Frequently Asked Questions

To apply for an available rental, select the "Apply Now" button below the listing you are interested in and complete the rental application. 

Be aware that there is a $50 application fee. Co-signers must also submit separate applications and pay a $50 fee.

Once you apply with Hammer Properties NW, that application can be used to apply for any of our properties. You do not have to pay additional application fees. However, once you sign a lease for a property, you can not switch properties, unless you find a group to take over your lease. 

If you are a student, unemployed and can't qualify based on your income and/or credit, you will need a cosigner. You will still have to fill out the employment section to proceed through the application. Simply input that your job is "Student" or "Unemployed" and that your income is $1. This will allow you to continue the application. 

If you are employed, you should have some form of pay stubs. Speak with your HR department if you are unsure where to find your pay stubs.  We need a paystub with year-to-date pay noted.

If you are unemployed,  simply submit another image of your ID. This will allow you to continue the application. 

Properties are rented quickly so if you want to reserve a unit, you must submit a rental application (or notify us that you are a current tenant) and pay a holding fee that equals 25% of the rent. Please select the "View Details" tab on the property you are interested in, then select "Contact Us" and indicate that you are intersted in putting down a holding deposit. This will submit a timestamped inquiry to the property manager. 

Please be aware that we review inquiries in the order that we receive them. 

We prefer that you see the unit before you request to pay the holding fee. 

The Property Manager must send you a link to pay the holding fee online. Once this is paid and you've signed the holding fee agreement, the unit will be "held" for you for 14 days while the other tenants and cosigners are getting their applications submitted. If you complete the process and rent the unit, the holding fee is credited towards your security deposit. 

If you do not complete the application and leasing process within the 14-day time frame, you forfeit the holding fee and lose your place in line for that property. If you have a valid reason for needing more time, please communicate with the Property Manager. Your application can still be used to rent other HPNW properties. We will allow you to move your holding fee to another unit one time.

Yes, co-signers are required to submit a rental application separate from the tenant and pay the $50 application fee. 

Once you apply with Hammer Properties NW, that application can be used to apply for any of our properties. You do not have to pay additional application fees. 

To schedule a showing, head to the "Search Rentals" page and select "View Details" beneath the property you are interested in, then select the "Contact Us" button on the listing page.  From here, you can submit contact information and an inquiry requesting to schedule a showing. Our property managers will respond via text or email within one business day to schedule showings.

Be advised that we have a 24-hour scheduling policy for occupied units, and therefore cannot always accomodate same-day showing requests. 

Please be aware that we review scheduling inquiries in the order that we receive them. 

Call us at (360) 756-6500 and we can get you in contact with our property managers. 

Current tenants can directly contact their propety manager by phone number or email. It is best to contact property managers this way as this will timestamp your inquiries. 

Future or potential tenants with specific questions about a property should utilize the "Contact Us" button under the listing they are interested in to contact the property manager directly. This will timestamp the inquiry for time-sensitive subjects. 

Each listing will have information on the parking situation of the unit. Most of the parking at our properties is first come, first served unless otherwise stated in the listing and leasing agreement. 

Rent is due the 1st day of each calendar month. 

Tenants pay rent and all other charges required to be paid by valid check or money order made payable to "Hammer Properties NW" at the following addess: 1111 N. Forest St., Bellingham, WA, 98225 OR by using the online portal through AppFolio. 

Unless the tenant uses the AppFolio option, rent MUST be in the form of ONE check/money order - No split payments or a fee of $100 will be assessed for each individual check received. 

If the tenant elects to use the AppFolio option, they are doing so at their own choice and the tenant must initiate the online payment process at least seven (7) days prior to the 1st day of the month or late fees will apply. 

Cash is not accepted. 

Utility payments are agreed upon through the leasing agreement.   

Please review your lease agreement to see if you pay utilities through your Appfolio portal, or if you are required to set up your own account directly through the utility company.  

As of July 31, 2023, AppFolio will no longer waive the resident eCheck transaction fee. Tenant payments made by eCheck will include a fee of $2.49. AppFolio sent out notice of this update via email on July 10, 2023.

We would like to clarify that the introduced transaction fee is not our company's. It is a decision made by AppFolio, the software provider we utilize for property management purposes. Our company does not share any revenue with AppFolio for payment transaction fees, regardless of the payment method used. This includes credit card, debit card, electronic cash, and now, eCheck (ACH) payments.

To avoid eCheck fees, tenants can mail or drop-off paper checks at our main office.

