installed heat source.

6. Electrical Standards

All electrical equipment and wiring must be approved and maintained in safe and sound condition and in good working order.

7. Plumbing and Hot Water

Plumbing systems must be properly installed, functional, sanitary and maintained in good condition. Water temperature reaches at least 100°F after running water for two minutes.

8. Sanitation Standards: Bathrooms

Every unit has at least one directly accessible bathroom (primary bathroom) that includes an operable toilet, sink, and tub or shower, all in safe and sound condition and sanitary working order. Does not apply to a legally established SRO/rooming house/micro-housing unit that does not have a bathroom, although any associated common or shared bathroom must meet these standards.

9. Sanitation Standards: Kitchen

Every unit has a kitchen with a sink, counter, cabinets, cooking appliance, and refrigerator maintained in safe, sound, and sanitary condition. This does not apply to units comprised of a single habitable room such as a Single Room Occupancy, rooming house, or micro-housing unit when the unit does not have a kitchen. Common kitchen must meet these standards.

10.Owners’ Obligations

Property owners are responsible for ensuring that the property is free of excess trash; insects and rodents have been exterminated; unit and building doors lock with a deadbolt or deadlatch; and working smoke detectors are installed outside sleeping rooms.

Happy Holidays! Happy Investing!

Seattle's Rental Inspection Program

As Seattle goes, so goes the rest of the state....

This is true for much statewide legislation, including regulations related to rent control. While Seattle's Rental Inspection program is not technically rent control, it is a new initiative just now being implemented to inspect ALL rental units within the city of Seattle. Several other jurisdictions within Washington State are eyeing this program for possible consideration in their own municipalities.

So here is the description of the inspection program from the City of Seattle's website:
The Rental Registration and Inspection Ordinance (RRIO) helps ensure that all rental housing in Seattle is safe and meets basic housing maintenance requirements. The program will educate property owners, managers, and renters about City housing codes and their responsibilities; and require owners to verify their properties meet these standards when registering with the City.

Registration:

• The Rental Registration and Inspection Ordinance requires landlords to register all rental housing units in Seattle, from single-family houses to large apartment buildings.
• Exceptions to the registration requirement include commercial lodging, state-licensed facilities such as adult family homes, and housing owned by government groups or by housing authorities such as Seattle Housing Authority.
• Landlords must register their properties according to the following schedule:

• All properties with 10 or more units should have registered by September 30, 2014. If you own one of these properties and have not yet registered, you will be assessed a $20 late fee and you may be subject to additional penalties and fees.
• All properties with 5 to 9 rental housing units should have registered by March 31, 2015.
• All properties with 1 to 4 rental housing units will be registered from 2015 to 2016. Specific deadlines for these properties are based on the ZIP code where the property is located.

• Registrations must be renewed every 5 years.

Inspection:

• The ordinance requires that all registered rental properties be inspected at least once every 10 years.
• The owner must hire a qualified rental housing inspector or City inspector to do the inspections.
• Rental properties with prior enforcement action will be inspected early in the program.

Several property owners at the recent Trends NW trade show indicated that they had already been required to do inspections.