Helpful Info - Seattle Rental Group Rental Finding Services

HELPFUL LOCAL INFORMATION

RENTAL FINDING SERVICES

WELCOME TO

WASHINGTON

Our team members are known as the local experts on the Seattle area rental and sales market. You will be utilizing one of our Rental Finding Services. We’re excited to help you ﬁnd a new apartment or rental home!

Depending on your service, you may be visiting properties in person or virtually. Whichever service you choose, we’ll do the following:

Consult with you on your speciﬁc requirements for a rental property

Schedule a date and time for your tour and assign you an agent that will be a great ﬁt

Thoroughly research properties from our internal database of hundreds of rental properties, and, if you’re utilizing our paid rental services, also vacancy websites, property management companies, the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, and more

Contact these properties to ensure they ﬁt your needs, and put together a comprehensive, personalized list of the results we have found for you

Send you these options 5-7 days before you plan to visit them

Either pick you up and escort you to as many properties as possible during the allotted time (for an in person tour), visit your top choices on your behalf and send you videos and feedback about them (for a virtual tour), or set appointments for you to visit them on your own (for a no-tour service)

IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW

Depending on the season, our ofﬁce requires at least four to six business days' notice to research, schedule and prepare. The earlier you can let us know, the betterparticularly if you would like to see the properties on a weekend, as these slots ﬁll up the fastest.

Since renters in Washington are only required to give 20 days’ notice to vacate, the ideal time to set up a rental tour is 20-30 days prior to your desired move-in date. Vacancies that you can see on a tour will either be available for immediate move-in, or sometime within the following four weeks. If you ask the landlord for a move-in date that is later than this, you will need to pay for the extra days’ rent while it is sitting vacant. We highly recommend that you take the tour 1-3 weeks before your move-in date.

Because vacancies and pricing can change daily, we conduct our research about a week before you plan to see them. We try our best to ensure that places aren’t rented by the time you go, but please be aware that occasionally the owner may rent them the night prior or morning of your visit. Most times our research will produce more options for you to see, so you’re free to visit those by yourself later that day or the following day. If you do not select a property from our list, we’re happy to research new properties for you to visit on your own at a later date.

If you are looking for vintage or smaller apartment communities, single family homes or other privately-owned properties, keep in mind that these properties won’t have ofﬁce hours - and the landlords are often only free in the evenings or for small chunks of time. For this reason, you may need to drive by these properties and contact them for an appointment later if you’re interested.

If you’re utilizing a rental tour service, please remember that it includes only one guided tour (unless you’ve speciﬁcally been informed otherwise) - but again, if you don’t select a property from that tour, we’re happy to continue to research new options and email those options to you so you can visit them by yourself later.

Our service doesn’t end after you’ve seen the properties. We’ll check in with you afterwards to see how things are going and can answer any questions you may have, help you understand or facilitate your lease agreement, assist you in setting up rental insurance, set you up with a furniture rental provider, etc. We’re also required to get your new address, lease start/end date and rental amount in order to close out your ﬁle.

RENTAL OPTIONS IN OUR AREA

The larger apartment buildings in the greater Seattle area are generally owned by big, national companies and are managed by on-site leasing staff. Many of these types of apartments keep ofﬁce hours during the week and on weekends, and you’re able to pop in to see the property and any available units during these hours. Smaller apartment buildings in our area are usually privately owned and shown by either a local management company or a resident manager. These properties require that an appointment is set in advance to see the units and often can’t show during business hours (resident managers typically have regular day jobs).

APARTMENTS

• Offer Efﬁciency / studios, “urban” 1 bedrooms, 2 bedrooms, and (rarely) 3 bedrooms

• In courtyard / low-rise complexes, mid-rise buildings, or high-rise buildings

• Often have on-site managers with ofﬁce hours to visit properties

• Fast application process

• Expect a $300-500 refundable security deposit

Private rentals, like single family homes and townhouses, are typically managed by either the owner of the property, a local management company, or a real estate agent. Some of these types of properties have lock-boxes on the doors to enable a licensed real estate agent to access the property. Private rentals typically require a higher security deposit, usually equal to one month’s rent.

