For first-time owners · Expert. Local. Responsive.

Hiring a Property Manager for the First Time?

Whether you've been managing it yourself, inherited a home, couldn't sell, or are moving away, we take the day-to-day off your plate and help keep your rental in line with Seattle's rules.

Get a Free Rental Analysis See Pricing
40+ years combined experience Locally owned , opened in 2024 Based in the North Admiral neighborhood of West Seattle

We manage single-family homes, small multi-family, condos and townhomes, in West Seattle and King County.

Is It Time to Hire a Property Manager?

These are common reasons owners bring in a manager for the first time. Here's how we help with each one.

1 Stress and peace of mind
How WSPM helps One local team handles residents, repairs and notices, so the day-to-day isn't on you.
2 Maintenance and repairs
How WSPM helps Residents can submit maintenance requests 24/7 through the tenant portal. Our team handles maintenance and coordinates vetted local vendors with no markup, within an approval limit you set ($500 recommended; emergencies excepted).
3 You live far away or are relocating
How WSPM helps A local West Seattle team, tours 9 AM–7 PM, 7 days a week through our Showdigs leasing partner, and an owner portal for statements and documents.
4 Finding and keeping good residents
How WSPM helps Written screening criteria applied the same way for every applicant.
5 Maximizing cash flow
How WSPM helps Pricing starts with a free Rental Market Analysis built on current local comps.
6 Getting your time back
How WSPM helps We handle showings, screening, leases, rent collection and repairs.
7 Keeping up with changing laws
How WSPM helps Seattle-standard notices, an RRIO check and registration, and our Legal Library (coming soon).
8 Accounting and reporting
How WSPM helps Monthly statements with invoices attached, and ACH owner payments by the 10th (usually earlier).
9 You're a new or accidental landlord
How WSPM helps A clear, step-by-step start for first-time owners (see below).
10 Scaling up
How WSPM helps The same team and systems whether you own one home or several.

What a Property Manager Does for You

Full management at WSPM covers the whole life of a tenancy.

Pricing and marketing

Free Rental Market Analysis with local comps, professional listing and syndication.

Rental inquiries and tours

Rental inquiries from prospective residents are answered 24/7 through our Showdigs leasing partner, averaging under 5 minutes; Showdigs tours run 9 AM–7 PM, 7 days a week.

Screening

We screen every applicant against the same written criteria, provided before they apply, and follow Washington and local rules, including Seattle's First-in-Time and Fair Chance Housing requirements. View our current rental criteria

Leases and notices

Seattle-compliant lease and notice process.

Rent collection

Online payments; we follow up on late rent and serve Pay or Vacate notices to Seattle standards.

Maintenance

Residents can submit maintenance requests 24/7 through the tenant portal. Our team handles maintenance and works with our vetted local vendors: no vendor markup and your own approval threshold. An annual inspection by a third-party vendor, typically before a lease renewal, paid for by WSPM. Additional inspections are available on request at the owner's cost.

Owner accounting

Monthly statements with invoices attached, ACH direct deposit by the 10th (usually earlier), security deposit accounting per Washington law, and a year-end tax packet.

Compliance

RRIO check, registration takeover or new registration, Compliance Radar tracking, and our Legal Library (coming soon).

Move-in and move-out reporting

Condition reports with lots of photos at move-in and move-out.

Property Tax Health Check

We compare your King County assessed value with market value and tee up an appeal if it pays off.

A real person answers

Call or text (206) 512-7061 during office hours (Mon–Fri, 9 AM–4 PM). Direct access to the WSPM team.

Self-Managing vs. WSPM

What changes when you hand over the day-to-day.

Task Doing it yourself With WSPM
Pricing the rent Guesswork or DIY comps Free Rental Market Analysis with current local comps
Showings Your evenings and weekends Tours 9 AM to 7 PM, 7 days a week, run by our Showdigs leasing partner
Screening Write criteria and follow First-in-Time rules yourself Written criteria and a consistent process
Rent increases Track Seattle and state rent-increase rules Calendared and drafted for you
Repairs Find, schedule and pay vendors Our team coordinates vetted vendors, no markup, within your approval limit
RRIO Register, renew and handle inspections Checked and handled
Reporting Build your own spreadsheet A monthly owner statement with invoices attached
Accounting Spreadsheets and receipts Monthly statements, ACH deposits and a year-end tax packet
Your time On call Owner portal; we handle the day-to-day

How Our Pricing Works

Simple, published fees. See our published fees on our pricing page →

Fee Amount When
Full management 10% of gross rental income Monthly
Leasing / turnover 75% of one month's rent When we place a new resident
Lease renewal 50% of one month's rent When a resident renews
One-Time Placement (leasing only) One full month's rent Ends at key handoff; then you self-manage
No cancellation fee 3-month initial term Then month-to-month, 30 days' notice

Seattle's Rules Are Detailed. We Keep Up With Them.

