Showing posts with label tenant screening. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tenant screening. Show all posts

Friday, July 10, 2015

Illegal Discrimination Quiz

Take this short illegal discrimination quiz.  See if you are inadvertently discriminating.

Have you ever done the following?
  1. Told an applicant there is not an opening because you did not want to rent to that person, when there really is an opening.
  2. Advertised in such a manner that indicates a preference base on group characteristics, such as skin color or sex.
  3. Set restrictive standards for certain applicants and not others, such as higher income.
  4. Refusing to reasonably accommodate the needs of disabled clients, such as hearing dog, sight dog, or other service animals
  5. Had different sets of late payment penalties for different tenants.
The Fair Housing Acts prohibit landlords from taking any of the above actions based on race, religion, or any other protected category:


Consistently using a standard application can protect you from costly lawsuits.

Using Renting Authority’s rental application and tenant screening process will help you avoid discrimination lawsuits.  They are a great tool that you now have access to.


 
Sincerely,
Troy Boldt
888-674-9181

Applicant Warning Signs

This week I had some great conversations with many of you.  A couple of issues were brought up that you should all know about.


Issue #1
The applicant doesn’t want me to run his credit because he doesn’t want his credit score affected. What should I do?
When you as a landlord check a person’s credit, it is called a soft hit on their credit.  This means it will only stay on their credit report for 2 to 3 months.  Their credit score will not be affected long term when you check their credit.
I have found often that a person who does not want you to check their credit has credit issues that they are hiding from.  You need to establish your own rule that you check everyone’s credit. 
Another thing to consider is if an applicant is trying to dictate how you run your business now, they will continue to cause you issues in the future.

Issue #2

My tenant wants to pay cash.  What should I do?Cash is king, but not in the landlord business.  This is big red flag. Why? People often want to pay cash because they do not have a checking account and they have money gotten from illegal means.  Drug dealers are some of the biggest offenders of this.  Now this does not mean that everyone who wants to pay with cash is doing something illegal nor is a drug dealer.  It is better to be safe that sorry.
Last week I received an email from a landlord who rented to a person who seemed to be a great applicant and wanted to only pay in cash.  The tenant paid the deposit and first month’s rent in cash.  That was all he ever paid.  The landlord is now going through the eviction process.

In summary, screen your applicants and don’t take cash.

Screen Applicants like a Crime Scene Investigator

You are so excited, someone finally filled out a rental application.  You look at the credit report and the credit is score is between 540 and 580.  Your hopes drop.  They seem like nice people who have had a bit of bad luck and need a second chance.  Well, if that sounds familiar, you need to put on your detective hat, gloves, grab your blue light and start investigating.

Let’s investigate three common factors that affect a person’s credit.  I’ll set the crime scene (credit factors), give some clues and help you draw conclusions.
1.         Crimes Scene: Credit cardsClues:  If a person does not have any open credit lines within the past 6 months, the credit bureaus will not give a score.  If a person’s credit card carries a balance of 50% or more than the card’s limit, the score can go down by as much as 40 points.
I’ve unknowingly done that and my credit dropped drastically.  I paid the card off and my credit shot up. 
2.Some people are very responsible paying their bills, have little to no lates but still have a low credit score.  High credit card balances is often the reason.
A person with a lot of open credit cards also can negatively affect his or hers credit.  Keep the number of credit cards you use to a minimal.  Too much open credit is viewed negatively, because a person can get into debt very quickly.

Conclusions
:  Verify the applicant has enough income to cover all of their bills and rent.  Ask to see a pay stub, call and talk with their employers.  Renting Authority can call and verify employment if you don’t want to hassle with it.
3.     Crime Scene: Medical IssuesClues:  Medical bills can become uncontrollable for most anyone.  Even if you have good insurance, some treatments and emergencies can make most people go broke.  I have a brother who lost two sons in the past 14 month to cancer.  Beside the grief from losing two children, the bills are outrageous.