“PRIVATE” RENTALS

• Single family homes, townhouses, condominium rentals, and duplexes/multiplexes

• Require an appointment or a licensed agent to let you in

• Varying application process

• Expect a refundable security deposit equal to one month’s rent

GETTING TO KNOW THE NEIGHBORHOODS

We know the greater Seattle area very well, and love to help people choose the perfect neighborhood to ﬁt their personality. If you need assistance in narrowing down which area you should live in, please let us know! It’s our specialty.

The city of Seattle is spread out over a large area, but it’s made up of many distinct neighborhoods with their own individual characteristics. And nearby are a few major cities with their own personalities. Below is a brief overview of some of the more popular areas. If you’d like to do some additional research on your own, you can also visit SeattleRentals.com/explore_neighborhoods for a map and descriptions.

Downtown + Belltown

The Belltown area is located in the north end of Downtown Seattle, just up from Pike Place Market. With a mix of high-rises apartments and condos, hip restaurants and bars, boutique shops, galleries, and concert venues, living in either Downtown or Belltown gives you the vibrant, bustling “city” feel.

South Lake Union + Lower Queen Anne

South Lake Union (aka SLU) offers plenty of fun restaurants and cafés, as well as a great jogging path around Lake Union, access to the Streetcar and Monorail, and a short walk to Downtown. Mid-rise apartments and condos make up the rental housing here.

Capitol Hill + First Hill

Overlooking Downtown and SLU is a ridge made up of Capitol Hill (the north side of the hill) and First Hill (the south side). Capitol Hill’s artistic, passionate history still shines through even as new mid-rise construction takes over some of the older buildings here. Great restaurants and bars make for an exciting nightlife.

Fremont, Wallingford, Greenlake + Ballard

Further north from Downtown are the neighborhoods of Fremont, Wallingford, Greenlake, and Ballard. The ﬁrst three areas are made up of single family homes and smaller apartments, and are walking distance to charming restaurants, bike trails, and cafés. Ballard offers many larger apartment communities as well as the private housing options, and lots of sought-after restaurants, music venues, and friendly bars can be found lining its main streets.

West Seattle

To the west of Downtown is a neighborhood that feels like its own city: West Seattle. This peninsula is made up of many sub-neighborhoods, each with their own vibe and demographics. The main commercial district is at the top of the hill at the intersection of SW Alaska and California Ave, known as The Junction, and you’ll ﬁnd some newer large apartment buildings here. The Admiral district in the north end has more of a quiet, boutique feel. And one of Seattle’s favorite beaches, Alki, runs along the north and west side of the peninsula.

Neighboring Seattle are the popular cities of Bellevue, Redmond, Sammamish, Kirkland, Mercer Island and Issaquah, which make up what locals call “The Eastside.”

Bellevue

Bellevue is the second largest city in our area, and has its own vibrant downtown scene. High-rise condominium and apartment buildings sit amongst hip restaurants, nightlife and malls. Construction is booming in downtown Bellevue with lots of newer, luxury rentals on the market. Outside of the downtown core of Bellevue are quieter, more residential areas with single family homes and townhouses.

Redmond + Sammamish

Redmond has a smaller, quieter “downtown” than Bellevue with restaurants, shops and a large outdoor mall, as well as some great biking and walking trails in the area’s most popular park, Marymoor Park. There are lots of mid-rise apartment buildings, single family homes and townhomes in this city, with more modern rental options in the downtown area and more 1980s- and 90s-built properties in the surrounding area. Primarily residential, Sammamish juts up a large hill from the east side of Lake Sammamish. It’s mostly made up of single family homes with a small handful of apartment buildings. There are newer houses and townhome developments at the top of the ridge, but commuting down from this area can often be rough.

Kirkland

Kirkland’s charming downtown is located on Lake WA and has mid-rise condos and apartments surrounded by restaurants and boutique shops. Juanita, located in in the north end of Kirkland, has its own waterfront restaurants and is often slightly less expensive than the downtown Kirkland housing. In between these two areas are a broad range of quieter, more residential neighborhoods, primarily made up of single family homes.

Mercer Island

Mercer Island sits between Seattle and Bellevue along the Hwy I-90 corridor. Its downtown hub has coffee shops, restaurants and a beautiful park, as well as a very small handful of mid-rise apartment buildings and condominiums. Surrounding this are residential areas with single family homes. The island also has a perk if you work in Seattle - the I-90 Carpool Express Lanes are available for use by drivers getting on and off at Mercer Island, meaning you get to avoid rush hour trafﬁc with your own “private” highway.

