Cozy???
Saco, ME · Member since 2015 · 34 posts · 16 votes
Cozy???
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Investor · Cuyahoga Falls, OH · Member since 2016 · 1 post · 21 votes
10yI own and manage 9 rental units. I started using Cozy in January 2016. My decision to use Cozy has been one of the best property management decisions I’ve made. Cozy has completely streamlined my rent collection, property listing and tenant screening process. I have also been extremely impressed with the quality and speed of their customer service. Here are my big 4 for Cozy.
1. I’m collecting all my rents through Cozy. No more going to the post office to pick up rent checks and going back a 2nd or 3rd time to get the one that’s late. No more going to the multiple banks to make deposits. I also haven’t had a single argument with a tenant about why their rent shouldn’t have been late and why they shouldn’t have to pay a late fee. The payment date is all electronically documented. Best of all it’s free!
2. Once you list a property once, it’s permanently stored in Cozy. My pictures, property descriptions and details are all permanently saved. If I want to relist a property, all I have to do is click “activate” on the property listing page and Cozy creates an add on multiple websites. Best of all it’s free!
3. Screening my tenants has never been easier. When a prospective tenant comes out to look at one of my properties, the first thing I do is hand them a sheet of paper with my rental requirements on it. At the bottom of the sheet is the address to the application page in Cozy for my specific property listing. The prospective tenant can go to Cozy, fill out an application and approve and pay for a credit and background check. I get an email when everything is complete and I go to Cozy to review everything and decide if I want to rent to them. Best of all it’s free!
4. One last and very important thing to me is their customer service is a 10 on a scale from 1 to 10. They are quick and thorough with responses to questions. I recently had an issue with an ACH transfer not being processed properly by my bank. Cozy notified me to inform me of the issue before my bank. Cozy also provided me with all the information I need to straighten out the deposit with my bank. Big thumbs up to customer service rep Kayla!
Cozy has more to offer than the items I listed here. But these are the four things most important to me. I tried Buildium prior to Cozy, but found it to be too cumbersome and too pricey for my situation and needs. If you are looking for a property management website I would not hesitate to try Cozy. You really can’t go wrong, it won’t cost you anything and it’s really a user friendly site to use and setup.
117 Replies
- Saco, ME · Member since 2015 · 34 posts · 16 votes10y
Good to know, I signed up for it but I currently cant utilize the website because I am not looking for someone to rent and my current renter is an older lady who loves to give me her check every month (Always on time).
Anyone have any experience in regards to the lease feature of finding someone to rent?
- San Francisco, CA · Member since 2016 · 238 posts · 204 votes10y
@Michael Bowser - From a leasing perspective, here are my thoughts (from an exposure perspective):
- Craigslist: Hands down, the majority of tenants are still using Craigslist to find rentals. There are other great websites out there, but the best marketing you can do is post on Craigslist (and "repost" each day to go to the top of the list) to get maximum exposure.
- Zillow Rental Manager (formerly Postlets): Zillow owns Zillow Rentals, Trulia, Hotpads, etc ... --> and it has relationships with a bunch of other listing providers (LiveLovely, etc.). Therefore, their network has the second best traffic, and therefore I'd recommend using them for additional postings.
- Everything else is very good, but definitely focus your time on the above two resources. I hope that helps!
Good luck with the leasing! And don't forget to screen your tenants properly to avoid the costly expense of a bad tenant.
- Investor · Cathedral City, CA · Member since 2014 · 481 posts · 170 votes10y
Originally posted by @Dana Dunford:
@Michael Bowser - From a leasing perspective, here are my thoughts (from an exposure perspective):
- Craigslist: Hands down, the majority of tenants are still using Craigslist to find rentals. There are other great websites out there, but the best marketing you can do is post on Craigslist (and "repost" each day to go to the top of the list) to get maximum exposure.
- Zillow Rental Manager (formerly Postlets): Zillow owns Zillow Rentals, Trulia, Hotpads, etc ... --> and it has relationships with a bunch of other listing providers (LiveLovely, etc.). Therefore, their network has the second best traffic, and therefore I'd recommend using them for additional postings.
- Everything else is very good, but definitely focus your time on the above two resources. I hope that helps!
Good luck with the leasing! And don't forget to screen your tenants properly to avoid the costly expense of a bad tenant.
Dana was very helpful but her suggestions are very laborious. You need a FREE application that manages the advertising flow, then the applicants that are interested become leads, then offers a organized filtering process that lends to automated online applications submitted to the leads, and finally tenant screening. Once screening is accomplished this FREE online application should help you filter the strong from the weak and make a good leasing decision. So you see it is a process and should be automated and organized to save time and be accurate.
- San Francisco, CA · Member since 2016 · 238 posts · 204 votes10y
@Jeff Gates - Completely agree that an application link should be in there, and you want to avoid laborious tasks and get software to assist. Craigstlist doesn't allow automatic daily postings through a marketing syndicator, so some of the processes are manual (although you can avoid Craigslist all together but risk fewer leads). That's just my experience.