Conclusion
:  Is this still a credit worthy person to rent to?
Look at the dates on the credit report where medical collections show.  Most medical issues I have seen cover a 6 month to 2 yr time period.  You may notice there are lots of lates in this same time period.  If after this time period you do not see lates, other collections, then the person is onto credit recovery.  This may be a good tenant.

3.         Crimes Scene: 
 Charge offs, Bankruptciesand LiensClues:  Public record information gives a lot of clues about a person’s credit worthiness.  I think we all agree that charge offs, bankruptcies, foreclosures and liens are bad.  None of us want them.  However, (and this is a big however), sometimes they really help a person’s credit in the long run.

Conclusion:  
Charge offs are classified as satisfied and or open.  If it is satisfied, it means that a person paid off the debt even after a business wrote it off.  A person who satisfies a charge off shows character.  This is a person who cares about paying of their obligations. They are more likely to pay their rent. The same is true for liens.

Bankruptcies
 can help a person get out from under a financially difficult and oppressive situation.   Bankruptcies definitely hurt a person’s credit.  And it shows up for 7 yrs.
Clues:  The good in bankruptcies is it gives a person a second chance to rebuild their credit.  Look at the date of the bankruptcy and see if there have been other negative credit issues after that date.
Conclusion:  If everything is positive after the bankruptcy, the person is probably a good risk.  I have seen credit scores in the high 600s and low 700s with a bankruptcy in the past 3 yrs.
A good forensic investigation yields good tenants.  If you need help understanding a person’s credit, please call or write.  I am always glad to help.
Thanks,
Troy
888-674-9181
tboldt@RentingAuthority.com
www.RentingAuthority.com

“Should I rent to someone with a foreclosure?”

Answer: probably not.

 Please be aware that I am sensitive to anyone who is going through a foreclosure.  I am giving this advice from the vantage point of a real estate investor.

Foreclosed applicants on average have a 24% lower credit scores.  They also have four times as many 30 or more day delinquents or derogatory.

What that means, is history has a way of repeating itself.  A person is who is foreclosed on, has a poor history of paying obligations on time.  Do you really want to risk your investment to someone like that? Take the chance that they will not pay or pay late?  Evictions are not a fun ordeal.

It’s not only tempting, but some times feels necessary to fill a vacancy quickly.  Never let your feelings of disparity cause you to give up your standards.  Create your standards for tenant screening and stick to them. 

Hint on tenant screening.  Renting Authority provides a free Applicant Rating Report with every credit report.  Use the drop down menu next to the credit score and select the “Applicant Rating Report.”  This report shows you how an applicant compares to other applicants across the country.

Please contact me with any questions regarding this topic.
Thanks,
Troy
888-674-9181

Recently, your report revealed a sexual offender

Hello, Troy.


My name is Leo, and I run a residential apartment building in Lubbock, TX.

I’m sending you this email to show my appreciation for your excellent screening service.
Your reports are very promptly generated, and they contain very accurate data regarding applicants’ backgrounds.

But that’s not the only reason for this email today.
Recently, your report revealed a sexual offender that came to me to apply for an apartment unit, so I was able to deny his qualifications based on that information.

Although I believe everyone has his/her story, a sexual offender is definitely not good for the business and is probably too much of a risk for me and the neighbors to have live in my property.

So, thank you, Troy, for providing this excellent service.
Keep up the excellent work!

Best Regards,
- Leo -
Lubbock, TX

Landlord Extorted for $12,000

Landlord Extorted for $12,000


Consistently using a standard application can protect you from costly lawsuits. Let me give you an example why. Let’s say you need to rent an apartment. You have 5 individuals come by and look at the apartment. You choose applicant number four. It sounds like he has a great job and is clean cut. A few weeks later you get a phone call from applicant #2′s attorney. He claims that you discriminated against his client because she is a Mexican and has two children. The lawyer goes on to state that he will settle for $12,000 or he will take it to federal court and sue you for $55,000.
    Unfortunately, you have no documentation from the applicants. You have nothing standardized like an application or credit and background report to support your decision. The attorney knows this and knows he can win a settlement.
    Your insurance company will settle for $12,000 because they know the expense of going to court and the probability of loosing. They know you have no documentation and are very exposed. If you really want to protect yourself, please do the following.
    Using a standard application and running a background and credit check for all prospective tenants can greatly help limit discrimination lawsuits. Lawsuits are very expensive and time consuming. Store the application, either electronically, or a hard copy in a secure filing cabinet. Run a background and credit check


Who wants to get sued? None of us, so please take every precaution. Prevention is the best medicine.

