The Cottages of Renton

The facility had repeat violations from a previous July 2025 citation that remained uncorrected by the September follow-up inspection. One kitchen staff member failed to follow hand sanitation guidelines, risking foodborne illness for all 50 residents, and three care staff had incomplete continuing education training. The facility's response was inadequate, as evidenced by the uncorrected repeat violations resulting in $600 in civil fines, demonstrating failure to implement effective corrective actions after the initial citation. These violations represent systemic compliance failures affecting food safety and staff training requirements, though no actual resident harm was documented in the report.

Initial inspection on 2/5/2025 cited multiple fire safety violations including failed fire dampers, missing maintenance documentation for critical fire suppression systems, unsecured oxygen cylinders, fire alarm in trouble status, obstructed manual pull stations, and missing fire drill records. The facility corrected most violations by the 4/22/2025 re-inspection, though documentation issues persisted for fire dampers and fire alarm trouble status. By 8/7/2025, all violations were resolved and the facility received approval, demonstrating adequate corrective action despite the extended timeline requiring multiple follow-up inspections.

Staff failed to inform 911 operators of a resident's valid DNR order during an emergency response on 02/06/2025, resulting in unnecessary chest compressions until the DNR was located. The facility violated their own DNR policy and procedures. Investigation found no abuse or neglect, and the facility appears to have cooperated with the investigation and acknowledged the policy violation, though specific corrective actions taken are not detailed in the report.

This residential care facility had multiple critical fire and life safety violations including a malfunctioning fire alarm system in trouble status, unsecured oxygen cylinders, blocked emergency pull stations, missing required fire safety system testing documentation, and excessive combustible materials creating fire hazards. The facility corrected some violations between the February and April inspections (fire extinguisher maintenance, compressed gas securing, obstructed alarm boxes, fire drills) but failed to fully resolve critical issues - the fire alarm remained in trouble status and fire damper deficiencies persisted at re-inspection, resulting in continued disapproval. The facility's response was only partially adequate, addressing easier-to-fix violations while failing to complete repairs on more complex fire protection systems despite having over two months between inspections.

The facility failed to update service plans after significant changes in condition for residents with multiple serious falls, resulting in one resident death after sustaining a punctured lung, sepsis, hemorrhagic shock, and multiple fractures. Despite eight documented falls for Resident 1 including hospitalizations and eventually death, the facility never implemented their fall prevention protocols or updated care plans with increased supervision requirements. The facility also systematically failed to notify the responsible paying agency when four residents were hospitalized or died, with notification delays ranging from 4 to 11 days. The facility's response was inadequate, claiming they had notification systems in place while evidence showed repeated failures to follow their own policies or communicate critical information to families, case managers, and paying agencies.

The March 2024 inspection identified multiple fire and life safety code violations including improper power strip usage, unsealed penetrations in fire-rated assemblies, missing documentation for fire/smoke damper testing and sprinkler forward flow tests, lack of smoke detector sensitivity test records, and missing exit signage. The facility responded appropriately by correcting all violations, as confirmed by the May 2024 follow-up inspection showing full compliance. The violations represented a pattern of maintenance and documentation deficiencies affecting life safety systems, but the facility's timely remediation within two months demonstrates good corrective action and regulatory cooperation.

This follow-up inspection found no deficiencies, indicating the facility successfully corrected previous violations identified under WAC 388-78A-2180-1-b. The facility demonstrated compliance with all Assisted Living Facility licensing requirements upon re-inspection. The successful correction of prior deficiencies and verification of full compliance reflects adequate facility responsiveness to regulatory requirements.

This is an administrative letter scheduling an Informal Dispute Resolution (IDR) meeting for The Cottages of Renton, which is disputing citations for WAC 388-78A-2160 and WAC 388-78A-2450 from an October 4, 2023 Statement of Deficiencies. The facility exercised its right to formally challenge the citations through the IDR process, demonstrating engagement with the regulatory system. No details about the nature or severity of the disputed violations are provided in this scheduling correspondence. The facility's proactive use of the dispute resolution mechanism reflects appropriate administrative response to regulatory findings.

This document reports the results of an Informal Dispute Resolution (IDR) process following an October 4, 2023 inspection at The Cottages of Renton. Two citations (WAC 388-78A-2160 and WAC 388-78A-2450) were deleted after the facility's dispute, indicating the violations were either unfounded or successfully refuted. The facility engaged appropriately in the formal dispute process, resulting in favorable resolution of the cited deficiencies. No substantive violations remain from the inspection, demonstrating adequate baseline compliance operations at this assisted living facility.

On February 9, 2023, the Washington State Fire Marshal found 18 fire and life safety code violations at The Cottages at Renton, primarily consisting of missing inspection documentation for critical fire protection systems (sprinklers, fire alarm, emergency lighting, generator) and maintenance issues (blocked sprinkler access, non-compliant fire doors, missing smoke detector). The violations represented a pattern of inadequate record-keeping and deferred maintenance rather than immediate life-safety hazards. The facility responded appropriately by correcting all violations, as confirmed by the April 14, 2023 follow-up inspection where the facility received approval with all previous deficiencies resolved. While the systemic documentation failures and multiple fire protection system maintenance lapses warranted moderate concern, the facility's comprehensive corrective action within two months demonstrated good operational responsibility.