All Forum Posts by: Rachel Jacobson

@Cassandra Sifford - Our business model focuses on lead generation. If you as a landlord have a broken refrigerator, Tellus can connect you with a repair person who can fix it. Or if it's broken beyond repair, we can show you special offers from big box stores for buying a new fridge. Vendors pay to get the word out for their business, and you get access to exclusive deals. You're never under any obligation to take these recommendations. It's just supposed to help connect the dots.

@Cassandra Sifford - Tellus does free rent collection and tenant screening (at no cost to you or your tenants). Screenings check credit reports, rental history, criminal background, and verify ID and employment.

Hi @Ray Harrell - Sorry for the confusion. My name is Rachel and I'm a part of the team at Tellus. Although our app is designed for landlords to be able to set up a lease and invite their tenants to pay rent, none of this is required. In fact, we have quite a few landlords on the app who currently use it only for expense tracking. 

If it would be helpful, I'd encourage you to reach out to our Support Chat in the app. We have one-on-one support available daily along with personalized onboarding. I know the team would be happy to help get you set up. Alternatively, I'm also happy to discuss any issues via direct message.

Hey @Cassandra Sifford - There are a lot of good points here already. I would second the advice of sticking to your lease. If you don't enforce your own policies, then tenants will not take you seriously as a landlord. The key is to be consistent, firm, and fair.

Start planning ahead for maintenance and repairs by growing your network of local professionals. Doing some research now to find a qualified plumber, electrician, etc. will be a lot better than when there's an emergency.

Screen your tenants. You may have a great first impression of someone, but impressions don't pay the rent. Make sure you have all the information you need to make an informed decision and save yourself headache down the line.

Start figuring out how you plan on collecting rent. There are a lot of online platforms and apps that make rent collection easy. Tenants generally prefer paying from their phones, and finding something with AutoPay will increase your amount of on-time payments.

Best of luck to you!

@Charles S. - Is this a gas or wood burning fireplace? If it's gas, will the tenants be paying for it? Wood burning will require more maintenance each year. Will that be your responsibility? Or your tenants'? 

Liability was already mentioned. If you go through with this deal, I would make sure you have a clause concerning the fireplace in your lease.

Would you be able to charge more in rent because a fireplace is a desired amenity? Would that off-set the price of maintenance and the liability?

Just a couple of things to be thinking through.

@Roy C. - I would recommend eliminating those questions. Craigslist has a lot of scammers that ask for exactly the same information before telling applicants they are "approved" and will be receiving keys through the mail once they wire money. If you ask for too much info up front, it raises some red flags. I agree with @John Underwood that the best strategy is to get the conversation going, and then you can find out the answers to these questions pretty easily.

You can also try Zumper, Hotpads, Trulia, and FB Marketplace. Sometimes there are local FB groups in your area for rental housing. Don't forget to include photos in your listing! A lot of renters of Craigslist don't even bother looking at listings without photos. 

Hi @Nadir M. - Congratulations on your first property! Although every landlord is different, there are a lot of good reasons to collect rent near the beginning of the month. Many people are paid near the beginning of the month and find an earlier due date more convenient. In some states, you have to file notice for eviction in the same calendar month as the violation. This process may take some time depending on your state, but having the due date near the beginning of the month gives you more options.

I know this is your first property, but when you eventually add more, it will be more convenient to have the same due date so that you’re not always checking your bank account throughout the month. You also want to consider when your mortgage will be due and how much leeway you have to change that date.

Zillow and Craigslist are great places to start for listings. There's also Hotpads, Zumper, Trulia, and Facebook Marketplace. A lot of property management apps will syndicate your listing to multiple websites automatically so you don't have to do the legwork yourself.

Hiring a property manager for an out of state investment sounds like a good idea. It also doesn't hurt to start building up your network of local repair people and service professionals.

Good luck!

Hi @Kate M Cunha - Sorry you never got an answer to your question! If you're still wondering, a lot of landlords prefer to use property management platforms because they are specifically designed for paying rent. They also come with some handy features like automatic late fees and the ability to refuse partial payments (useful if you're in a state where a tenant can halt eviction proceedings by paying you any amount of the rent owed). 

QuickBooks is useful for keeping track of expenses (something most PM platforms give you as well), but it doesn't allow you to communicate with tenants, handle work orders, or sign leases online. Lots of people appreciate having everything they need in one place. 

The communication element is important, especially if you're managing your property with a spouse, family member, or a property manager. If you're using an app like Tellus, you can create separate group chats that can help you communicate more effectively with your team and your tenants. Each person you assign to manage with you can also add expenses that automatically factor into your reports and overall cashflow. 

Best of luck to you!

@Paul M. - Don't know if you're still looking. If you are, Tellus is an app that gives you the ability to block unwanted payments. Whether the tenant is trying to delay an eviction by sending partial payments or if they are trying to extend their lease to a month-to-month tenancy, you should have the tools you need to be in control of your rental properties.

There are lots of options! Hotpads, Zillow rentals, Zumper, Facebook Marketplace or Atlanta based rental housing Facebook groups, apartments.com, and Trulia (mentioned above).