Have a great day,

Troy Boldt  

Why Successful Landlords Do Rental History Verification

Rental history verification is an extremely important step in the tenant screening process.  If a person was a good renter in the past, chances are they will continue this pattern.  The reverse is also true.


Rental history verification is very straight forward.  You speak with the previous landlord and find out what type of a tenant the applicant is.

Ask the following questions:

  • Length of time rented?
  • Did any problems occur while renting?  If yes explain
  • How many times were they late paying rent?
  • Do they know why person is leaving?
  • Do they have pets?
  • Are they breaking the lease?
  • Would you rent to them again?

Make sure to do good rental history verification.  If you do not have the time to do it yourself, Renting Authority can help you.  This is how you do it:
  • Log into the Property Owner’s Toolbox
  • Select Past Rental and Employment Reports. 
  • Click the boxes for Rental History Report,
  • Fill in the needed information and we take care of the rest.

You receive your Rental History Report in 24-48hrs  

The Cost is only:
$6 for Employment Verification
$6 for Rental History Verification

Only $4 each with your upgraded membership
If you have any questions, please email or call.

Here is a sample report of what the report looks like: 

Click here to login and order rental history reports now

To your success,
Troy Boldt

888-674-9181

Is Employment Verification Really That Important?

Employment verification is an extremely important step in the tenant screening process.  Generally, a renter needs a good job so he or she can pay the rent.  Let me give you a list of things to inquire about.

One of the most important things is to pay attention to is: who and how the business phone is answered.  Why, because some people will give you a friend to call and pretend they are the employer.  The phone should be answered with a business name.

Ask for the applicant’s supervisor or boss.  This information should have been provided by the applicant on the application. 

Ask the following questions:
  • How long has the applicant been employed there?
  • Is he or she currently employed there?
  • Is the job full time, part time or temporary?
  • How many hours a week does he or she work?
  • Verify the monthly income.  (Employers do not always give out this information.)
  • Does their job future look good?
Make sure to do good employment verification.  If you do not have the time to do it yourself, Renting Authority can help you. 
This is how you run an Employment Report:
You receive your Employment Report in 24-48hrs  

The Cost is only:
$6 for Employment Verification
$6 for Rental History Verification

Only $4 each with your upgraded membership
  
Click here to view a sample Employment Report

To your success,
Troy
888-674-9181

Farmer Ron, the Big Bailout, and the 80/20 Rule

This week, Perry Marshall, one of my mentors sent me this email. Even though economic times seem tough, this is a moment of great opportunity.

Farmer Ron, the Big Bailout, and the 80/20 Rule
My father-in-law, Ron, is a 77 year old retired farmer in Southeastern Nebraska
. He wears a John Deere hat, sports a farmer’s suntan and talks kinda slow.
He had this to say about the Big Bailout:
“The people that stole my cow now want me to feed it. I resent that a lot, but I do not want my cow to die. So I guess we will have to send more cow feed their way. In the good ole days, we could have hung a couple of the rustlers and that would have delayed the next raid by awhile. Now they expect to get rewarded.”
Gotta love that simple farmer common sense.
Gotta love the fact that he’s from Nebraska. (Just like me.)
I’d like to add a few comments of my own.
First, the contrast between the mainstream news media and the entrepreneurial culture online couldn’t possibly be more striking.
Journalists, as a group, are the most financially threatened population in today’s economy.
Not because of the banking crisis, but because the Internet is destroying their business. They’re ALL
Read the rest of this entry »

Rental License Seminar

October 15th, 2008
Hello Troy,
 
I have given your company name and website to about 25 to 33 people who attended the Rental License seminar requirements for the Village of Glendale Heights, IL.   So if you have an rental application from Glendale Heights, IL. you know for sure it came from me.
 