Seattle has some of the most detailed rental rules in Washington. A few you'll run into as a first-time owner:

Washington's rent cap

Washington limits most residential rent increases to 7% plus inflation (CPI) or 10%, whichever is lower: 9.683% for 2026 and 10% for 2027, as published by the WA Department of Commerce. Rent can't be raised in the first 12 months of a tenancy. Some properties are exempt, including buildings whose first certificate of occupancy is 12 years old or less and certain owner-occupied and affordable housing.

Sources: RCW 59.18.700 · RCW 59.18.710 · WA Commerce, HB 1217 Landlord Resource Center

Rent increase notice

In Washington, tenants must get at least 90 days' written notice of a rent increase, using a notice substantially the same as the state form. In Seattle, the notice period for any increase in rent or other recurring housing costs is 180 days, and increases of 10% or more within 12 months carry extra relocation-assistance requirements.

Sources: RCW 59.18.140 · RCW 59.18.720 · SMC 22.206.180 · SMC 7.24.030 · SDCI, Housing Cost Increases

RRIO registration and inspections

Seattle requires every rental property to be registered with the City's Rental Registration and Inspection Ordinance (RRIO) program and renewed every two years. The City randomly selects registered properties for inspection, generally at least once every 5–10 years, and gives the owner at least 60 days' notice to complete it.

Sources: SMC 22.214.040 · SMC 22.214.050 · SDCI, RRIO Owners & Managers

First-in-Time screening

Seattle's First-in-Time rule requires landlords to post their screening criteria in advance, screen complete applications in the order received, and offer the unit to the first qualified applicant. That applicant has 48 hours to accept. If the landlord needs more information after screening, the applicant gets at least 72 hours to provide it without losing their place in line.

Sources: SMC 14.08.050 · Renting in Seattle, First In Time

Compliance Radar RRIO RCW 59.18 First-in-Time SMC 14.08 Just-Cause Fair Housing
This is general information, not legal advice. Rules change; for your situation, consult an attorney. More on Renting in Seattle.

How to Choose a Property Manager

Here's how we answer the questions owners ask.

How do you handle rental inquiries?
Rental inquiries from prospective residents are answered 24/7 through our Showdigs leasing partner, averaging under 5 minutes (leasing inquiries only, not owner or maintenance communication). For owners, a real person answers: call or text (206) 512-7061 during office hours (Mon–Fri, 9 AM–4 PM), or email hello@westseattlepm.com.
Showdigs-handled leasing inquiries · avg response Under 5 min See the dashboard →
How do you fill a vacancy?
Pricing starts with a free Rental Market Analysis built on local comps, and our Showdigs leasing partner runs tours 9 AM–7 PM, 7 days a week. Current leasing figures are on our Showing Intelligence dashboard.
Our policy
When do I get paid?
Owner payments go out by ACH direct deposit by the 10th, usually earlier.
Owner Payment Consistency See current figures See the dashboard →
How well do you collect rent?
We follow up on late rent and use Seattle-standard notices.
Current Delinquency Rate See current rate See the dashboard →
How do you measure your performance?
We publish a KPI dashboard that updates daily.
Portfolio Pulse See current score See the dashboard →
How do you screen residents?
We screen every applicant against the same written criteria, provided before they apply, and follow Washington and local rules, including Seattle's First-in-Time and Fair Chance Housing requirements. View our current rental criteria
Our policy
Who handles repairs? Do you mark them up?
Residents can submit maintenance requests 24/7 through the tenant portal. Our team handles maintenance. No markup: the actual invoice is attached to your statement, and you set your approval limit.
Our policy
What does it cost, and can I leave?
Published pricing, no cancellation fee, and 30 days' notice after the first 3 months. See pricing →
Our policy
Are you local?
Yes. We're based in the North Admiral neighborhood of West Seattle, with 40+ years of combined experience.
Our policy

Current portfolio figures update daily on our Portfolio Intelligence dashboard. Leasing figures, including the Showdigs average rental inquiry response (prospective residents only, not owner or maintenance communication), are from our Showing Intelligence dashboard.

