If you would like to rent out your house in the Seattle area, it is important to take into account many factors that might affect your success as a landlord. There are also some places where you are more likely to succeed when listing your house for rent.
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Difficulty:
Moderately Challenging
Instructions
How to Rent Out My House in Seattle
1
Investigate whether you will need to purchase additional insurance to accommodate tenants in your home. The insurance requirements for an owner who lives in a home and an individual who rents a home may differ considerably.
2
Check with your accountant to see if the rental will negatively affect your taxes before renting out a property in Seattle. You may be able to receive write-offs for tax purposes as well.
3
Check newspaper listings for other rental properties in the Seattle area using online sources as a guide. Contact a Realtor to get an idea of what the going rate is for a rental in your neighborhood.
4
Post your listing on Craig's List. Go to the Seattle-Tacoma page (see Resources), and click "Post to Classifieds." Click "Housing Offered." At this point, click "Apts/Housing for Rent," and then choose "Seattle" from the next page. You can then put in the rental price, the title of the post and the description.
5
List your house for rent in the "Seattle Times" classifieds. First go to the Seattle Times Classifieds section, and then, under "nwapartments," click on "Post a Rental Listing." For various fees, you can post online and in the newspaper, or online only.
6
Tenants
Do a background check on the prospective tenants to ensure they have no serious criminal records or history of breaking leases. Many online sources offer background checks for a relatively low fee. In addition, you should do a credit check to ensure the tenants have the ability to pay the rent.
7
Have the tenants sign a residential lease agreement in order to protect their rights and yours as well. Be sure to specify all particulars in the lease. It may be best to have a lawyer draw up a lease for your specific property, although many online sources offer basic leases.
Tips & Warnings
Be prepared to perform maintenance when necessary as a landlord.