Issaquah

Issaquah is a city spread across a large valley surrounding either side of Hwy I-90. Its vintage downtown is historically preserved and features small boutique shops, theaters and restaurants. The Highlands neighborhood is a 2000s-built development with its own expansive shopping center, restaurants, movie theater, and cafés. There’s a broad range of low-and mid-rise apartment buildings as well as many single family homes and townhomes here.

North of Seattle ( “The Northend”) you’ll ﬁnd Edmonds, Everett, and Bothell; south of Seattle (“The Southend”) you’ll ﬁnd Renton and Kent.

Edmonds

The charming waterfront city of Edmonds is located north of Seattle, just outside the border of King County in Snohomish County. A mix of Art Deco era historic buildings and some newer developments line the quiet downtown area. Edmonds is known for being extremely walkable with many street fairs, sidewalk cafés, a bustling farmer’s market, and boutique shops, along with sandy beaches that offer beautiful Puget Sound and Olympic Mountain views. Housing is primarily single family homes, with a scattering of apartment buildings near the waterfront.

Everett

A large city with a mix of historic, mid-century, and modern architecture, the feel of Everett is a blend of urban and suburban, with great parks, lakes and walking trails tucked in. Neighborhoods near the water come with wonderful Puget Sound views, the rocky beaches offer tide pools, and the city often puts on summer and fall outdoor activities for its residents. Many of the historic buildings have been preserved in Everett’s downtown, which also has a popular events center for concerts, shows, and ice hockey. Large, newer apartment buildings tend to be located closer to the Boeing plant.

Bothell

Bothell is a sizable city located to the north east of Seattle. Locals love to browse the shops at Country Village, a collection of farm-style/ old west buildings with antique shops, glass blowing studios, wine tasting spots, boutique shops, and even train rides for the kids. Plenty of farmers’ markets, car shows, and outdoor concerts make Bothell a great spot for weekend outings. Housing here is a mix of single family homes, mid-rise and garden-style apartment buildings, townhomes and small multiplexes.

Renton

South of Seattle at the edge of Lake Washington is the city of Renton. The lake’s waterfront is wrapped by a sprawling 57 acre park called Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park, or “Coulon Beach,” which is packed in the summer with folks swimming, picnicking, flying kites, and walking dogs. The Cedar River also flows through Renton, with salmon making their trek up it each year. A large outdoor shopping center called The Landing provides residents with a theater, restaurants, shops, and summer entertainment. Quite a few large apartment communities are located in Renton, primarily on the lake front, near The Landing, or in the Renton Highlands overlooking the valley. You’ll also find many single family homes and townhome options in this in the hills overlooking Renton’s downtown core.

Kent

The city of Kent is situated south of Seattle and will soon be connected by light rail. Its three main areas are West Hill along the I-5 corridor, Valley along the Green River, and East Hill overlooking the valley. Single family homes are primarily located in East Hill, while Valley and West Hill are mostly commercial and retail with lots of large apartment communities mixed in. Near the popular ShoWare Center (an arena for ice hockey/skating, concerts and shows) is Kent Station, an ‘urban village’ shopping center with cafés, restaurants, local events, a movie theater, and more.

Commuting

One of the main things you should consider when choosing a neighborhood is your commute. We’re a region separated by water, and there are only two ﬂoating bridges (Hwy 520 and Hwy I-90) that have to slowly funnel trafﬁc between the two main regions.

AVERAGE DRIVING COMMUTE TIMES DURING RUSH HOUR

• Downtown Seattle

• Eastside

• North Seattle neighborhoods

• Eastside

• Downtown

• Eastside

• Downtown

Luckily our area has a wonderful, easy-to-use bus system and a rapidly expanding light rail system with quick stops throughout the region.

Our bus and light rail service is run by Metro and Sound Transit. Their websites have very handy online Trip Planners to ﬁnd a stop near you and plan the shortest routes to your destination.

Microsoft, Amazon, and some other major employers have also set up their own small bus systems for its employees. Parking in high-density areas can be very difﬁcult and very expensive, so some employers offer discounted bus passes to encourage use.