Getting Started With WSPM

Every new property starts the same way, then follows the path for a vacant or an occupied home.

Every property

  1. Free Rental Market Analysis and a call

    We learn about your home, your goals and your timing.

  2. Sign the management agreement

    We walk you through the agreement terms before you sign.

  3. RRIO check

    We take over your existing registration or register the property.

  4. Owner setup

    You'll be walked through the onboarding process: portal, ACH deposit, insurance and tax details.

Vacant home

  1. Confirm the home's condition

    We first confirm the home's condition as our starting point.

  2. Photos and listing

    Professional marketing based on your Rental Market Analysis.

  3. Tours and screening

    Our Showdigs leasing partner answers rental inquiries from prospective residents 24/7 (averaging under 5 minutes) and runs tours 9 AM–7 PM, 7 days a week; complete applications are screened in First-in-Time order.

  4. Move-in inspection and lease

    Before a resident moves in, we formally document the condition with a move-in inspection report and lots of photos. That's the baseline and evidence we compare against at move-out for any tenancy-related charges.

  5. First rent and your first statement

    Rent is collected online, and your monthly statement and ACH deposit follow.

Already has a resident

  1. Gather documents

    Lease, tenant ledger, deposit records, application and screening report, and maintenance history.

  2. Transfer keys

    Keys, fobs, codes and remotes come to us.

  3. Change of Management letter

    Residents get a letter introducing WSPM and explaining where their deposit will be held.

  4. Resident portal invites

    Residents are invited to the AppFolio resident portal to pay rent online. Residents can submit maintenance requests 24/7 through the tenant portal. Our team handles maintenance.

  5. Plan the lease timeline

    We review the lease terms and plan renewal and rent timing within Seattle and state rules.

  6. Annual inspection

    We schedule the annual third-party inspection, typically before renewal, at WSPM's cost.

Already working with another manager? See Switching Property Managers.

First-Time Owner FAQ

More answers on our Owner FAQ.

When should I hire a property manager instead of managing it myself?
Common triggers are living far away, not having enough time, repair and maintenance stress, difficult resident situations, and keeping up with Seattle's rental rules. If any of those sound familiar, it's worth a conversation.
How much does property management cost?
Full management is 10% of gross rental income. The leasing fee is 75% of one month's rent, and the lease renewal fee is 50% of one month's rent. A leasing-only option is one full month's rent. See our pricing page for our published fees; complete terms are in the management agreement we review with you before you sign.
Am I locked into a long contract?
No. There's no cancellation fee. After a 3-month initial term, the agreement is month-to-month, and either party can end it with 30 days' written notice.
I already have a tenant. Can you take over?
Yes. We gather your lease and records, take the keys, send residents a Change of Management letter explaining where their deposit will be held, and invite them to the resident portal.
Do you handle RRIO and Seattle's notice rules?
Yes. We check and handle RRIO registration and use Seattle-standard notices. Our website content is general information, not legal advice.
Can you just find me a tenant?
Yes. One-Time Placement is one full month's rent: Full-service leasing (pricing, marketing, showings, screening and lease execution) through the day of key handoff. After move-in, you self-manage: rent, repairs, renewals and reporting are on you.
What do you report to me each month?
You get a monthly owner statement with invoices attached, in your owner portal.
What types of properties do you manage?
Single-family homes, small multi-family, condos and townhomes, in West Seattle and King County.
How do residents request repairs?
Residents can submit maintenance requests 24/7 through the tenant portal. Our team handles maintenance: we review each request and coordinate the repair with our vetted local vendors, within your approval threshold. Our office phone is (206) 512-7061 (Mon–Fri, 9 AM–4 PM).

Not sure what your home should rent for?

Start with a free Rental Market Analysis, then a conversation about your home and your goals.

A real person answers: call or text (206) 512-7061 during office hours (Mon–Fri, 9 AM–4 PM), or email hello@westseattlepm.com. No call center, no script.

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