Be advised: Seattle’s Fair Chance Housing Ordinance (FCHO) bars landlords fromconsidering prior arrest records or past convictions when screening prospective tenants. This includes prospective renters who are registered sex offenders. 

Anti-discrimination policies benefit the common good. However, such policies can create conflict when landlords have a duty to protect their tenants from foreseeable criminal conduct. Therefore, the Fair Chance Housing Ordinance presents potential complications that could unintentionally place landlords in legal jeopardy — even if landlords have the best intentions in mind.

Is it time once again to consider renewing your residential lease? Often that leaves tenants asking if they should stay another year. Is there room to negotiate a better deal or should tenants save time, energy and effort and move to a new place? 

Previously, we’ve looked at commercial lease negotiations best practices, but we at Holmquist + Gardiner often receive requests for guidance with residential property lease negotiations as well.

Spring is here. The cherry blossoms are blooming. It’s nearly time to roll out the grill for its summer stint on the patio. Hopefully any extended time spent outside enjoying your property includes a friendly wave from your neighbor. For residential property owners dealing with the turmoil of a contentious boundary line dispute, a wave is more likely an apoplectic stare, or worse. 

When it comes to landlord – tenant relationships, nothing should be left to translation or interpretation. The dealings between both parties should be mutually beneficial, respectful, and above all else, clear. With that in mind, the attorneys at Holmquist & Gardiner work with landlords (and tenants) to make sure their interests are provided for and protected.

2019 is a big year for local Seattle law firm, Holmquist + Gardiner! Celebrating 10 years in business, founders Imants Holmquist and Hamilton Gardiner look back on how they got their start and how they’ve successfully grown over the years, establishing themselves as one of the top law practices in the city of Seattle.

Seattle and the state of Washington continue to be in a constant state of expansion. New commercial buildings are springing up left and right; in fact, Seattle tops the nation as the city with the most tower cranes for the third straight year in a row. With new developments come new commercial spaces, and if you’re in the market for office, retail or industrial rental space in the Emerald City, lease negotiations are going to be in your near future.