- Raleigh, NC · Member since 2016 · 26 posts · 13 votes10y
I'm using Cozy to manage a property. Only had one application so far. The individual was unable to complete her credit check. Despite the fact that the issue wasn't with their site, Cozy support was very helpful in assisting her with the issue. Also, very responsive - within 24 hours.
- Investor · Wichita, KS · Member since 2013 · 62 posts · 28 votes10y
I have been using cozy for applications and payments for a few months. It has been a lifesaver over just accepting checks and paper applications. It's very intuitive from both sides of things and I haven't had to spend a single cent yet on it. Fantastic all the way around.
- Investor · Mebane, NC · Member since 2016 · 1 post · 4 votes10y
Been using Cozy for about 6 Months, very good site and very good service!
- Investor · Seymour, IN · Member since 2016 · 165 posts · 32 votes10y
I have also been looking at this. It's good to know that there have been positive experiences with Cozy. How has the applicant situation been? Are there plenty of people referred?
- Rock Star Extraordinaire · Northeast, TN · Member since 2015 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes10y
I like it. It's a little slow on transferring funds, about 5 days, but if you're not desperate for the money you can see it's coming as you get an e-mail that the transfer has started. They have something new (I suspect it's a bridge loan) that gets the money to you in 3 days for about a $3 charge, so that's something else to consider. If you have sketchy tenants, you might want to have your money faster.
Skyline Properties - Investor · Brentwood, CA · Member since 2013 · 195 posts · 52 votes10y
@lucas Hall
@Lucas Hall Thank you!
- Raleigh, NC · Member since 2016 · 26 posts · 13 votes10y
Update on my Cozy usage. Setting up the new tenant was a breeze. No issues setting up a pro-rated payment. Tenants love the auto-draft and I do too! Thumbs up from me!
- 10yDawn AnastasiPro MemberRental Property Investor · Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2013 · 6k+ posts · 4k+ votes
I have been a Cozy user for many months. (Not sure how long exactly, maybe a year or so?) I like it. It's so much better than receiving physical money orders or checks and having to go to the bank to deposit.
The only thing I would like is to have the bank statement say something related to which tenant or unit it is. However I understand that Cozy can't control that. In fact, I see what it shows on 4 different bank statements and it's not the same. Wells Fargo looks different than PNC for example.
- Rental Property Investor · Arvada, CO · Member since 2011 · 146 posts · 103 votes10y
Hi @Dawn Anastasi, I wished for the same thing with my tenant's payments. Then Support showed me if you change your receiving account to be a checkcard for the desired bank account (instead of an account #), most banks will add the tenants last name to the transaction description. It's a small change in Cozy for you and I, but it drastically changes how banks display it.
Go into Cozy, add a card, and tell your leases to deposit money there. You'll start seeing last names in the transaction (for most banks).
I hope that helps!
- Rental Property Investor · Manteno, IL · Member since 2009 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes10y
Here's my trifecta:
1) Listings:
postlets (now zillow) - which is nice because they push the ad out to several sites (zillow, trulia, etc)craigslist, and cozy (cozy is nice because they get it on to MLS).2) Tenant payments = payyourrent.com. Reasonable fees. Very good customer service. Quick turnaround.
3) Credit/criminal/eviction checks - screeningworks.com
I don't get the credit score - just a good, ok, poor or don't touch em. But I didn't have to have a site inspection or anything either. At the end of the day, credit score isn't as important to me as the eviction check and seeing the address and criminal history.$30 for credit, criminal and eviction. Not bad.
- 10yDawn AnastasiPro MemberRental Property Investor · Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2013 · 6k+ posts · 4k+ votes
Originally posted by @Lucas Hall:
Hi @Dawn Anastasi, I wished for the same thing with my tenant's payments. Then Support showed me if you change your receiving account to be a checkcard for the desired bank account (instead of an account #), most banks will add the tenants last name to the transaction description. It's a small change in Cozy for you and I, but it drastically changes how banks display it.
Go into Cozy, add a card, and tell your leases to deposit money there. You'll start seeing last names in the transaction (for most banks).
I hope that helps!
Is there a fee for this?
- Rental Property Investor · Seattle, WA · Member since 2011 · 47 posts · 12 votes10y
Hi, how does Cozy work with quickbooks or other services that produce financial statements? Does anyone have experience with this? I'm looking for a collection system but also something that ties well with my bank statements and quickbooks or something like that for financial statements and tax preparation. Any thoughts? Thanks!
- Investor · Cuyahoga Falls, OH · Member since 2016 · 1 post · 21 votes10y
I own and manage 9 rental units. I started using Cozy in January 2016. My decision to use Cozy has been one of the best property management decisions I’ve made. Cozy has completely streamlined my rent collection, property listing and tenant screening process. I have also been extremely impressed with the quality and speed of their customer service. Here are my big 4 for Cozy.
1. I’m collecting all my rents through Cozy. No more going to the post office to pick up rent checks and going back a 2nd or 3rd time to get the one that’s late. No more going to the multiple banks to make deposits. I also haven’t had a single argument with a tenant about why their rent shouldn’t have been late and why they shouldn’t have to pay a late fee. The payment date is all electronically documented. Best of all it’s free!
