About Sound Advocates PLLC

Consumer Protection, Estate Planning, and Small Business Representation for the Puget Sound Region

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  Huge apartment rent increase - is this legal?

  1 0   asteria's answer is good and complete -- I'll just chime in about the remedy and link to relevant Code. If you pay $1,695 in February and March and your landlord tries to evict or otherwise penalize you for non-payment of rent, you might be able to defend the eviction and make your landlord pay your legal fees and damages. (You may want to consult an attorney before withholding the requested payment, however. Many will provide a free consultation, since your landlord will end up paying their fee if you have a winning case.) You may also want to talk with other tenants (if this is a multi-unit). The landlord may be more responsive to a dozen upset tenants than just one. Seattle Municipal Code 7.24.030 requires "a minimum of sixty (60) days prior written notice whenever [monthly rent] is to increase by ten (10) percent or more" in one year.   SMC 7.24.050 provides for an award of attorney fees to a tenant who defends an eviction that violates SMC 7.24.030.   SMC 7.24.060 states that a "landlord shall be liable to the tenant for any actual damages incurred plus double the amount of any penalties imposed" if they attempt enforce terms that violate SMC 7.24.030. (Without examining your lease and the details of your case, I obviously can't give you legal advice, but I hope this information is helpful).   Sound Advocates PLLC answered in Renting 4 months ago Answer, comment & read 7 more answers »

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  What can you do if a restaurant charged your credit card twice for a single visit and they refuse to respond to your requests to fix the error?

  2 0 If there is an erroneous charge on your account, you can dispute the charge by calling your credit card company. The CC company will do a brief investigation and, if it doesn't find evidence to support the charge, issue a chargeback and credit your account. Hopefully, this will solve the problem. However, if the CC company doesn't issue a chargeback, there are legal options that are worth looking into to get your money back, even for relatively small erroneous charges. Sound Advocates PLLC answered in Other - Finance & Legal 11 months ago Answer, comment & read 6 more answers »

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  What's the best way to file Fed Income tax for a LLC?

  1 0 With an LLC, you can structure the entity to avoid double-taxation, as LLCs are often treated as pass-through entities by the IRS. However, an LLC can elect to be treated under different sections of the tax code, with different tax ramifications. An attorney should be able to easily determine how your LLC is treated under the tax code. Then, if you need help to prepare and file taxes, a CPA could do that for you. It also sounds like you are concerned with maintaining the liability shield of the LLC. This could be a concern if you fail to capitalize the LLC adequately or mix personal and business funds. However, a taxpayer might report LLC income and continue to limit liability - if the LLC follows correct business practices. An attorney can advise you how to limit your liability and correctly report income, based upon your specific circumstances. Sound Advocates PLLC answered in Taxes 11 months ago Answer and comment »

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  Non-durable power of attorney form?

  2 0 I generally recommend against forms for important legal documents, including powers of attorney. Since a POA allows one person to act on behalf of another person for financial, healthcare, or other decisions, it is important to delineate the subjects and situations to which the POA applies. By consulting an attorney, you would ensure that the POA would be tailored to your specific situation. Furthermore, an attorney could tell you whether the principal's competence or some other issue might affect the validity of the POA. I understand you don't want to spend money, but having a POA drafted will not necessarily be expensive. You could get quotes to see whether you can bear the cost before resorting to a form (and if you have a financial hardship, you can request reduced fees). Sound Advocates PLLC answered in Legal 11 months ago Answer, comment & read 3 more answers »

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  Curious how I can find a counter- culture financial advisor

  3 0 I would hope most financial advisors could explain and help prepare for the risks of various financial choices, even if your goal is different from most of their clients. However, you might want to consult an attorney if you are concerned with the legal ramifications of incurring or failing to pay certain debts. Sound Advocates PLLC answered in Other - Finance & Legal 11 months ago Answer, comment & read 3 more answers »

• Comment on protosaurus's answer…

  0 0 Hopefully you can get the landlord to repair appliances with a simple request. It may be a good idea to document your requests in writing, however. Good documentation can make a legal remedy easier, if it becomes necessary. Sound Advocates PLLC commented 11 months ago

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  What'd possibly happen to a building in Receivership?

  1 0 In addition, you may want to consult your lease agreement. Some leases contain conditions that become active upon the sale or transfer of the property. If your lease contains such a provision, you'd might want to be aware and prepared for it. Sound Advocates PLLC answered in Legal 11 months ago Answer, comment & read 2 more answers »

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  What can I do if my landlord megafails on providing heat/hot water?

  2 0 You should consult an attorney in your state to explain your options, since state laws can differ significantly. Many attorneys will provide a free consultation to potential clients; you can explain your problem and they will tell you if they can help. Depending upon your local landlord-tenant laws and the terms of your lease, you might have legal remedies including fee-shifting, where your attorney's fees would be paid by the landlord if you were successful. At minimum, a letter to the landlord explaining your potential legal remedies may encourage him to maintain your hot water more regularly. Sound Advocates PLLC answered in Legal 11 months ago Answer, comment & read 3 more answers »

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  Realty company holding a commission for negotiating rental agreement?

  1 0 It depends upon how the commission was paid and what terms you agreed to. Money from a security deposit may normally only be held for the purposes described in the lease, usually for damage done to the rental property. No part of a residential security "deposit" can be non-refundable. Among your lease documents, you may have signed a commission agreement and specified a payment method (though payment from a deposit may be problematic in a residential lease). If you did not authorize the commission, you may be able to get your money back. To be sure, you could review your original signed documents and consult an attorney to review them. Without seeing your documents, I obviously can't provide legal advice. However, I hope this information is helpful. Sound Advocates PLLC answered in Renting about 1 year ago Answer and comment »

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  Thank You gift for attorney?

  13 0 As an attorney, I really appreciate when a client expresses gratitude, especially in a difficult case. The actual gift is less important than a sincere thanks expressed in a note. That said, gifts are nice. Coffee and flowers are a good idea, as are wine or hobby-related gifts as Fnarf and soundslikepuget mentioned. The best gift, however, is one that truly gives back: Referrals. Recommend your attorney to your friends and colleagues. Give her a good testimonial on Avvo, LinkedIn, or Yelp. If you trust your attorney and liked her work, I'm sure she would appreciate it if you sent her more business. Sound Advocates PLLC answered in Legal about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 9 more answers »

• See all of my 0 Questions , 13 Answers and 2 Comments