• 40 to 70 minutes

• 45 to 80 minutes

• 60 to 90 minutes

• 30 to 40 minutes

Light Rail

University of Washington

Capitol Hill

Westlake

University Street

Pioneer Square

International District/ Chinatown Stadium

SODO

Beacon Hill

Mount Baker

For families with young children, another important factor you’ll want to consider is which school district you’d like to be in. Some schools offer open enrollment, meaning you don’t need to live within the boundaries of that school’s limits to go there - but this is increasingly rare. The most popular schools do not offer open enrollment, and in fact many times cannot guarantee that your child will attend that school even if you live across the street from it.

If you have a school preference, it’s important to consult with its staff to see what their current guidelines are. Please be aware that even if you do decide upon a speciﬁc school, there may be very few rentals within the boundaries of its enrollment district.

GreatSchools.org has useful online comparisons for K-12 schools with rankings, extracurricular activities, and links to schools’ websites.

Columbia City

Othello

Rainier Beach

Tukwila International Blvd

Sea Tac/ Airport Angle

Schools Coming from

Going to

Will take about

Lake 6 min. 7 min. Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel 9 min. 10 min. 12 min. 4 min.

Pet Policies + Fees

Bringing your fur babies is an important part of your relocation. In Washington State, having four legged friends is very common, but not all rental properties will accept pets. Make sure to ask about all additional fees, requirements, or restrictions prior to your move.

Some landlords will allow up to two pets in a unit and charge additional fees, such as refundable, nonrefundable, and monthly pet rent. However, if you are looking for a single family home or townhome, having pets can sometimes decrease the availability of rentals in our competitive market. Large apartment building and property managers do not accept “aggressive breed” dogs unless they are classiﬁed as a service animal.

“AGGRESSIVE” BREEDS

Pit Bulls

Rottweilers

Dobermans

German Shepards

American Stafford Terriers

Staffordshire Terriers

Bull Terrier

OR a mix of one of these breeds

In order to prepare your pet for a smooth move to a new city, you can do the following:

Visit your veterinarian. A couple weeks before moving, request a copy of your veterinarian records, a rabies vaccination certiﬁcate, and a health certiﬁcate. Be sure your pets are up to date with their shots.

Get tags and licenses. If you have a dog or an indoor/outdoor cat, buy or create identiﬁcation tags with your phone number. When you’ve got your new address, visit King County’s Pet Licensing website to register your pet immediately with the county.

Make a Pet Resume. Pet Resumes are a great way to allow your landlord to get to know your dog or cat prior to your move and potentially give you a leg up on getting approval. Include your pets’ age, temperament, weight, any training they have had, and references from vets and/or previous landlords. Also include a photo of your pet (s). Consider one with you and/or your family to show what a valued member of the family they are.

Consider liability insurance. For dogs categorized on the aggressive breed list, you can offer to purchase liability insurance for your pet and present this to the property manager/landlord and/or list that on the pet resume.

VISITING PROPERTIES + SECURING A RENTAL

The Seattle area rental market is very tight, meaning that vacancies don’t typically stay on the market very long. You’ll often need to make a quick decision when you visit rental properties.

Applications

Application fees are non-refundable and are a standard practice for almost every rental property. Typical fees range from $35 to $75 and it’s payable at the time you submit your application. The applicant must be 18 years of age or older, and every occupant of the rental who is 18 years old or older must complete an application and, usually, also pay the fee.

Keep in mind that you’ll need to pay this fee for each application you submit to a property - properties won’t allow you to re-use an application that you’ve used at a different property unless they’re run by the same management company.

Credit Checks

WHAT TO BRING WITH YOU:

• Picture ID (driver’s licensem passport, etc.)

• Checkbook to cover application fees and security deposits

• Veriﬁcation of employment, such as a letter from your employers, paystubs, or other income veriﬁcation

• Names, addresses, and phone numbers of previous landlords

• Referenced from prior landlords (if possible)

Most landlords in our area will screen your credit as a part of their application process, typically through a third party screening company. It’s a good idea to know your own credit history before submitting an application. You are allowed to obtain a free copy of your credit report once every 12 months through the website AnnualCreditReport.com.

If you have a poor credit history, you may be required to pay several months’ rent in advance, a higher security deposit, or you may not be approved at all. It is important to be up front to a landlord regarding your credit history - you are far more likely to be approved if you explain that you had credit problems a few years ago but you now always pay on time than if you do NOT tell the landlord and he discovers it when he runs your credit history. Sometimes a landlord will let you bring on a co-signer if need be.