Thanks for your time,
 
Maria
Glendale Heights, IL

Is 500k worth 25 bucks?

I had nearly identical conversations with two new landlords this week.  The conversations went roughly like this.


I found someone to rent my house.  I just need them to sign the lease. I am not sure if I want to spend the money on running a credit and background check.  I don’t want to change the applicant an application fee and scare them off either.

What do you suggest?

Of course, I suggested they run background and credit checks.  You might say, you suggest that because Renting Authority makes money from background and credit checks.  That is true, but it is a necessity.  When the economy is unstable, you must stick with the basics.

  • Have applicant fill out and sign a complete rental application.
  • Run background and credit reports
  • Do employment and rental verification.
  • Have applicant sign a rental lease agreement.

Here’s another strange occurrence.  Unfortunately, I keep hearing stories like this more and more. 

Lovers Fight and 18 Bullet Holes

Hello Troy -

 
I rented a home to a woman Nov 1 2007.  Her credit was not the best, so I charged a little higher deposit.  Rent is 650.  I charged her 950 deposit.  She was/is a very sweet woman w/ two nice grown children & one grandchild.  The only fault I ever saw in her was that she was very naive for a grown woman.
 
In June my tenent had a “boyfriend” @ her house.  The boyfriend’s “girlfriend” came over @ 4:30 AM & shot 18 holes through the front door, kicked the door down, shot the beautiful & new hardwoods, the stove (which is mine), dining table & chairs (mine) & holes in the walls.  I immediately had a contractor over & in two days there was not a trace that one shot had ever been fired.
 
Then the tenet was uneasy about living in the house, so she never really stayed there very much, so I had to go over & water plants to keep them alive, cut the grass, everything to do w/ outside the house.  My lease does not include “watering flowers” but since I spent a lot of money for those plants, I want them to last many, many years.
 
The tenet continued to pay me post dated checks though she was not living in the house.  I started advertising the house for rent in Sept.  A few people asked, “is this the house I read about in the newspaper that the lady came over & held off six police officers for 2.5 hours?”  I try to look surprised…It is in a rural, very safe & good area & we have never experienced any violence like this.  The couple who live next door (my tenents) almost left because of the incident.  They watched the entire stand-off w/ the deputies for over two hours.  The woman started early contractions & two days later miscarried.
 
Not sure what my question is.  The tenant has paid for the repairs & has paid her rent thru the end of this month when her lease ends.  So she has fulfilled her lease, but the stigma she put on that house (thru no fault of her own really – just bad taste in men?) has had a big impact on me and my couple next door.  I guess I need to forget that night, forget the tenant and give her a full refund for the deposit?  What do you think?  I have many attys in my family & when I told them of the shooting incident, the majority said, “get rid of her now!”  But I let her stay & we talked a lot about her “nerves”.  Isn’t this a crazy story? 
 
Thanks,
Tish
How can Trish reestablish her propertyies immage?

You must have an online presence!

Finding apartments has become an online endeavor!

Over 90% of applicants say they look online first when apartment shopping.

But you’re a landlord not a webmaster.  That is exactly why Renting Authority’s website builder is one of our hottest products.  It is so simple and the end product is professional.  All this is FREE with your upgraded membership.

Your website includes:
  • Pictures and descriptions of your rental
  • You can include multiple rentals on one website
  • Easy tools to manage and change your web site in seconds
  • Links to online rental application and online rent pay
  • Web sites allow you to stay in communication with current tenants (address book)
  • Show your apartment to possible applicants online first.  Saves you time and money.

Create your own website in about 15 minutes with Renting Authority.  This benefit alone is worth more than the cost of the upgrading your membership.  Let’s break down the cost of building your own website without Renting Authority. 

