Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions from landlords & renters answered below.
Not finding the answer to your question?
1. Go to wallarent.com and click "View Current Rentals"
2. Add zip code and to the right of the Bathroom box, click the smaller arrow to the far right. Now, check the rental box just below that area where the arrow was. You should now see search results for rentals in Walla Walla.
I want to find out more details about a rental I see on your site, should I phone you?
While we love hearing from those using this site to find housing, Blue Mountain Rentals only promotes the listings for the landlord. You will need to contact the person shown at the phone number or e-mail address under the property information to find out details that may not be disclosed in their listing if it is one that we are promoting.
If you are viewing the "Free Rental Lead List", you will need to go back to the source listed to find the ad and contact them. We list free rental leads to help potential renters, and encourage landlords and owners to contact Blue Mountain Rentals to promote their rental listings with more details.
I sent a request for a Premium housing search. How do I get all of my details to you? When will I receive results? If you need to provide more information than what the submission form allowed, use the contact us page and send an email. Most likely, we will contact you in response to the form you submitted and request any additional information you may have for the search. We respond to all e-mails and phone calls within one businesss day. You will be required to provide an e-mail address for billing purposes through paypal.com, and pay for the service in advance. Results are sent by email the business day following receipt of your payment unless other arrangements have been made in advance. You may drop cash payments off in person too.
I need a copy of the current State of Washington Residential Landlord Tenant Act or the State of Oregon RESIDENTIAL LANDLORD AND TENANT PROPERTY RIGHTS AND TRANSACTIONS, where can I look?
Links have been provided on the Housing Info and Links page for both. They have helpful information for both Landlords and Tenants. If you have a matter you feel needs more insight, I strongly encourage you to speak to an attorney for legal advice.
I just emailed my ad to you, how long will it take for it to be posted on the website?
Average turnaround time for your ad to be listed on this site is within one business day. You will receive a confirmation email or phone call once your listing has been placed on the website. Please review the ad details for accuracy, including viewing it on the website. We are not responsible for grammatical errors and will not post any ad that is blatantly not in compliance with the Fair Housing Rules and Regulations. Once your approval has been received, your listing will be promoted to all the listing sites (see table below for full list of sites). You will receive a bill after the listing has been posted on the sites shown below for your ad pkg.
I don't want the address of the rental property to show in my listing. What options do I have?
To place an ad, I will still need the actual address even if it does not show in the ad, as it is a requirement of some of the listing sites. You may also use crossroads, a brief 2-3 word description or a landmark to describe the area. This provides prospective renters an idea of the area they would be moving to, while protecting the privacy of the rental address. You can still make appointments to show based on the rental agreement you have with your current renter if it is occupied. State of WA requires 24 hours notice to show a unit per the Residential Landlord Tenant Act.
I am worried about scams, phone calls from people that aren't interested in the rental or I just don't want to use my phone number or e-mail address, what do you suggest?
There are many websites that offer free e-mail addresses - www.hotmail.com www.yahoo.com www.google.com www.juno.com and more. Another suggestion is getting a prepaid cell phone and only keep it active while your ad is running. Many local area retail stores such as Walmart and Radio Shack provide prepaid cell phones. Lastly, I can use Blue Mountain Rentals contact information and forward you all of the prospective renters while your ad runs. There will be a delay in all prospective renter contacts you receive by using this choice and you may be charged an administrative fee of $15/week for this answering/forwarding service.
*Side note: If you find a scam ad from a listing either you or I placed, the best thing to do is report it. If it is one that I placed on your behalf, also notify me, so I may report it as well. Most scam ads come from craigslist ads, but can come from anywhere. Craigslist has an option to flag an ad - when it's a scam, use the "prohibited" option. I also send an email direct to craigslist with a link to the scam ad and request that they remove it. Feel free to do this as well. The email address I use is abuse@craigslist.org.
What are some things I should include in my ad to help get my vacancy get filled?
I have created an Ebook "Tips on Ad Creation" . It goes over tips on how to create a rental ad, elements you need to include and common features / benefits that you may want to include in your rental advertisement. You may think of other items that I have not included, please use them! Below is a suggested list of priority items to include in any rental ad, whether you list through Blue Mountain Rentals or on your own.
Pets allowed? Deposit or Fee for Pets?
Rental / Lease terms - Month to Month - 6 month - 1 year?
Available? Now? Date? Approx. Month?
Utilities - Included? Water, Sewer, Garbage, Electric, Gas, Cable & Internet
If you do not allow smoking in the unit, mention it - it will help your screening process
Laundry facilities - hook ups, on site, w/d included?
Parking - Assigned? Off Street? Garage- size? Carport? Shop?
A/C & Heating types - Fireplace?
Extra storage & type - Shed? Utility Room with Cupboards?
