Technology Case Study
Retainer
Automated Renewal & Rent-Adjustment Workflow
The Problem
When Washington State adopted new rent-regulation requirements at both the state and local level, property managers were suddenly responsible for navigating an entirely new set of rules. The changes introduced complicated timing windows, new mandatory notices, and strict requirements around how and when forms must be served. For many owners and managers, renewals became a manual, error-prone, and time-consuming process overnight.
Washington's new laws required:
- • New state- and city-specific forms
- • Precise timing windows for each type of renewal and rent adjustment
- • Different rules for fixed-term leases and month-to-month tenancies
- • Strict requirements for posting, mailing, and electronic service
- • Documentation and tracking obligations across long timelines (often 90–180 days)
For a portfolio of thousands of units, this translated into hundreds of unique cases per month — each vulnerable to mistakes, missed deadlines, or non-compliance.
The Solution
Retainer is Arboreal's renewal and rent-adjustment automation system — built specifically to handle the new regulatory environment in Washington State.
How Retainer Works
- ✓ Calculates the optimal timing for each renewal and rent adjustment, based on jurisdiction, lease type, and regulatory notice periods.
- ✓ Recommends compliant rent levels, incorporating caps, timelines, and affordability restrictions where applicable.
- ✓ Generates 400–500 customized letters per month, each pre-filled with tenant, unit, property, and regulatory details.
- ✓ Routes every draft to a manager for review before anything is posted, mailed, or served.
- ✓ Tracks each renewal from start to finish across a 3–6 month window, ensuring no deadline is missed and every step is documented.
- ✓ Maintains a complete audit trail, giving owners, compliance partners, and lenders clarity into what happened and when.
Results
Retainer has become one of our most relied-upon internal systems. It allows us to operate confidently in a shifting regulatory landscape while ensuring that residents, managers, and owners all have the information they need — when they need it.
Impact Across Stakeholders
For Residents
Retainer ensures residents receive clear, timely, and consistent information. They know when renewal notices will arrive, what the proposed rent level is, what their options are, and what the timeline looks like. This reduces surprises and creates predictability — especially important for households in affordable and workforce housing.
For Property Managers
Retainer removes the manual complexity: No more calculating dozens of different timelines. No more generating forms by hand. No more spreadsheets to track hundreds of cases. No more reactive renewals or missed windows. Managers spend their time reviewing and confirming — not assembling paperwork or counting backward from notice deadlines.
Automated renewal and rent-adjustment notices
Cut manual processing time dramatically
Reduced missed windows and technical errors
Benefits for Owners
- • Higher renewal rates and better occupancy
- • Visibility into every pending renewal across large portfolios
- • Fewer compliance risks
- • On-time delivery of all regulated notices
- • Consistency across properties and managers
- • Improved occupancy and revenue predictability across the portfolio
Technology That Prevents Problems
Retainer demonstrates how purpose-built technology can transform complex, error-prone processes into automated, reliable workflows that benefit residents, managers, and owners alike.
Ready to Experience Our Technology?
Arboreal's technology platform, including systems like Retainer, helps us deliver superior results through automation, consistency, and compliance.