A landlord may consider some or all of the following factors in approving your application:

• Being actively employed

• Making the salary stated on your application

• Having excessive credit card debt, car loans or other monthly obligations

• Making less than the minimum level of income (a common standard is for the monthly rent payment to be less than or equal to 1/3 of an applicant’s monthly household income -- for example, if your gross monthly salary was $3000, the apartments would cost less than or equal to $1000 per month.

Security Deposits

A security deposit is required when you sign a lease and typically ranges between $300 to one month’s rent. The landlord will hold this deposit in a trust account for you for the duration of your lease. When you move in to a property, you will ﬁll out a “move-in checklist” that you will use to detail the condition of the apartment. Be sure to note any existing defects in the property so that you will not be held liable for them.

When you move out of the property, you’ll use the same checklist to detail its condition at that time. Your security deposit will be refunded to you within 21 days after you move out minus any deductions. If there are deductions, your landlord will also provide you with an itemized list of these deductions.

Lease Terms + Responsibilities

By ﬁlling out an application for a property, you are not legally bound to rent that property. Any application or credit check fees associated with that application will typically not be refundable.

It is extremely important that you verify all terms and responsibilities before you sign an application or give a deposit to a property. You should get everything in writing and make sure you carefully read what you are agreeing to.

Remember that a lease agreement is a legal and binding contract. Be certain you fully understand all the lease terms before you sign it. If you have concerns with a lease agreement that you are about to sign, contact us. We can’t give legal advice, but we’ve seen many leases and can help you decipher what is typical and what seems out of the ordinary.

Should you decide to break the terms of the lease - for any reason - please note that neither your relocation company nor Pointe3 Real Estate is able to assist you. In the city of Seattle, the default policy is that the renter is responsible for rent on all of the days that the property is vacant as well as any costs the landlord incurs while re-renting it (which can include advertising, the cost of hiring a leasing service, etc.), but that the landlord must make an earnest effort to re-lease the property.

Most properties will also add an extra clause in their contracts charging a lease break fee. It is always a good idea to review the lease break policy in an agreement, whether you feel as though you may need to do so or not.

For more info on the laws effecting landlords and tenants in Washington and any regulations that may affectyou, visit TenantsUnion.org

Pointe3 Real Estate LLC

Utility Companies

Any special instructions regarding your utilities will be outlined in your lease agreement, but here’s a handy list of all the utility companies servicing our region:

CITY ELECTRICITY GAS

Seattle

Bellevue

Kirkland

Mercer Island

Redmond

Issaquah Sammamish Tacoma

Seattle City Light 206-684-3000

Puget Sound Energy 888-225-5773

Tacoma Power 253-502-8600

Security Deposits

Puget Sound Energy 888-225-5773

Tacoma Power 253-502-8600

WATER / SEWER GARBAGE / YARD WASTE

Seattle Public Utilities 206-684-3000

Bellevue Utilities 425-452-6973

Kirkland City Utilities 425-587-3150

Mercer Island Utilities 206-275-7783

Redmond Utilities 425-556-2152

Issaquah Utilities 425-837-3050

Sammamish Plateau Water - 425-392-6256

Tacoma Water 253-502-8600

Seattle Public Utilities 206-684-3000

Republic Services 425-452-5762

Kirkland City Utilities 425-587-3150

Republic Services 425-452-5762

Waste Management 800-592-9995

Republic Services 425-452-5762

Waste Management 800-592-9995

Solid Waste Mgmnt 253-502-2100

High speed Internet service providers vary based on your speciﬁc neighborhood and building. Be sure to ask your leasing agent or property manager which provider your building uses. Here are the primary ones for our area:

• Xﬁnity - 877-824-2288

• Wave Broadband - 844-325-1568

• Cascade Link - 206-774-3660

• CenturyLink - 866-863-6665

• Frontier - 844-490-5954

• Verizon FIOS - 877-585-7951

• Dish Network - 855-775-2923

Licensing + Registration

Remember to contact the WA State Department of Licensing to update your driver’s license address, as well as the State of Washington to update your voter registration address and district. If you haven’t secured renters insurance yet, we’d be happy to refer you to a renters insurance company.

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR MOVE, AND AGAIN -

WELCOME TO WASHINGTON

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