Seattle Rental Inspection

ALL landlords within Seattle city limits MUST register their rental properties (single family, condos or apartment buildings) with the city by 12/31/16.  You can register at www.seattle.gov/RRIO

The City will be requiring property inspections every 5-10 years and will make random selections monthly.  If you have been selected, we can recommend an inspector and answer any questions you or your tenant might have.

OTHER CHANGES

• The City now prohibits increasing rent if a property fails to comply with the RRIO.
• The City has prohibited special deals or concessions for tenants based on where they work.
• The City approved a new law outlawing housing discrimination based on source of income.
• When selling or reoccupying a property, landlords MUST give 90 days notice (formerly 60 and 20 days), but landlords may request a hardship exception to shorten the notice period in certain circumstances.  
• The time in which landlords need to refund a tenant’s security deposit is 21 days from the date the tenant surrenders possession, unless otherwise stated in a lease agreed upon prior to 2016 
• Effective January 2017, landlords will need to accept applicants on a  “first come, first serve” basis.  All information regarding minimum screening criteria will need to be disclosed prior to accepting applications and they must be screened in the order in which they have been received. 

Happy Investing!

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!