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It has recently come to our attention that the Attorney General of Washington has been conducting fair housing testing on the use of criminal records in tenant screening. As far as we know, the Attorney General’s investigation is directed against properties and management companies whose... Continue Reading
On June 18, 2016 - Our Executive Director Jim Wiard - walked across the stage in San Francisco and received the Chris Christenson Association Executive of the Year Award! We are so proud of Jim and all he has done for our members, our association and our industry! Under Jim's leadership, we had a... Continue Reading
New landlord-tenant laws take effect today. First, the law requires that you indicate whether you accept a comprehensive reusable tenant screening report on each individual property’s website and in the screening criteria you provide to your prospective applicants. WMFHA recommends that you... Continue Reading
The National Apartment Association recently published a white paper on Familial Housing protected class. The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing rental or conditions based on specific protected classes, such as race, color,sex, religion, national origin, handicap status and,... Continue Reading
Affordable Housing Week is this week (May 16th-22). Demand for housing has never been higher than it is now. More than 38 million individuals live in a rental home across the country, and 42 percent of those that do rent call an apartment their home. Apartments provide housing, create jobs and... Continue Reading
NMHC released it's Top 50 Apartment Owners list for 2016! Congratulations to the WMFHA members who made the list! #6 - Equity Residential#10 - AvalonBay Communities#16 - Essex Property Trust#21 - Fairfield Residential#22 - UDR#29 - Weidner Apartment Homes#32 - Greystar#42 - Bridge Investment... Continue Reading
NAA/NMHC White Paper on Resident Screening Policies for Ex-Offenders Now Available NAA/NMHC’s new white paper on HUD’s recently-issued guidance on the use of criminal histories in resident screening is now available for NAA members (member login required). The white paper,... Continue Reading
On March 28, 2016, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published new income limits which determines eligibility for housing assistance programs such as the Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8). The income limits published on March 28, 2016, take effect... Continue Reading
HUD recently released 'Guidance' on the application of Fair Housing Standards in a prospective tenant's criminal background screening. The guidance, found here, eliminates blanket exclusions on individuals with a criminal record and limits the use of arrest records in making leasing determinations... Continue Reading
New Law Changes Security Deposit Refund Timing from 14 to 21 Days We are pleased to announce that after many years of advocacy efforts in Olympia, Governor Inslee signed a multi-part landlord-tenant bill on March 29, 2016. While we will provide more information on other provisions of the bill... Continue Reading
Loss Mitigation Trust Fund Account Established to Compensate Landlords for Damage. The legislature recently passed a Supplemental Budget which includes a $125,000 Loss Mitigation Trust Account. The account is accessible to landlords for damages caused to private market rate apartments by housing... Continue Reading
Senator Cantwell Launches National Campaign to Increase Federal Resources for Affordable Housing U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), joined by Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland, Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson, and a coalition of more than 1,300 national, state, and local... Continue Reading
