Your First 30 Days With a New Property Manager

DecideFacts checked November 8, 2026Reviewed by Gary E. Wilson, President and Designated Broker

Signing day and the first week

The first steps are setup. Most managers ask for your bank details for owner payments, a Form W-9, proof of insurance, keys and codes, and the lease file if the home is rented. Our checklist of documents to gather lists them, so you can have the folder ready before you sign.

Timing varies by firm. Wilson Management's owner FAQ says it will be ready within the first 24 hours after signing the contract, that it needs proof of your insurance before it starts managing, and that it can send your money by direct deposit to your bank account.

Use the first week to agree on how you will hear from the manager: by email, phone or an owner portal, and who your day-to-day contact is.

Telling the tenant who the landlord is now

If a tenant already lives in the home, the next step is a written notice. RCW 59.18.060 requires the landlord to give the tenant the name and address of the person who is the landlord, on the rental agreement or in a notice posted on the premises. When that changes, the tenant must be told in writing right away, either in person or by mail plus a notice posted on the premises.

If the person named lives outside Washington, the law also requires naming someone in the county who can accept notices and legal papers. Out-of-state owners often name the manager for this.

A good notice also gives the new rent payment address and methods, and how to report repairs. That last point matters: under RCW 59.18.070, a tenant's written repair notice can go to the named person or to whoever collects the rent, and the legal repair clock runs from there. Wilson Management's owner FAQ lists mail, office delivery and online payments as ways tenants pay rent.

Moving the security deposit into trust

Washington treats a designated property manager as a landlord. When the landlord role moves to someone else during a tenancy, RCW 59.18.270 says the deposit is moved at the same time to an equivalent trust account of the new landlord. The new landlord must then promptly tell the tenant about the transfer and the name, address and location of the new depository.

If you have been holding the deposit yourself, you send the full amount to the manager. If a prior manager held it, that firm sends it on. Once a licensed firm holds it, WAC 308-124E-115 says it may not be paid out to you or anyone else during the tenancy without the tenant's written agreement. Our page on Washington security deposit law covers the rest of the deposit rules.

A baseline inspection

Many managers walk the home early to record its condition. For an occupied home, RCW 59.18.150 requires at least two days' written notice before entry, except in an emergency or where notice is impracticable, and entry at reasonable times. The notice must give the date and time, or a window, and a phone number the tenant can use to object or reschedule.

Wilson Management does move-in, move-out and periodic inspections, and its property inspections page explains what each one records. A baseline report with dated photos helps later, but it does not replace a signed move-in checklist from the start of the tenancy. If there was no checklist, our guide to hiring a manager with a tenant in place explains why that matters.

Your first statement

Your agreement sets how often you get a statement. Under WAC 308-124D-215, each one must show:

• The balance carried forward from the last statement.
• Total rent received.
• Any money you put in.
• Other receipts, itemized.
• Every expense paid, itemized.
• The ending balance.
• The number of units rented (or square footage for non-residential space).

If the home is vacant

An empty home has a different first month. The work shifts to getting it ready, setting the rent and finding a tenant. Expect a walk-through, a list of repairs or cleaning to approve, photos, and a rent recommendation. A free rental analysis is often where that rent conversation starts.

Before a new tenant moves in, Washington's deposit law shapes the paperwork. Under RCW 59.18.260, a deposit may be collected only with a written rental agreement and a written move-in checklist describing the home's condition, signed and dated by landlord and tenant, with a copy to the tenant. A careful manager builds that checklist at move-in, with dated photos, so the record is in place from the first day of the lease.

What to watch in month one

The first statement may cover only part of a month, and a deposit or a reserve may show as held rather than paid out. Check that rent shows up, that any repair matches what you approved, and that the deposit shows as held. Wilson Management's fees page lists owner-portal access among the services typically included, and if you have questions, the first month is the easiest time to raise them.

It also helps to look at three items with your manager by the end of the month. First, the tenant's ledger, so any rent owed before the handover is clear. Second, open repair requests, so nothing reported to you earlier is lost. Third, the lease end date, so a renewal or notice decision is on the calendar well before it is due.

If you are still choosing a manager, you can contact Wilson Management to walk through how its first month works for your property.