Become a Certified Instructor

The Rent Well Certified Instructor Track is available to staff at partnered agencies who would like to teach Rent Well courses at their agency to clients or the public. If you are interested in teaching a lecture-style Rent Well course to those who want to learn more about their rights and responsibilities as tenants, sign up below!

Please allow for 1-2 business days for your registration to be reviewed for approval. This means you will not have immediate access to an account after submitting the form and do not need to submit the form more than once.

PREREQUISITES: You must be employed at an agency licensed to carry the Rent Well curriculum, known as Community Agency Partners (CAPs). Check if your agency is an active partner HERE.
Register for Certified Instructor Course

What to expect when taking the Certified Instructor Course

The Certified Instructor Course is available online as an eCource + a Follow-Up Webinar training. The eCourse mirrors the student curriculum model and is designed to be taken at your own pace. It will take 15-20 hours to complete the eCourse, with an additional 3 hours for the Webinar training. We highly suggest finishing your training within 90 days to retain the information. This type of training costs $400 per person and is taught in 12 sections, as seen below.

Course Overview

After the Introduction: You will be asked to complete a Certified Instructor Agreement outlining your responsibilities as an instructor. Once we receive your agreement, we will ship your materials to the mailing address you provided.

After Section 12: Soon-to-be instructors will be prompted to register for one of our monthly Follow-Up Webinars. We usually host these on the 3rd Wednesday of every month from 2:00-5:00 PM. In the Webinar, you will have the opportunity to meet others taking the training and learn about trauma-informed teaching, navigating your instructor account, accessing materials, and more.

Washington State Instructors ONLY: You must also attend our Washington Law Webinar, which is available on the third Thursday of every month from 2:30 to 5:00 PM. In the Webinar, we will discuss all the points in your instructor manual that address WA-specific laws and policies.

After Attending the Webinar(s): You will receive a congratulatory email and Rent Well Certified Instructor teaching certificate! Once you are a Certified Instructor, your Rent Well account will be updated with new properties to access course materials, order books, and more.

Pacific Screening (Pulling Educational Reports): In section 5 of the curriculum, students can have their screens pulled to review possible rental barriers. If you will be using the Pacific Screening Instructor Portal to access student reports, we will send you a Pacific Screening account holder privacy agreement for you to complete. If your agency has not done so already, we will need an agency representative to sign a subscriber agreement and send additional documents outlined in the agreement. Pulling educational reports currently costs $20 per screening, and an accumulative invoice is sent to your invoicing contact at the end of each month.
Note: If your agency has access to pull full reports through another service, you are welcome to use that method instead.

Certified Instructor Track FAQ

Q: What is the cost of this type of training?
A: The Certified Instructor Course is a $400 registration fee. We offer an ongoing same-day group registration deal to buy 3 instructor registrations and get the 4th free.

Q: Can I become a Certified Instructor if I am not employed by a Community Agency Partner of Rent Well?
A: No, your agency must be licensed to carry the copyrighted curriculum before staff can take instructor training.
See if your agency is already a CAP or apply here: rentwell.org/caps.

Q: When can I start teaching a Rent Well class?
A: Generally, within 30 days after you are fully certified. We request instructors to notify us of upcoming classes 30 days in advance, but exceptions can be made.

Q: Can I co-instruct a course with another Certified Instructor?
A: Absolutely. When notifying us of your upcoming class, be sure to list all instructors teaching the course.

Q: How much are student workbooks, and where can I buy them?
A: Student workbooks are available for $16 each through our Square Store. You can find the link by clicking the “Order Books” tile on your updated instructor account home page.

Q: How long is my instructor certificate valid, and what is the recertification process?
A: Instructor certificates are valid for ~3 years and expire on January 30th of the third year. To keep your teaching certification, instructors must attend a law update Webinar which currently comes at no extra cost.

Q: Can my instructor certificate be transferred to another agency if my employer changes?
A: Yes, instructor certificates may be transferred to another agency depending on a few factors. The agency you transfer to must be or become a Community Agency Partner, and you must have either become certified, recertified, or taught a class within the last year. If the time frame is over one year, you need to retake the course.

If you have any other questions, please message us through the contact page.

Case Manager Track
If you are more interested in knowledge development in the housing advocacy field without teaching the Rent Well courses; learn more about our Case Manager track.

Already a Certified Instructor?
You can access course information, class materials, an online instructor community forum, and so much more. Log in HERE to access your instructor portal.