If rent is not paid on the 1st day of the month, it is late. However, late fees cannot be imposed until after the 6th day of the month. 

If rent is not paid in full by 5pm on the 6th day of the month, the tenant will pay a late charge of 5% of the monthly rent plus 1% per day until rent is paid in full. 

If rent is mailed, it must be received by the 6th day of the month regardless of the post mark on the envelope. 

Renter's Insurance is required for ALL tenants. All tenants must provide written proof of coverage prior to being given keys to a unit.

Renter's Insurance covers loss of personal possessions due to fire, water, burglary, vandalism, theft, or other causes and other claims, such as temporary housing or moving costs. 

Renter's Insurance can be acquired through various methods. For students, we recommend discussing with parents or family members first regarding adding Renter's Insurance to an existing insurance plan. 

We recommend evaluating various Renter's Insurance plans to find the one best suited to you. There are numerous options and providers that can be found through a Google search.  AppFolio also provides a Renter's Insurance plan. See your Tenant Portal for more information. 

If you are having issues logging in to your Tenant Portal, first try to reset your password. If this does not work, reach out to your property manager via email or text to reset your account. 

If you are having issues opening any links to AppFolio, email or text your property manager. They will attempt to troubleshoot the error. 

If you are unable to get a hold of your property manager or the problem persists, call our office at (360) 756-6500.

From the AppFolio Tenant Portal, head to the Maintenance tab and select the "Request Maintenance" button. From there you can enter your request, add relevant images, grant permission to enter the unit, and specify any entry details.

Once those steps are completed, click Next and you can schedule a preferred date and time for service. Alternatively, if the issue is urgent you can select that option.  Finally, select Submit Request and your maintenance request will be processed into our database. 

Maintenance issues include but are not limited to: clogged toilets, slow drains, flipped breakers, cracks in the foundation, cracks in plaster, moisture in walls and ceilings, leaks, broken blinds/window frames, etc. 

If you are a current tenant and have a maintenance emergency during business hours, such as loss of heat, loss of water, flooding, or significant leaking, contact our office and we will put you in contact with your property manager. They will assist you in how to move forward. We also ask that you submit a maintenance request and mark it URGENT. This helps date stamp and track situations.

If you are a current tenant and have a maintenance emergency AFTER-HOURS please call our after-hours number at (360) 201-7780 to reach Austin in on-call maintenance.  We also ask that you submit a maintenance request and mark it URGENT. This helps date stamp and track situations.

Once the tenant(s) have been approved, created an AppFolio account, and signed their lease, the property manager will post our standard move-in charges to your AppFolio account. These charges include but are not limited to: security deposit, first month's rent, a $100 administrative fee, and a non-refundable cleaning fee. 

On an agreed upon date (typically the first day of the lease) the tenant will come to our office at 1111 N Forest to pick up their keys and move-in checklist. Only one tenant needs to be present to pick up keys and sign move-in forms. 

The tenant(s) will then have three (3) business days to go through the unit with the move-in checklist and note any wear and tear conditions that may have been missed in our initial inspection.  It is important to fill this out thoroughly, as this will be the inspection checklist we will use at the end of your lease term. Any damages found during the move-out inspection that were not reported in the move-in checklist can result in the current tenant(s) being held liable. 

During the first week of tenancy, the tenant(s) can and should report any structural or maintenance problems as soon as possible. Please list any and all maintenance issues in a list format when submittting a move-in maintenance request. Move-in maintenance requests will be prioritized.

This varies by property, and must be requested by the property manager for approval from the owner.  If you have a lease agreement, you can contact your property manager by phone or email to inquire. 

If you are a prospective tenant, you can submit an inquiry by selecting "View Details" on the listing you are interested in, then clicking the "Contact Us" button. This will submit your inquiry directly to the property manager.

Every lease expires at noon (12pm) on the last day of the agreed upon term. The premises must be clean and ready for inspection and the keys returned to the office, all prior to noon (12pm) on the last day. Any tenant can return the keys, however the tenant representative (as agreed upon in your lease) must provide their forwarding information for any future inquries (such as the security deposit return). 

Tentants must have cleaned and restored the premises to the condition the premises was at the time it was turned over to the tenants, except for ordinary wear and tear. Tenants must advise the Landlord of any damage to the premises not mentioned upon receipt of the move-in checklist received at the beginning of tenancy. 

Prompt vacation of the premises is of the utmost importance as the Landlord has a new tenancy commencing immediately after the expiration of the term lease. 