Cost without Renting Authority
Web designers charge between $500 to $800 to create a website for you.  Then you pay an average hosting fee of $19.95 per month.  If you want to make changes to your website, you have to pay a webmaster for the changes.  Average hourly charge is $55.  Most charge a minimal of 1 hour.  So each time you need to change a listing, it costs you around $55.  With Renting Authority, you can make your own changes.  It is easy to do and you have support.

Oh yeah, Renting Authority’s websites have a couple of feature you will not get anywhere else.  Online rental applications.  This is not just a PDF that applicants download and fill out.  It is a real electronic application.  The applicant fills it out online, pays an application fee online, and then Renting Authority automatically process the background and credit reports.  Sorry, but no webmaster can create that for you.

One more thing, you can accept online rent payments with your website.  Very cool.  Send your tenants to your website and they can pay by check or credit card online.  The best part about online rent pay is you don’t pay any processing fees.  That’s right.  The tenants pay a small convenience fee when paying rent online.



View the Website Creation demo to see how easy it is to set up your own website.

If you have any questions about online rent pay or any of our products, please click the customer support button

Sincerely,

Troy Boldt

 888-674-9181

Thursday, July 2, 2015

The Reality of New Year’s Resolutions


It’s been about a week since you sat down and made your proverbial New Year’s Resolution.  Odds are you are doing well keeping them so far.
Your glowing determination to succeed fades quickly after a few months.  Here are the revealing realities of New Year’s Resolutions.
40-45% of adult Americans make one or more New Year’s Resolutions.
75% keep resolutions past 1 week
71% keep resolutions past 2 weeks
64% keep resolutions past 1 month
46% keep resolutions after 6 months.
That means only 16 to 20% of adult Americans stick with a goal longer than 6 months.  80-84% of Americans fail completely. Explicitly writing out goals increases success rate by 10 times.

America’s most popular New Years Resolution.
•    Lose Weight
•    Manage Debt
•    Save Money
•    Get a Better Job
•    Get Fit
•    Eat Right
•    Get a Better Education
•    Drink Less Alcohol
•    Quit Smoking Now
•    Reduce Stress Overall
•    Reduce Stress at Work
•    Take a Trip
•    Volunteer to Help Others
Read the rest of this entry »

Can a 10 minute video really avoid a lawsuits?


Recently, I had a great conversation with one of Renting Authority’s members.  He mentioned that he always video tapes his properties before a tenant moves in.
This is really a great idea that I need to share with you.  Here are a few tips.
Date the video and show the new tenant in the video.  Hold up a newspaper if needed.
Outside: video the outside and include the yard, fence, sidewalk, stairs, rain gutter, roof (if possible), doors and locks, windows and exterior of structure
Inside
Walls: make mention of holes and paint condition
Carpet: wear, quality and condition
Kitchen: show functioning appliances – plumbing, kitchen condition
Bathroom: show functioning plumbing, cleanliness, lack of mold (I hope)
Let the tenant know you have video documentation of the rental’s present state.  Video taping will help safe guard you from lawsuits.  It is great documentation.  This also eliminates disputes about the condition of your property once the tenant moves out.
Spending an extra 30 minutes video taping before a tenant moves in could save you a lot of money and headaches down the road
To your success,
Troy Boldt
tboldt@rentingauthority.com
www.RentingAuthority.com

Is Employment Verification Really That Important?


