All Forum Posts by: Kaycee Miller

Another renter initiated screening service I've heard success stories from is Apply Connect.  These types of services are super easy for a landlord to send a screening request via email to their applicants, and then the renter orders the report and gives you (the landlord) access to view the results. Apply Connect and Smart Move allow a landlord to avoid the site inspection to get approval for performing their credit checks on rental applicants. 

You are smart to require landlord references as part of your tenant screening process. The best way to receive an honest landlord reference about an applicant is to ask questions about their previous tenant’s renting behavior (not about their personality). Did the tenant have a history of late payments? Did the tenant terminate their lease early? How much of the security deposit was refunded? Late payments, disrespecting lease terms and forgoing the entire security deposit are big red flags for poor tenancy.

Rejecting an applicant because they have a history of late payments that were verified by a previous landlord is legal. Be careful if you reject an applicant based on personality because his old landlord didn't like him, you could risk running into discrimination claims - whether it was intentional or not, you would still be in trouble.

Here is a link to an article about how to create legal and objective screening criteria, including using landlord references for verification. https://www.rentecdirect.com/blog/2015/10/how-to-c...

Good Luck!

Don't forget about RentPath.com. They post all their listings to Lovely, Rentalhouses.com, rent.com, Apartment Guide, NewHomeGuide.com and Rentals.com. Their websits claims to reach over 10 million unique visitors per month - talk about exposure. 

You might also check your management software's rental listing syndication network. They should post all your listings to your website, rentpath.com, Zillow, Trulia and more! 

It is really a matter of whether or not the tenants are creating a habitat for infestation. A simple inspection can reveal whether or not your renters are letting garbage pile up that invites vermin to prosper.  A good exterminator should be able to identify the source and determine whether the pest infestation was caused by the tenant, or just normal pest behavior that you will need to eradicate for your renters.

Most likely you are required to provide a home that is pest free, so the cost to hire an exterminator will be on you. @Penny Clark above gives great advice for hiring an extermination company and performing an inspection. You are entitled to make routine inspections as long as proper notice is given. Regular inspections will help ensure your tenants are keeping the property clean and damage free, and help you identify problem areas before they become expensive fixes.

Here's a link to an article about tenant vs. landlord maintenance, and who is responsible for what https://www.rentecdirect.com/blog/2015/07/tenant-vs-landlord-property-maintenance/. 

@Account Closed said you get to choose where you want to live, and as long as your landlord follows the state laws for habitable conditions, he can choose what upgrades he does to his property.  

Wishing you good luck and an a positive experience in your rental situation. 

@Marc Gallegos remember starting a business is more than just taking on a few new clients and a few more tenants. There are several state and federal laws specific to property management businesses you will need to follow, plus insurance, new tax laws, and trust accounting requirements.  Your state may also require a special PM license to manage other investor's properties.  

I don't want to talk you out of pursuing a new business venture, just want to highlight all the work that can go into a property management company's business operations in order to be successful (and relatively stress free).  Tenant drama may be easy for now, but what happens when just one tenant causes really BIG drama, are you willing to put your business at risk?

@Sunny P. yikes, you might be out of luck for getting the tenant to pay for this one if you have not had the unit serviced regularly, it will be hard to discover what( or who) is to blame. 

For the future, I agree with @Chris Eaker, a clause in your lease that requires monthly filter changes is a great idea! You can even provide them the filters and set reminders in your email or management software to automatically send them a friendly update that it is time to change the filters. Better safe than sorry for big ticket items like HVAC systems. Good luck! Let us know how it all works out.