Flooring - Tile, Hardwood, Carpet?
Appliances included? Microwave, Stove, Refrigerator, Dishwasher, Garbage Disposal?
Yard - maintained by tenant? Owner? Shared? Private? Fenced? Underground Sprinklers?
Extras: Balcony? Deck? Patio? Porch? Alarm System? Gated? Pool? Wheel Chair Access?
Rooms - Seperate Dining Room? Basement? Office? Family Room?
How do you drive traffic to your website? How do I know my ad will be seen?
I drive business to this site by advertising online, listing in various online social media outlets, submitting to search engines quarterly and I advertise in various forms of online and print media ads that I feel are affordable & successful in reaching people looking for housing in the local area. Flyers have been placed at local colleges, universities and bulletin boards located throughout the Walla Walla area as I find them. Blue Mountain Rentals is listed in many online yellow page directories as well as business listing sites. Your rental listing is manually promoted to the websites shown below. Many of these websites also syndicate their listings to other housing and classified listing sites (approximately 25 that I have found). This ensures that:
Your ad will be seen more people on their schedule ~ Greater exposure means you'll rent it faster!
I am a landlord and I need someone to manage my property. Can you help?
Blue Mountain Rentals is not licensed as a Property Managment Company in the state of WA. I do not have a Real Estate License although I will be pursuing one this year and there is also a 3 year term that I must work for a brokerage firm before I can take the Managing Broker exam that is required to be fully licensed as a Property Management Company. Therefore, I can only perform the following tasks for my landlord clients (Unlicensed assistanst may...):
Please see the services offered for landlords on my pricing page here. I offer ad packages as well as Tenant Placement Services with options clear up to the lease signing - the signing if the lease and addendums is always the responsibility of my landlord clients
Are there any companies that you would recommend to manage my properties for me?
I work with many of the local Property Management Companies both to advertise their rental listings and to assist those seeking housing when I provide a housing search. Here are a few that may be able to help you - for a full selection, please visit your local yellow pages. Clicking the photo below will open a new window with their website.
Windermere - Property Management Division
509-526-7368
Coldwell Banker - Property Management Division
509-525-0820
Please check your local yellow pages directory for more
property management options.
I am a landlord - How do I run background checks? Do you have any suggestions?
There are several options that you can take. I have listed 3 below to help get you started. Please note, the differences between the options. Make sure you research well before you decide because it's best to use the same policy for EVERY applicant. Some landlords choose to refund the application fee if they accept the tenant - that is an individual choice and up to you.
1. The first option is to use a company that many of the landlords I work with use and information can be found at
www.myscreeningreport.com it will require online access of both the landlord and the tenant for this service. It can be initiated by either party, but the tenant pays for the background check (Fee varies by report depending on what you require) and the
prospective renter fills out their information on the site and provide you an access code to review the results. This company
allows the tenant to dispute incorrect information and share with any landlord for 30 days. Basically - it belongs to the tenant.
2. The second option is similar to the one above. It is run by transunion - one of the 3 credit bureaus and it also provides 2 different
reporting options. Again it will require both the landlord and tenant to have online access. The information can be found at
www.mysmartmove.com and is also a way for the tenant to keep their information private while providing you the results you need to make a sound qualifying decision. Cost varies depending on which report you will require for your rental decision.
You can choose to pay for this service or if you wish to require the tenant to pay, you can do that as well when you send them
the link. The tenant does not receive the results from this company, and cannot share the report with other landlords - basically
the report is the property of the landlord that requested them to use this service.
3. The last option only requires the applicant to have online access. Have them request a copy of their credit report run within the
free credit report per year with information on it from all 3 credit bureaus, it is free of charge and no credit card information or
payment is required to obtain it. You can then request references for current and previous housing, current and previous
employment (paystubs) to confirm their rental history and employment status. This option will not provide you any criminal or
eviction information.
Keep in mind that these are not the only 3 options when considering tenant screening. There are many other companies available. Please make sure you are consistent with whatever your method ends up being to avoid Fair Housing issues.
I am a landlord considering allowing section 8 renters. How do I get started in the Section 8 housing program?
With todays economy, it may be a benefit to you to allow section housing vouchers from your renters. There are many questions that can be answered on the local Walla Walla Housing Authority website about the Section 8 voucher program. You will need to contact the housing authority directly for any questions regarding section 8 vouchers. Their local phone number is (509) 527-4542.
I am a landlord and I have some legal questions about lease violations, lease terms or evictions. Who can I call?
Please check your local yellow pages and look up attorney's that specialize in real estate law for our area. I do know of a few that may be able to help you out - this is not an all inclusive list for our area:
Charles B. Phillips, P.S. (509) 529-2200
Virtual In-House Counsel (509) 529-5175
Eric M. Steven, P.S. (509) 590-4870