Yes, employment verification is an extremely important step in the tenant screening process.  A renter needs a good job so he or she can pay the rent.  Let me give you a list of things to inquire about.
One of the most important things is to pay attention to is: who and how the business phone is answered.  Why, because some people will give you a friend to call and pretend they are the employer.  The phone should be answered with a business name.
Ask for the applicant’s supervisor or boss.  This information should have been provided by the applicant on the application.
Asking the right questions is key to getting the right info.
We ask the following questions:
-    How long has the applicant been employed there?
-    Is he or she currently employed there?
-    Is the job full time, part time or temporary?
-    How many hours a week does he or she work?
-    Verify the monthly income.  (Employers may require copy of singed authorization for this)
-    Does their job future look good?
Order an employment report now.
http://www.rentingauthority.com/employment_rental_reports/
Renting Authority Provides third party employment history reports
Log into the Property Owner’s Toolbox at http://www.toolbox.rentingauthority.com
1.    Select Past Rental and Employment Reports.
2.    Click the box for Employment Report,
3.    Fill in the needed information and we take care of the rest.
You receive your Employment Report in 24-48 business hours
The Cost is only:
$6 for Employment Verification
$6 for Rental History Verification
Only $4 each for Gold Members
Upgrade your membership now
https://www.rentingauthority.com/cc/pay.php
Click here for sample employment history report
http://www.rentingauthority.com/sites/employsurvey.htm
Click here to login and order rental history reports now
http://www.toolbox.rentingauthority.com
Troy Boldt
888-674-9181
tboldt@rentingauthority.com
http://www.rentingauthority.com

Online Rent Pay FAQ


What is Online Rent Pay?
Our service allows Renters to pay their rent and deposits, over the Internet. All transactions are deposited into the Property Manager/Owner’s bank account.
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What are the benefits of using the Renting Authority service?
Online rent payments will be the norm in the near future. Enjoy the ease of not cashing checks, automatic deposits, and electronic record keeping, avoiding lost or late payments, and improved service for your Residents.
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The Internet is increasingly the place of choice for businesses to reach and connect people. Prospective Renters are turning to the Internet now more than ever to fulfill their living needs.
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How do the transactions occur?
1. The Payer submits their payment in the secure Pay Rent section of your website.
2. The transaction is processed in the Automatic Clearing House (ACH) network.
3. The payment is deposited into the Payee’s checking or savings account.
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What are the fees for using Online Rent Pay?
There is a $5 transaction fee for each payment paid by check submitted through the service.  Credit card transition fee is $5 plus 3% of the transaction.  All paid by the tenant.
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Do you receive a confirmation that a payment has been submitted?
For each payment submitted on Renting Authority, the Payer and Payee will receive a confirmation email with the transaction id if a valid email address has been entered in the profiles for the users.
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How do I know the system is secure?
All transactions on Renting Authority are 128-bit encrypted and we use industry-standard Secure Socket layer (SSL) technology to protect your information.
We will never request or send your bank account information through email, if you ever receive an email requesting your bank account information please contact us immediately.
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How does the ACH process work?
The Automated Clearing House (ACH) Network is a nationwide batch-oriented electronic payment network to transfer funds between financial institutions. ACH payments provide improved cash management capabilities and lower costs than traditional paper payments by electronically debiting or crediting a company’s or individual’s deposit accounts, such as checking and savings accounts. The ACH Process consists of the following steps:
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1. A company or individual (Receiver) authorizes another company or individual (Originator) to initiate a transaction to their financial institution account.
2. Then the Originator submits the transaction to an Originating Depository Financial Institution, known as an ODFI.
3. The ODFI collects ACH transactions and then submits the consolidated information to an ACH Operator.
4. The ACH Operator processes the transactions from the ODFIs and distributes the transactions to the Receiving Depository Financial Institutions, know as an RDFI.
5. The RDFI receives the entries for its customer accounts and then posts the entries on the settlement date of the transaction.
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How do I contact Renting Authority?
You can use one of the following options to contact us, please let us know if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions:
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Email
support@rentingauthority.com
