Property Operations Associate -- No Experience Required, We Train

About us

LakeStreet Property Management is a small, owner-operated firm based in Kirkland. We manage roughly 200 residential units across King and Pierce counties — Seattle, Federal Way, Tacoma, Burien, Auburn, SeaTac — plus a growing portfolio in Southern California.

We're not a big shop, and we're not trying to be one anytime soon. There are no regional VPs, no layers of approval, and no one whose job is to schedule meetings about meetings. The team is small enough that what you do shows up in the numbers, and you'll work directly with the owner rather than three rungs below him.

The job

You'll be the person who keeps the properties running.

That means leasing units, walking buildings, chasing down contractors, handling tenant issues, and making sure the work actually got done before we pay for it. About half your time is in the field and half at a desk. You'll also direct the daily work of our offshore admin team, which means learning to hand off tasks clearly and check work carefully.

It's a real operations job. Some days are showings and paperwork. Some days are standing in a flooded unit at 7am figuring out who to call.

Leasing

• Market and show available units; run tours and open houses
• Screen applicants against our written criteria and fair housing standards
• Prepare lease packets, collect signatures and deposits
• Handle move-in walk-throughs with documented condition reports and photos
• Coordinate renewals and rent increase notices

Property operations

• Regular site visits across the portfolio
• Inspections — periodic, drive-by, and turn-related
• Manage unit turns start to finish: scope the work, get bids, schedule vendors, inspect the result, get it rent-ready fast
• Meet contractors, inspectors, and city officials on site
• Coordinate Section 8 inspections and follow up on cited items

Maintenance

• Triage work orders, dispatch vendors, follow through to completion
• Serve as after-hours escalation on a defined rotation
• Maintain the vendor roster; verify licensing, bonding, and insurance
• Review and code invoices against scope before approval

Tenants

• First point of contact for tenant communication
• Handle complaints, lease violations, and disputes — and document all of it
• Serve notices and maintain accurate service and mailing logs
• Track delinquency and make collection contact

Systems and support staff

• Direct the daily work queue of our offshore admin team and review their output
• Keep AppFolio clean — lease terms, rents, deposits, tenant records
• Follow our written procedures and help improve them

Compliance (with support) Washington rental law varies a lot by city. Late fee caps, notice periods, deposit timelines, and rent increase rules are different in Tacoma than in Seattle than in Burien, and getting them wrong is expensive. You'll work from our jurisdiction checklists and flag anything unusual for owner review. As you learn it, more of this becomes yours.

What we're looking for

We care more about how you work than what you've done before. No property management experience required — we'll teach you the industry. What we can't teach is showing up, following through, and caring whether the job got done right.

Required

• Valid WA driver's license, insurable driving record, and reliable personal vehicle (daily travel between properties)
• Strong written communication — much of this job is email and documentation that has to hold up later
• Organized enough to juggle fifteen open items without dropping any
• Comfortable being corrected; you'll make mistakes and we'll walk you through them
• Able to stay calm with an angry person on the phone
• Solid with Excel and Outlook, and quick to pick up new software
• Able to pass a background check

Helpful, not required

• Any leasing, real estate, construction, or trades exposure
• Coursework in business, finance, real estate, or construction management
• Experience coordinating other people's work
• Spanish

Physical requirements

• Lift up to 50 lbs, climb stairs and ladders, stand for extended periods
• Work outdoors in Pacific Northwest weather
• Occasional evenings and weekends for showings and emergencies

What you get

Every other Friday off. We run a 9/80 schedule — nine-hour days with a three-day weekend every other week. It's not a perk we brag about and then quietly claw back. You take the Friday.

A casual place to work. Jeans and boots, not suits. Look presentable at a property; beyond that, no dress code and nobody monitoring your keystrokes.

Real exposure to the ownership side. This is the part that's hard to get anywhere else. The owner spent twelve years in corporate finance before building this portfolio, and you'll see how deals actually get underwritten — acquisitions, financing, NOI, capital planning, insurance claims, the economics of why we buy what we buy. At a larger firm you'd be doing file audits. Here you'll be in the room.

Room to grow. This role starts with execution and moves toward judgment. We sit down at six months, twelve months, and twenty-four months to review your performance, your compensation, and what additional responsibility you're ready for. The path from here runs toward portfolio management.

Also:

• $29–32/hr depending on experience
• Mileage reimbursement for all work travel
• BENEFITS — medical / dental / vision
• Paid holidays, vacation, and sick leave

Details

• Location: Kirkland office
• Schedule: Full-time, non-exempt. 9/80 schedule, generally 8:30am–6:00pm with every other Friday off.
• Travel: Daily travel between properties across King and Pierce counties. A car is required.
• Introductory period: This position has a 90-day introductory period, after which we'll do a formal review together.
• Employment is contingent on a successful background check.

To apply

Send a resume and a short note about why this job interests you. We read every one. If there's a reason you'd be good at this that isn't obvious from a resume, tell us that instead - we'd rather hear it.

https://lakestreetpm.com/

LakeStreet Property Management is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

LakeStreet Property Management is an owner-operated firm based in Kirkland, WA, managing roughly 200 residential units across King and Pierce counties and a growing portfolio in Southern California. Small team, direct access to ownership, no corporate layers.