2. Once you list a property once, it’s permanently stored in Cozy. My pictures, property descriptions and details are all permanently saved. If I want to relist a property, all I have to do is click “activate” on the property listing page and Cozy creates an add on multiple websites. Best of all it’s free!
3. Screening my tenants has never been easier. When a prospective tenant comes out to look at one of my properties, the first thing I do is hand them a sheet of paper with my rental requirements on it. At the bottom of the sheet is the address to the application page in Cozy for my specific property listing. The prospective tenant can go to Cozy, fill out an application and approve and pay for a credit and background check. I get an email when everything is complete and I go to Cozy to review everything and decide if I want to rent to them. Best of all it’s free!
4. One last and very important thing to me is their customer service is a 10 on a scale from 1 to 10. They are quick and thorough with responses to questions. I recently had an issue with an ACH transfer not being processed properly by my bank. Cozy notified me to inform me of the issue before my bank. Cozy also provided me with all the information I need to straighten out the deposit with my bank. Big thumbs up to customer service rep Kayla!
Cozy has more to offer than the items I listed here. But these are the four things most important to me. I tried Buildium prior to Cozy, but found it to be too cumbersome and too pricey for my situation and needs. If you are looking for a property management website I would not hesitate to try Cozy. You really can’t go wrong, it won’t cost you anything and it’s really a user friendly site to use and setup.
- Folsom, CA · Member since 2015 · 10 posts · 6 votes10y
Does anyone have any input on how you utilize Cozy while still having the ability to protect yourself against partial payments being made? I understand that a partial payment in the midst of an eviction can derail the eviction process and create a significant setback. Does Cozy allow you to accept/reject each payment or to specifically reject any payment that is not the requested amount?
It seems that most folks out there that use Cozy like it, but I haven't heard anyone mentioning this concern.
Cheers-
- New Bedford, MA · Member since 2015 · 361 posts · 114 votes10y
@Scott Bond You cannot specifically accept/rejaect each payment, but if you are going to evict someone, you can "end their lease" which no longer allows any payments to come through to you. So for example, if you plan to evict someone, with one click of a button they can no longer send any full or partial payments to you, therefore not interupting any filings, etc.
Hope this helps! I think it's a great feature to have.
- Folsom, CA · Member since 2015 · 10 posts · 6 votes10y
If I end their lease in Cozy, effectively blocking their payment method, then couldn't they say that the reason that they didn't pay was that the agreed upon payment method outlined in our rental agreement was not functional? It seems to me that in order to limit them to check or cash only, that would require a notification of change of contract, which would need to have 30 days advance notice. So in the even there is an eviction filed for anyone, any digital payment method like this would potentially delay the process by 30 days.
Don't get me wrong, I would really like to avoid having to pick up checks and deposit them every month. But I'm not sure how to make the digital payment world work with the requirements of the contract.
- Rental Property Investor · Arvada, CO · Member since 2011 · 146 posts · 103 votes10y
Hi @scott bond,
I work at Cozy, but I'm also founder of Landlordology and help thousands of landlords a year with issues. It's been my observation that in most (if not all) counties, the courts want to see proof of notice to terminate - which is typically either a "X day notice to pay or quit" or a "X day notice to remedy or quit". Then, once the X days elapses, the landlord is eligible to file an unlawful detainer action (eviction) with the courts. Essentially, they want the lease to be terminated before they will hear the case.
Plus, if you change your mind in the middle of the eviction case, and both parties agree to a payment after you stopped all future payments in Cozy, you could either take an offline payment, or just setup a new lease in Cozy to pay online. If your state requires 30 days for a lease change, it's only applicable when you are forcing a change on a tenant. It doesn't apply if you've already terminated the lease, or if both parties agree to make a change. I hope that makes sense!
- Rental Property Investor · Arvada, CO · Member since 2011 · 146 posts · 103 votes10y
Originally posted by @Dawn Anastasi:
Originally posted by @Lucas Hall:
Hi @Dawn Anastasi, I wished for the same thing with my tenant's payments. Then Support showed me if you change your receiving account to be a checkcard for the desired bank account (instead of an account #), most banks will add the tenants last name to the transaction description. It's a small change in Cozy for you and I, but it drastically changes how banks display it.
Go into Cozy, add a card, and tell your leases to deposit money there. You'll start seeing last names in the transaction (for most banks).
I hope that helps!
Is there a fee for this?
@Dawn Anastasi - There is no fee for this. Just login to Cozy and make your receiving account a debit card instead of a bank account number.
- Investor · Yakima, WA · Member since 2016 · 1 post · 2 votes9y
We have used Cozy for the last 6 months and found it helpful for screening new tenants and for receiving payments. One downside we've found is that payments made by tenants can't be refunded and tracked in the system (like when a tenant has a recurring payment scheduled but makes an additional payment by accident). That said, the benefits are well worth it and the customer service has been fantastic especially since we bank with a credit union in Texas, live in Washington and have rentals in Virginia and Texas.
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