Renting Authority Customer Service Representatives are available to assist you Monday through Friday 9:00 AM MST to 5:00 PM MST
Telephone
1-(888)-674-9181
Fax: 1-(801)-406-0104
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Renter’s Common Questions
What are the Registration steps for a Renter?
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The renter clicks on the pay rent tab located in your website.  Follow the step by step instructions.
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Do I have to create a profile?
Yes, Renters are required to create a profile on the Renting Authority service in order to submit a Rental Payment. Creating a profile allows the Renter to easily submit Rental Payments without having to re-enter their account information for each payment.
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Can payments be submitted via telephone?
No
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Does Online Rent Pay allow credit cards to be used for paying rent?
Yes.  Renters pay a transaction fee of 3%  of the rent amount plus $5
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Property Manager/Owner’s Common Questions:
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What are the Registration steps for a Property Manager/Owner?
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Fax the following information to (801)406-0104:
  • A copy of a voided check for the checking account associated with the property.
  • A copy of a valid government issued I.D.
After we receive the voided check and I.D. we will activate the property so you can begin accepting rent payments online.
What is required to Activate a Property after it has been added?
For your security we require the following be faxed or emailed to us for each bank account used for receiving online payments:
- A copy of a voided check for the checking account associated with the property
- A copy of a valid government issued I.D.
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Fax: 1-(801) 406-0104
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Once we receive these two items we will activate your property so that you can begin accepting rent payments online. If you have multiple properties and use the same bank account for each property you only need to send the information once. If you use different bank accounts for your properties please send a voided check for each bank account.
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How fast will I get my rent money?
First time users of Renting Authority’s Online Rent Pay are required to wait a minimal of 5 business days.
Landlords in good standing with Renting Authority receive sub sequential Rent Funds in 3-4 business days.
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The funds will be deposited into the Payee’s banking account within 3-4 business days of the payment submission.  Payment must be submitted before 3pm EST to count for that day.  Payments received after 3pm EST will be processed the following business day.
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What happens if a rent check bounces?
The tenant is charged a $25 fee.  If Renting Authority has already transferred funds to the landlord, funds will be pulled back out of landlords account.
If funds have not yet been transferred to landlord’s account, landlord receives an email from Renting Authority informing of returned check.
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Renting Authority reserves the right to hold future rent checks transfers for a minimal of 5 business days with 2 of more returned checks within a 3 month period.
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Is Renting Authority acting as a collection agency?
Renting Authority’s Rent Payment Service assists both you and your Renter by facilitating electronic transactions between the parties. Renting Authority simply provides an electronic alternative to the traditional forms of rent payment. While this electronic alternative will bestow numerous benefits on both Property Owner/Managers and the Renter, the collection of such rents and related payments remain their legal responsibility. Renting Authority is in the business of simplifying the rent payment process, but unfortunately we are not in the business of collections.
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Can I use Online Rent Pay for any type of property?
Any property you are collecting payments or fees for can be used with Renting Authority, such as residential properties, multi-family properties, commercial properties, and vacation properties.
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Can I use different bank accounts for each property?
Yes
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Can I charge a late fee for late rent payments?
With Renting Authority you can specify what day of the month rent is late after and what fee to charge for late rent payments and the system will automatically generate a late fee transaction for late rent payments. When a fee is charged for late rent payments a separate transaction will be created to debit the renter instead of adding the fee amount to the rent payment.
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There isn’t an additional transaction fee for the late fee transaction though. The late fee transaction is scheduled for 2 days after the rent payment in order to provide time for the property manager to cancel the late fee before it is transmitted to the ACH system if warranted. The automatic late fee only applies to rent payment transaction types and not other transaction types, such as security deposit or utility payment for example.

