All Forum Posts by: Alison Brenner

Victims of domestic violence are often afforded additional protections under state law. You may be legally required to change locks and permit the resident to remain in the home for a specific amount of time. Check your local and state laws for compliance as you initiate the eviction process. You don't want a fair housing complaint accusing you of discriminating against victims of domestic violence.

There is a company called Livable. The Apartment Association of Orange County is a partner.

I was headed in the RUBS direction until a few PM friends warned me against it. My limited understanding suggests that it can cause some issues. For example, let's say you have a 4-unit building and Livable determines that the average cost of utilities per unit is $100/month. Livable then imposes an additional service fee of $20/month/unit. You are responsible for paying Livable $480/month regardless of whether usage fluctuates, units are vacant, or your tenants don't pay. Furthermore, RUBS has become and is becoming a target for areas with strong rent control laws. If your PM company isn't comfortable or familiar with RUBS implementation, you could end up violating local and State laws.

Zillow Premium Listing services has never failed me. But, here's the caveat based on my experience. Your listing will get preferential treatment for the first five to seven days. If you aren't hyper-responsive, there's no point in paying for the upgraded service. Within the first five days of listing, I expect to field calls and messages from over a hundred prospectives and be willing to do 30-50 showings during that period. By day six, I am lucky to get one to three phone calls or messages from prospectives and maybe one to two showings per day. Zillow Premium is worth it if you are willing to do the work during that first week.

I am going through the back and forth with an unreasonable former tenant over a security deposit return. My attorneys advised me to sue her first. Not my style. When you do receive that letter, you are going to want to formulate a response and mail it via certified mail. Just make sure you have fully complied with local and State laws with regard to mailing out the disposition, and also respond to the demand letters in a timely manner. If they sue, they sue.

Hi Denise, Congrats on your first application! I prescreen my applicants first. I have the applicant fill out an income verification form and a rental history form. I also have the applicant submit documentation showing 3x the rent per month for the three months prior to applying. If there is an employer, I contact the employer and the current property manager or landlord. Most people recommend contacting the previous and current landlord. I then ask the applicant to apply through Rent Spree (rentspree.com). You will need to create an account and property profile, and then enter the applicant's email into the system. The applicant will be invited to apply via email. Once they submit the application, Rent Spree will send you a credit and criminal history/background report. I recommend writing out your applicant criteria and distributing it to prospectives. You also want to make sure you get a copy of an identifying document, such as a DL, to confirm they are who the say they are.. Hope this helps.

I think BP offers some services as well. I am not familiar with them.

Put your screening criteria in writing and use prescreening forms. Put together a prescreening packet that includes your criteria, a rental history form, and an income verification form. I usually leave a stack next to a candy bowl in the vacant unit. Prospectives can review it and decide whether they want to apply. I always run credit as a the last step in the application process but that choice is based primarily on my location and California law.

Experian Boost? I use Buildium as well. My tenants love that feature. I've heard Experian Boost offers something similar.

Not an attorney..just an OC landlord. If I understand your question correctly, the answer is "no." I think you are saying that you use PM software, which allows residents to pay online. One habitually late payer was unable to pay this month because you modified the software settings to disallow partial rent payments. My understanding is this is exactly what you should do if you offer online payment methods. If you had accepted a partial payment, then you would have a problem with proceeding with the UD action. Per my attorney, always cut the tenant portal and do not accept any form of payment once the 3-day notice payment deadline expires. If you accept even $1 from the resident, you will have to start the process over again.
The second part of your question regarding changing payment methods is more complicated and depends on your lease terms. If your resident is month-to-month, you can serve a 30 day change of terms notice. If your resident is fixed term, you have to live with written terms until the lease expires.
I sincerely hope this helps. I've got a great eviction attorney if needed.

Post your screening criteria in the body of the listing. This should deter some but not all who do not qualify. Having a written criteria also helps protect against discrimination claims. Here's mine as an example:

Applicant Screening Criteria(June 2023).

Please review the following criteria before applying.

• 3 to 1 combined gross income to rent ratio: $5550 to $1850.
• No Evictions (5 years).
• No Bankruptcies (5 years).
• Credit score of 650+.
• Income verification required.
• Existing landlord debt disqualifies application.
• All adults over the age of 18 must submit a rental application, meet the application criteria, and sign the lease agreement.
• Identity documents must match applicant(s) information as stated on the rental application(s).
• No incomplete applications.
• No more than two tenants/occupants per unit.

Clean, clean, clean.
Appliances and LVP are huge. I LOVE Frigidaire ranges. They look more expensive than they are.
Fixtures and hardware. Can't emphasize this enough. Brainerd cabinet hardware. Hampton Bay ceiling fans. Moen, Delta, or Kohler faucets. Spending a little more here pays off.
And paint. I prefer Sherwin Williams Pure White : ) - Be sure to schmooze the customer rep. They can offer "Pro" discounts without a Pro account.
If you do not want to replace cabinets, you can always paint or stain them.
Hope this helps!