Website Highlights Seattle Rental Safety Requirements for Landlords & Property Managers

December 06, 2016 - PRESSADVANTAGE -

Minimum safety requirements from Seattle’s rental property code are outlined in the new educational website created for property managers and landlords by nationwide locksmith Mr. Rekey.

Seattle, WA. - Under Subchapter V of the Seattle Housing Code, there are five often overlooked minimum security requirements for locks and doors necessary for all rental properties in Seattle with which landlords and property managers must comply.

Though this subchapter of the housing code was made effective in 1991, its provisions are still overlooked by many landlords and property managers. After more than 25 years, many rental properties are still failing to meet these five basic security regulations, which include the changing of locks between tenants, installation of door viewers and deadbolts on appropriate exterior doors, ensuring latching devices on windows work, and having proper security devices on sliding patio doors.

The most pressing requirement laid out in the code, which lessens owner liability greatly, is the mandate that locks be changed on all rental properties between every tenant on or before the tenant turnover date. The tenant turnover date is the day on which the new tenant takes up occupancy of the property, and locks may be either replaced or rekeyed to satisfy the law.

The two methods used for changing locks, lock replacement and rekeying, are both recognized as being equally secure under the Seattle Housing Code, but rekeying is quick and affordable because it does not require the purchase or installation of any new hardware.

According to Mr. Rekey, the process of rekeying involves reconfiguring the inner workings of a lock in order to render old keys ineffective. New keys are then cut to match the modified configuration, making the lock just as secure as if it had been replaced entirely.

The installation of four significant security devices is another facet of the code that is generally missed or not upheld in full, the site says. For example, most properties have deadbolts and door viewers on the front entrance door and possibly the back, but the law requires that all exterior doors contain these two features, including the door leading from the living space into the garage.

Two other security features mandated by the code that go relatively unnoticed are window latching devices and sliding patio door locks. Both windows and sliding patio doors can be a weak point in security, which the Seattle Housing Code seeks to remedy by requiring that all ground floor windows be outfitted with latching devices and all sliding patio doors be secured with one of a number of approved locks, including charley bars and pin locks.

The new Seattle Housing Code site was launched by Mr. Rekey, America’s Largest Residential LocksmithⓇ, as a way to inform property managers and landlords in Seattle about the commonly overlooked rental requirements in order to safeguard them from financial liability and to advocate practices that increase tenant safety.

Mr. Rekey is a full-service locksmith company that specializes in rekeying. Founded in Texas in 1995, the company now services more than 30 major cities across the country, including Seattle, Tacoma, and their suburbs. Learn more at http://www.rekey.com/locksmith/seattle.

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For more information about Mr. Rekey Locksmith, contact the company here:

Mr. Rekey Locksmith
Miles Anthony Smith
920-538-5833
miles@rekey.com
1421 Wells Branch Parkway Ste. 104
Pflugerville, TX 78660