For standard move-outs, your security deposit refund will be sent out of our office thirty (30) days after your move-out date.  This timeframe was updated in July 2023 with a new State law. We will mail the security deposit refund check and an itemized statement with any deductions from the deposit to the tenant representative (as agreed upon in the lease) to the forwarding address they provided at the time of move-out. 

Security deposit refund checks can be requested to be picked up in our office. If this request is not made at the time of move-out, we will send it to the tenant representative's last known forwarding address.

Unless agreed upon between the tenants and property manager, the security deposit refund will be issued in the form of ONE (1) check. The tenant representative is responsible for receiving the check and dividing the amount amongst the tenants. We will not mitigate the distribution of the security deposit amount. 

If you have any questions, concerns, or grievances regarding the security deposit refund or any charges deducted from the deposit, please EMAIL your property manager with these concerns.  Per the legality of security deposit returns, it is best (for all parties) to convey these grievances in writing. 

Please come to our office or call us at (360) 756-6500 during business hours. We will either temporarily issue you a key, or use a copy to enter the unit. 

If it's after-hours, please call our emergency maintenance number, (360)201-7780.

Per your lease, you will be charged a call-out fee for responding to a lock-out.  This rate is higher on evenings and weekends.

You can also call a locksmith to assist you, at your own cost.

If you lose your keys, it becomes a security issue and we need to rekey or replace the locks on your unit.  We can't issue you a new copy of your key because we can't be sure the unit will be secure. 

The cost to rekey your unit or install new locks in a unit can range from $125-$400.

To alert us that you've lost your keys, please call the office at (360)756-6500 during office hours or our emergency number (360)201-7780 after hours.

If you would like to add someone to your lease,  you must contact your property manager to confirm if that is allowed. If it is, the incoming tenant(s) will need to submit a rental application and be approved. Then, the property manager will prepare paperwork to add them to the lease. All tenants must then sign the lease assignment document. 

To exit your lease prior to the agreed upon end date, you will have to do a lease assignment. 

This means that you will need to find someone to replace you on your lease. This new person must be approved by any and all roommates and be approved through our rental application process. Once you have found someone to replace you, send their first name, last name, e-mail address, and phone number to your property manager. They will send them our online rental application. 

As the outgoing tenant, you will have to pay a $300 early vacate fee. You will receive your portion of the security deposit from the incoming tenant. 

You are responsible for showing the unit to potential new tenants and are responsible for paying your portion of the rent until the effective date of the lease assignment.

If you are a current tenant that will not be renewing your lease and wish to move to a different Hammer Properties unit, you do NOT have to apply again. 

To inquire about a new rental, simply find the listing on our website and click "Contact Us" on the listing page. From there, you can submit an inquiry explaining that you are a current tenant and are interested in moving into the unit. 

As a current tenant, you do NOT have to fill out another application or pay the $50 fee again. 

If you have further questions on this subject, feel free to contact your property manager for more information.  

Subletting (lease assignment) is only permited when prior written consent is provided by the Landlord. If approval is given, there will be a handling charge of $300 paid by the outgoing tenant at the time of signing for services in transferring the lease to another tenant.

Any assignee or sublet tenant is required to submit a rental application to the Landlord.  This application is subject to applicable application fees. The application must be submitted and approved PRIOR to move-in.

The sublet is not official until the lease assignment document is fully executed and the effective date is reached. 

No pets are allowed in the unit without the Landlord's written consent, which is held in the Landlord's sole discretion.  

Any violation will result in a 10-day Notice to Comply, and/or a $500 non-refundable fee at the discretion of the Landlord. 

If permission for a pet is granted, it must be evidenced by a Pet Agreement. You will need to pay a one-time pet deposit, and pet rent each month.  The amount depends on the property that you live in.

ESA pets are permitted given proper documentation and permission by the property manager and Landlord.   

Our ESA form must be completed by the tenant's licensed medical provider before bringing an ESA to the property.

No person is permitted to smoke in the unit or 30 feet from the building at any time. A $500 fee and/or eviction will be enforced for a violation of this provision.

Smoking includes but is not limited to: marijuana, e-cigarettes, vaping, hookah pipes, etc.

Loud and/or large parties are not allowed. Parties can cause significant damage and result in increased liability insurance for the landlord. Absolutely no kegs shall be present on the premises. In addition, large distribution of alcohol is not allowed. 

Small gatherings are perfectly acceptable, however official City of Bellingham quiet hours are 10:00pm to 7:00am. Noise levels should be kept to a respectful level. 

Any violation of this provision will result in a fine of $500 and/or eviction.