Protect Yourself, Take Pictures

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Again and again I see tenants cheated out of their security deposit and unable to do anything. Often because they did not take the proper steps to protect themselves from a bad landlord. Many not realizing that they were at risk until it was too late.

Its important to make sure that you take pictures and videos of the apartment, both before you move in and right before you leave. That way you have evidence to prove that the damage was not there prior to your leaving or in the case of previous damage, already there before you move in.

Renting Vs Owning

There are a lot of reasons people rent or own. Here are some of the major ones.

Renting

Pros

• Your not bound to a property
• Landlord's job to maintain
• More affordable

Cons

• Can't alter property with out permission
• You don't own the property
• Landlord can cause issues

Buying A Home

Pros

• Its an asset
• You can change anything you like
• You can sell it to gain back money spent

Cons

• Responsible for all issues
• Can be hard to sell if there are issues
• Cost a lot of money

Landlord Responsibilities

General landlord responsibilities include:

• Know your tenant rental rights. The best way to protect your rights is to know them.
• Learn about tenant landlord laws regarding the State/Province you are renting in.

Providing a livable unit... Livability means that the unit should:

• Be weather and waterproof
• Have working plumbing
• Provide enough hot and cold running water
• Have a working heating system
• Have an electrical system in good working order
• Be free from infestations of insects and rodents
• Have sufficient trash cans
• Have floors, stairways and railings in good repair
• Have natural lighting in every room
• Have working windows that open at least halfway or mechanical ventilation
• Have safe fire or emergency exits leading to
  street or hallway
• Have a working deadbolt lock on main entrance
• Have working security devices on windows
• Have working smoke detectors
• Have a secure mailbox facility that prevents Identity Thieves from stealing mail

Landlords should show respect and consideration for tenants by:

• Providing the tenant with a list on move-in-day such as where to put the cardboard boxes, where to park, a vacuum to clean up any mess, flyers or brochures for a pizza delivery or Chinese food, show up and ask how things are going, help where you can and perhaps make suggestions where required
• Treating all tenants equally
• Educating tenants about rights & responsibilities refer to www.tenantsinfo.com
• Respecting tenant(s) privacy and quiet/peaceful enjoyment of the rental
• Never becoming involved in a heated argument or physical confrontation with a tenant
• Never swearing or yelling at a tenant
• Putting in writing requests, warnings, notices of change etc.
• Maintaining clean premises so that the tenant can take pride in his/her surroundings (no clutter)
• Effectively communicating with tenant(s) on a constant basis to determine if any problems
• Knowing tenant(s) habits to prevent crime i.e. when at work, when at home, when on holidays
• Making all accessible areas safe and well lit that includes parking
• Developing a sense of community, get input from the tenant as to how you can make things better
• Providing the tenant with an incentive or a reward for paying on time and letting tenant know how much you appreciate him/her being a good tenant
• Offering good tenants a Certificate of Satisfactory Tenancy upon termination of satisfactory lease period from www.tenantverification.com
• Showing common sense in all dealings and problem solving with tenant
• Treat tenants as you would like them to treat you

Landlord Advice

A tenant with a bad tenant history with other landlords and a poor credit history that includes bad pay habits, can cause nightmarish issues, where there is property damage or worse, where an Individual has a propensity for violence or other dangerous criminal activity. It is extremely important with the liability issues we all face today that a suitable tenant screening process is implemented in each and every application for rent. www.Tenantverification.com offers tenant screening resources to help landlords find the right tenant. this includes a criminal and eviction search and consumer credit report. It’s much easier to deny an applicant tenancy than it is to go through the tenant eviction process. Reporting tenant pay habits to the TVS database minimizes the risk of late rentpayment, non rent payment and other activity that is associated with not paying rent. The two go hand in hand, not paying rent and not being responsible tenants.

Failure to fulfill tenant responsibilities can result in a tenant eviction. In the case of unpaid rent or money owed as a result of damaged rental property, a landlord can have the debt reported to the major credit bureaus through a collection agency. It is important that a tenant does not breach the rental agreement/lease.. A tenant eviction and unpaid rent can have a negative impact on one's ability to rent in the future. Tenants often do not consider the consequences when breaching a rental agreement/lease.

Information from www.tenantsinfo.com and www.atenantscreen.com

How to Start out As a Landlord: 8 steps (with pictures) - wikiHow

How to Start out As a Landlord

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Have some extra money and not sure where to invest it? Have you ever thought about becoming a landlord? You couldn't pick a better time to start on this rewarding career choice. The renting market is booming and properties are current cheap to buy. A landlord is not a easy career choice, there are times when it can be a lot of work, but with time and some effort, it can be a rewarding investment.

Steps

1. First you need to find a property. While renting is up there are still some places with no renting market. This can be the result of several things such as too many apartments already, or it could be a popular area for new families to buy their first own. Note that a property in a good area might be more money but will attract better tenants who will be willing to pay more money.
2. Once you have the property its time to make it ready for your first tenants. You'll want to make sure everything is up to code. Pick fairly neutral colors when decorating. You don't want the place to look like a hospital but you also don't want to scary a way tenants with bright colors.
3. Next you need to create an application. There are hundreds of free ones online you can print off and adjust to meet your needs.
4. While your printing out your application you should grab a lease as well. Spend some time decide what things you are firm on, and what you are willing to negotiate. Consider things like pets, early lease, repairs and smoking.
5. Now its time to go looking for tenants. The are several ways you can advertise for apartments- web,papers, signs, even the radio. The more people apply, the better options you have.
6. Once you have a stack of filled out applications its time to start reviewing them. There are tenant screening sites all over the web to help you. It generally a good idea to pick a site that is BBB certified like http://www.tenantverification.com and http://www.atenantscreen.com. Less risk of them being a scam since BBB monitors and will kick any business with poor conduct or lots of complaints.
7. After you have narrowed down the field based on prior evictions, criminal records and credit it is time to start the leg work. Call potential tenant's previous landlords, bosses, and run a google search. You will be amazed by what you can find and by what some people might pull.
8. Once you got your tenants, maintaining property will be your main focus. If you don't have the spare time and are earning the money, you may want to invest in a property manager.

