What Happens After You Hire a Property Manager in Tacoma
The first 30 days, laid out day by day, so you know exactly what we do, what we need from you, and when the money starts arriving.
The honest version of the timeline
The biggest hesitation owners have is not the fee. It is not knowing what happens after they sign. The days below assume a vacant, show-ready single family home in Tacoma. If a tenant is already in place, see switching property managers. If the property needs work first, the marketing steps shift out by however long that takes, and we tell you up front rather than after you sign.
Days 1 to 3. The consult and the numbers
What we do. We meet, on a call or at the property, and go through the condition, what you want from it, and what current rent data supports. You get a rent range with the comparable properties behind it, a written fee quote, and a list of anything needed before it lists.
What we need from you. The address, access, and an honest picture of the property’s history. A problem tenant, a deferred repair or an unhappy HOA changes the plan, so tell us now.
What you decide. Whether the numbers work. Nothing to sign yet.
Days 3 to 5. The management agreement
What we do. Send you the management agreement. It sets out the fee, the term, the notice period, what we can spend without asking you, and what we are responsible for.
What we need from you. Read it, especially the maintenance authorization limit and the termination clause. That limit is the dollar figure we can approve without calling you, with emergencies handled separately, because a burst pipe at 2am cannot wait for a text back. Pick a number you are comfortable with.
The standard maintenance approval limit in the Red Roof agreement, and the standard contract term and notice period. These belong on this page.
Days 5 to 7. Onboarding documents
What we collect from you:
A signed W-9, so we can report your income and issue your 1099
ACH details for your monthly owner payment
Proof of landlord insurance, with Red Roof named as additional insured
Keys, remotes, gate codes and access codes
Appliance details and any warranties
HOA contact and rules, if there is an HOA
Utility account information
Your existing lease and tenant file, if a tenant is in place
Any current inspection reports or permits
What we set up
Your owner portal at redroofrentals.appfolio.com, your property record, your accounting file and your vendor authorizations. Your portal activation email arrives in this window. Everything after that lives in owner resources and portal.
Days 5 to 10. The Tacoma business license check
This is the step nobody warns owners about, and the one that causes real problems later.
Inside Tacoma city limits you need a current Tacoma business license and your unit must be registered with certification of code compliance. There is no unit threshold, so even one rental home needs it. The annual fee runs from $37 to $2,000 based on worldwide gross income, through FileLocal, in about three to five business days.
Why it matters: under TMC 1.95.060.E and 1.95.070.B, no landlord may issue a notice to increase rent or a notice to vacate without that license and registration. Unlicensed, you cannot lawfully raise the rent or give notice, whatever your lease says.
We check this in your first week. Outside Tacoma the rules differ by city, and we check those too. See the Tacoma business license requirement.
Days 7 to 10. The property walkthrough
What we do. Walk the property and document it in full. Photos of every room, every appliance, the roof line, the yard and the mechanical systems, plus notes on what needs fixing now, what can wait, and what is likely to draw a repair call in the first six months.
What you get. A condition report with photos and a priced list of recommended work, with a plain answer on what pays for itself in rent and what does not.
Why the photos matter. They are the baseline for the tenant’s move-in condition checklist. Washington requires a written checklist signed by both parties before any deposit can be collected, and without it, deposit deductions later are hard to defend.
Days 10 to 14. Marketing goes live
What we do. Professional photos, a written listing, syndication to the major rental sites plus our own, signage where it is allowed, and showings from the first day the listing is live. Enhanced marketing is available at $500 if the property needs a bigger push, and we will tell you honestly whether it is worth it here. More on how we market your property.
Your 30 day clock starts here. If we cannot lease the home within 30 days, you get one month of management free under our 30-Day Rental Guarantee. Terms are on our guarantees.
Days 12 to 25. Showings and applications
What we do. Show the property, answer inquiries and process applications as they arrive. Every applicant views the property before applying. The $50 per adult application fee is paid by the applicant, not by you.
Screening. Minimum credit score 600, no evictions in the last five years, no outstanding debts to previous landlords, gross income of at least 3x rent applied within Tacoma’s income-to-rent limits, 12 months of employment history, minimum age 18, and a pet profile through petscreening.com where there is a pet.
Two rules we watch closely. Inside Tacoma, TMC 1.95.035.C caps the income ratio at 3x where rent is below HUD Fair Market Rent and 2.5x at or above it. And a housing voucher is subtracted from the rent before any income ratio is applied. Section 8 is accepted, and state law requires it. More on how we screen tenants.
What we need from you. Nothing, unless you want to approve applicants yourself. Most owners let us apply the published criteria, which is also the safest fair housing position.
Days 20 to 30. Lease signing and move-in
What we do
Prepare and execute the lease, collect the move-in funds, complete the signed move-in condition checklist with the tenant, and hand over keys.
