~Local Article~

Apartment hunt will be tougher for renters
By Elizabeth Rhodes
Seattle Times staff reporter

Renters about to apartment-hunt for the first time in several years: Be prepared!

Here are some specifics from Dupre2Scott's fall survey of 136,157 King and Snohomish county apartments in complexes with 20 or more units:

  • King County's apartment-vacancy rate now stands at 4.2 percent, down from 5.3 percent a year earlier. That's significant because a vacancy rate of 5 percent is considered balanced, Scott said, and anything below that favors landlords.
  • King County's average one-bedroom rent is $812. Two-bedroom units average $975. Both are roughly 7 percent more expensive than a year ago.

More than 70 percent of units in big buildings in King and Snohomish counties are now passing on water and sewer charges to their residents.

Vacancy rates are expected to shrink further through the end of next year. And rents are expected to climb by 4 percent or more by next spring. Landlords told Scott they plan to raise rents that much.

*Send full article requests to asuwsha@u.washington


~This Months Housing Tip~

DEMAND, DEMAND, DEMAND, REPAIRS!!!

Know your rights to live in a habitable rental unit -- and don't give them up. The vast majority of landlords are required to offer their tenants livable premises, including adequate weatherproofing; heat, water, and electricity; and clean, sanitary, and structurally safe premises.

If your rental unit is not kept in good repair, you have a number of options, ranging from withholding a portion of the rent, to paying for repairs and deducting the cost from your rent, to calling the building inspector (who may order the landlord to make repairs), to moving out without liability for your future rent.

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