Blog

President Biden called on Congress to pass legislation forcing landlords with over 50 units in their portfolio to cap rent increases on existing units at 5% or risk losing federal tax breaks (faster depreciation write-offs). This would affect over 20 million units in the U.S. Rent control has... Continue Reading

We had the pleasure of hosting elected officials at both of our Tapas and Topics events this month. In Everett, we welcomed Mayor Cassie Franklin, who updated attendees on the impressive growth Everett has seen in recent years, as well as some exciting things coming up in the near future. On the... Continue Reading

Advocacy is a team sport. Like any team sport, success requires good coaching and advanced training that aims to develop a diverse and deep team bench with the knowledge, capabilities, and team fluidity needed to perform on game day. That’s where NAA’s Advocacy Academy comes into the... Continue Reading

“Feel The Love”…that was the theme of this year’s National Apartment Association’s annual Apartmentalize conference hosted in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania the third week of June. The theme seemed appropriate, not just because it was held in the city of brotherly (and... Continue Reading

Hannah Smith is a Senior Property Manager with Pillar Properties and is a part of WMFHA's Kari Anderson Emerging Leaders first year cohort. Hannah had the opportunity to attend the National Apartment Association's Apartmentalize Conference in June, so we asked her to share a bit of her... Continue Reading

Spokane landlords will no longer have the authority to prohibit tenants from installing air conditioners following a unanimous vote by the Spokane City Council on Monday. The ordinance, introduced by Councilwoman Kitty Klitzke in May, goes into effect in mid-July, coinciding with the anticipated... Continue Reading

Living in the Pacific Northwest, particularly in Seattle, we often take pride in our reputation as a beacon of progress and acceptance, especially concerning social issues. However, it's crucial to acknowledge that the journey towards inclusivity, particularly for the LGBTQ+ community, has and... Continue Reading

Earlier this spring, WMFHA collaborated with Evergreen Goodwill to offer the Apartment Maintenance Pathways Program. The program is targeted to at-risk youth and those not on traditional career paths between 18-24 years of age. Students attend a 4 week hands-on training that utilizes the National... Continue Reading

On Wednesday, May 29, the King County Superior Court adopted an emergency amendment, effective immediately, to LCR 40.1(b)(1)(L), for unlawful detainer actions where noncompliance by the defendant is alleged to... Continue Reading

A group of multi-family and commercial property managers, developers, owners, real estate agents, association staff and other stakeholders recently met to discuss the challenges of rental housing and policies in City of Seattle and the awful unlawful detainer process in the King County court... Continue Reading

WMFHA staff and GAC member Mack Mayo, Paine Hamblen LLP, recently hosted a Spokane Tenant Protections Roundtable to educate members on the tenant protections passed in 2023 and the disjointed implementation by the city. Although in effect since mid-2023, some principal parts of the required... Continue Reading

On May 14, Up for Growth Action sent a letter of support for H.R. 3507, the Yes in My Backyard (YIMBY) Act to the House Financial Services committee. WMFHA along with a long list of real estate housing and industry stakeholders signed the letter applauding the committee for moving the bill to... Continue Reading