Craig’s List and Renting Authority


I use Craig’s List as a way to find my tenants. I have found several good matches this way. I always post in my adds that I require an in person appointment and that I will require a credit & background checks.
This way it helps to weed out the scammers and losers. Thanks to Renting Authority, I have the ability to screen them, even though I am just one person with one property renting out separate rooms.
Beth

5 Reasons Renting Still Beats Buying


Jack Hough published an excellent Yahoo article earlier this week.
This weekend I’ll throw $1,100 down the drain. That is to say, I’ll pay my rent. Pop-finance pundits have long used the drain cliché to describe how renters like me waste money, while homeowners with mortgages “pay themselves” and “build equity.” In April 2007 I argued something different: Renting Makes More Financial Sense Than Home ownership. Basically, houses produce poor returns over long time periods while stocks and other investments produce good ones, and the outlook for houses is especially poor now, so I’d rather rent cheaply and funnel my extra cash into something other than a house.
Even though house prices have plunged and I have enough money to buy one, I’m still not nearly tempted. In what follows I’ll give five reasons. (The first two form the core of my original argument.) Before all this starts to sound too self-congratulatory, I’ll also explain the one big thing my essay got wrong.
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Reason 1: Houses produce lousy returns, while stocks produce good ones
Houses looked like smart investments in 2007. They had returned 9.3% a year for a decade, while stocks had returned just 5.9%. This year, with investors fleeing both houses and stocks, both probably look like a waste of money. But be careful about succumbing to what psychologists call recency bias — the tendency to form beliefs based largely on the most recent observations in a long series of data. For U.S. investors, reliable data on stocks and houses goes back well further than 10, 20 or even 50 years.
Stocks returned 7% a year for 200 years ended 2004, according to Wharton professor Jeremy Siegel. That’s after subtracting an average of 3% a year for inflation, or the gradual rise in prices of ordinary goods. The plunge in stock prices over the past 16 months makes me all the more sure that shares are poised to deliver good returns over the next decade or two. Houses returned 0.4% a year over 114 years ended 2004, according to Yale professor Robert Shiller, co-creator of the most widely used index for house prices. That number is suspiciously close to zero. Indeed, it might have been zero, reckons Shiller, if not for two periods of aggressive house buying, one spurred by government incentives following World War II and another created by the Federal Reserve’s drastic interest rate cuts in 2002 and 2003.
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Don’t Lock Out or Freeze Out a Tenant — It’s Illegal


Landlords are subject to penalties if they change the locks or shut off utilities to get a tenant out of rental property.

As any experienced landlord will attest, there are occasional tenants who do things that are so outrageous that the landlord is tempted to bypass normal legal protections and take direct and immediate action to protect the property. For example, after a tenant’s repeated destructive behavior, a landlord may consider changing the locks and putting the tenant’s property out in the street. Or, a landlord who is responsible for paying the utility charges may be tempted to simply not pay the bill in the hopes that the resulting lack of water, gas, or electricity will hasten a tenant’s departure.

Why You Shouldn’t Lock Out a Tenant

Landlords who take matters into their own hands often think that their behavior will be excused by the tenant’s egregious conduct. However, the fact that the tenant didn’t pay rent, left the property a mess, verbally abused the manager, or otherwise acted outrageously will not be a valid defense — and in fact, a landlord may well end up on the wrong end of a lawsuit for trespass, assault, battery, slander or libel, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and wrongful eviction. Defending this lawsuit will cost far more than evicting the tenant using legal court procedures.
Landlords or property managers who are tempted to take the law into their own hands to force or scare a troublesome tenant out of the property should heed the following advice: Don’t do it! Shortcuts such as threats, intimidation, utility shutoffs, or attempts to physically remove a tenant are illegal and dangerous. So, although the eviction process can often entail considerable expense and delay, consider it the only legal game in town. (For information on the steps you must take to evict a tenant legally, see How Evictions Work: Rules for Landlords and Property Managers.)

Avoid Penalties and Money Damages

Virtually every state that forbids “self-help” evictions also imposes penalties for landlords who break the law. When tenants sue after being locked out or frozen out, they can not only sue for their actual money losses (such as the cost of temporary housing, the value of food that spoiled when the refrigerator stopped running, or the cost of an electric heater when the gas was shut off), but they can also sue for penalties, such as several months’ rent. In some states, the tenant can collect and still remain in the premises; in others, tenants are entitled to monetary compensation only.
Even in states that have not legislated against self-help evictions, landlords who throw tenants out on their own run a risk of serious practical and legal entanglements. The potential for nastiness and violence is great — picture the arrival of a patrol car while tenant and landlord wrestle over the sofa on the lawn.
Landlords who lock out their tenants often find themselves sued over the “disappearance” of their tenant’s valuable possessions. The tenant will claim they were lost or taken when the landlord locked them up or removed them. Using a neutral law enforcement officer to enforce a judge’s eviction order will avoid these unpleasantries.
Article from www.Nolo.com