Move-in costs, inside Tacoma
TMC 1.100.040 caps the total move-in cost, meaning deposit plus non-refundable fees plus screening fees, at one month’s rent, with a pet damage deposit capped separately at 25% of one month’s rent. On written request, Washington law also lets a tenant pay deposits, non-refundable fees and last month’s rent in three equal monthly installments on a lease of three months or more.
Red Roof’s published deposit practice is one month’s rent plus $300. That total would exceed the Tacoma cap for a property inside city limits. Confirm the Tacoma-specific deposit practice before this page goes live.
What the tenant receives
The lease, the signed checklist, the City-prepared tenant information packet that TMC 1.95.030.B requires with a signed acknowledgment, written notice of where their security deposit is held, and the portal login for rent payment and maintenance requests.
Day 30 onward. Rent, statements and your first payment
Rent collection. Rent is due on the date in the lease and is paid through the resident portal.
Your statement. A monthly owner statement posts to your portal showing rent collected, itemized expenses and your net. Past statements stay there permanently.
Your payment. By ACH direct deposit, no fee. The first one reflects the first full month of collected rent, less the management fee and any expenses.
Then the ongoing work starts. Maintenance coordination, inspections, lease renewals with a market rent review, notice compliance, year-end documents and your 1099. None carry an extra fee. See our fee schedule.
What you are responsible for
Landlord insurance, kept current, with us named as additional insured
01
Your mortgage, taxes and HOA dues
02
The cost of repairs and turnover work, which are property expenses
03
Your city and state license fees
04
Decisions above the maintenance approval limit in your agreement
05
Telling us about anything that changes, including a plan to sell
06
TESTIMONIALSThe Trusted Choice for
Tacoma Property Management
Cassidy and Celina have been absolutely amazing through the whole rental/move in processes. I’ve been renting from Red Roof Rentals for almost a year now and am extremely happy with the team. Definitely check them out! You won’t regret it!
Awesome and amazing service along with great personal experience with staff especially Cassidy who was such a great free spirited person!!
I appreciate this property management on their great customer service and for helping us throughout the process when we had the ok that we were approved, Cassidy is such a great worker and helped me throughout the process she is very professional and just an awesome worker making everything easygoing.
Cassidy was very helpful! She made everything very stress free and she was very thorough with everything! :)
Cassidy was a great help!
They made setting everything up very easy, and Cassidy was a super great help!
I have had a great experience moving into my new place with Red Roof Rentals. The team is friendly, communicative, and so helpful! I am happy to be renting from them and appreciate their great service!
Great people all around! Helped us get into our home pretty fast.
I have never worked with a more pleasant property management company. Cassidy and Celina are incredibly responsive, knowledgeable, informative, and very friendly. They made the rental process go so smoothly and relieved a lot of the stress of a very stressful process. I can’t say enough great things about this team.
Thank you guys!
Everyone was super nice and friendly, I've never worked with a management company that's so hassle free. They got our move-in set up quickly and they made the process smooth and enjoyable.
My family and I recently moved into one of their apartment complex and Cassidy from the office was absolutely wonderful throughout the whole process. Her team was incredibly accommodating with our move in situation and got us in exactly when we wanted to be. I am so happy with the whole experience.
Red Roof has always been pleasant to work with! Highly recommend!
Ready to get started with Red Roof Rentals?
Tell us about your rental property and your management goals. Our local Tacoma team will walk you through our services, pricing, and next steps so you can confidently get started with Red Roof Rentals.
- Simple onboarding. We guide you through every step, from signing your management agreement to getting your home ready to rent.
- Already have tenants? Current leases stay in place. We welcome your tenants and set up their online portal.
- Coming from another manager? We handle the handoff of leases, deposits, keys and records for you.
- Clear pricing up front. You get a written fee quote before you sign anything.
- No pressure. Ask questions first. You decide when you are ready to get started.
Frequently asked questions
-
You sign a management agreement, complete onboarding documents including a W-9 and ACH details, hand over keys and property information, and the manager inspects and documents the property. Then marketing launches, showings and screening run, a lease is signed, and your first owner payment follows the first full month of collected rent.
-
For a vacant, show-ready home in Tacoma, marketing typically goes live within about two weeks of signing, with showings, screening and lease signing following. If we cannot lease the home within 30 days of going live, you receive one month of management free under our 30-Day Rental Guarantee.
-
Yes, if the property is inside Tacoma city limits, at any unit count. Without a current license and unit registration with certification of code compliance, you cannot lawfully issue a rent increase notice or a notice to vacate under TMC 1.95.060.E. The annual fee is $37 to $2,000 based on gross income, applied for through FileLocal.
-
After the first full month of rent is collected. The payment arrives by ACH direct deposit with no fee, and it is matched to a monthly statement in your owner portal showing rent collected and every expense charged to the property that month.
Start with a conversation
Nothing to sign. Book a consult and we will walk through your property, the numbers and this timeline as it applies to you. If we are not the right fit, we will say so.
Call 253.222.3387 or email support@redroofrentals.com. We respond within 24 hours.