Tips

• Specify in you lease when the rent is do and how much the late fee is.
• Take pictures of the apartment or house before the tenant moves in.
• You can learn more about landlord responsibilities at http://www.tenantsinfo.com.
• Tenants who have been with their job for longer periods of time are less likely to lose their job.
• Insure that everyone living in the apartment over the age of 18 is on the lease.
• Look for a tenant who makes 3 times as much a month as what you are asking for.

Warnings

• Be caution around sob stories. They are often used to guilt landlords into renting to a risk tenant and are often a scam.
• Identity theft is rampant. Make sure to compare ages and description to reports.
• In the case of eviction, make sure to follow all legal procedures.
• Keep paperwork for tenants until 3 years after they move out.

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Start out As a Landlord. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Avoid Losing Your Security Deposit

Top Deposit Busters for Renters

by Helene Lesel

 

Security deposit use and abuse leads the list of litigation between landlords and tenants. So how can one avoid dispute and slide out of home safely? First, understand what monies can be deducted from deposits. Basics include unpaid rent, cleaning and returning the premises to the condition as when first rented.

 

Top deposit busters include:

1. Rent

Prior to taking off, most states require a tenant to give written notice to the landlord. State notice requirements vary from 10 to 30 days, with written notice usually required to prevent misunderstandings about rent owed or date of departure. Some tenants assume that if their lease is up, they can simply leave. Not so fast, unless you want to leave some money behind. Unpaid rent is a common deposit deduction when forgetting to give notice—30 days' worth in some states—and may be kept by the landlord if no written notice was provided before exiting. It doesn't cost a thing to give written notice—and saves misunderstandings later.

2. Extra rent

Slipping out early or breaking a lease altogether can cause the deposit to be forfeited for the amount equal to the rent due—and then some. Until a suitable replacement tenant is found, you may be on the financial hook. Fish around for suggestions from the manager or landlord for catching up with a replacement tenant. Not getting along with your roommate? You'll need to pitch in your share of the rent until another person replaces your spot.

3. Cleaning

Often a tidy sum is kept by landlords for cleaning. "But it wasn't clean when I moved in," some tenants lament at move-out, according to Jim Silton of Silton Management in Westwood, Calif. "If it isn't clean, be sure to complain at move-in. At move-out, it's too late," Jim notes. Units have to be returned at the same level of clean as when first rented, or the deposit may be used to mop up the mess.

What type of cleaning? Here it gets tricky. Some landlords consider "clean" just removing your worldly possessions, while others expect the carpet shampooed and the grout scrubbed using a toothbrush and bleach. To help define the level at move-in, before and after photos are ideal. If not, ask for a cleaning checklist from the landlord if you wish to tackle the task yourself at move-out.

4. Restoring to original condition

Hotly contested by both landlord and tenant, "condition as when first rented" is a term often used in leases, but often not documented. Allowable as a deposit deduction, protect yourself with lots of photographs or video of the move-in condition. Some states, such as Arizona and Washington, require that a move-in inspection checklist be given to new tenants. Others, such as California, only have a move-out inspection requirement at the present time. Check state code for details. No matter what the law, document now or defend later.

5. Damage

Think of damage as injury to the premises. Often a spontaneous event, damage can range from a broken window to a torn rug. The longer you leased a place, the more wear and tear is expected, especially for carpets and paint.

6. Excessive wear tear and changes:

If you rented a car and dented the fender… that would be damage. But what if you rented a car for a year? Common sense would expect the tires to be worn, but not be ruined by a spike strip. Visualize the same for a rental. How does one avoid being charged? Once again, an inventory walk-through with photographic backup should set the pace.

7. Missing items

For example, if the place was rented with towel racks, return it with the same towel racks. Any fixture, which means anything attached, cannot be removed unless permission was granted (in writing) by the landlord.

8. Deduction warning

Being warned of deposit deductions is now part of state law in such places as California, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee, to name a few. Other states may have laws pending or newly in effect (check for details with your local or state source). The warning includes a mandatory notice to tenants by the landlord of the option of doing a pre-move-out inspection. Not sure where to get a basic form?

An itemized checklist, great to start and end a tenancy with, is available from many sources, including from the Landlord-Tenant Checklist. Probably the best protection against unfair deductions, the "prior-to-move-out walk-through" allows both landlord and tenant to get a grip on potential security deposit deductions—before anyone flies off the handle.

article from www.tenantsinfo.com, brought to you by www.tenantverification.com and www.atenantscreen.com

The Good, the Bad and the downright Ugly Tenant

There are lots of different tenants out there. Some times it amazes me how often a landlord will end up stuck dealing with a tenant bound and determined to cause trouble who has a record for it. 

With the technology of this age it is much easier to get a hold of records and numbers. The first thing any landlord should do is run a tenant screening on the potential tenant. Make sure to use a legit company, preferably one a member of the BBB like http://www.tenantverification.com/ and http://www.atenantscreen.com/. Don't just run a credit check, get a national criminal record check done, get their eviction record searched. 

Then comes the fun part. Its time to do some research. Check arrest records, you will be amazed by some of the things you can learn. If someone has been arrested multiple times it is probably best to not rent to them, even if they were never convicted. Either they keep getting luck or they hang out with people you don't want visiting your apartment.

Check the news. You won't believe how many tenants have taken multiple landlords to court and then go find a new landlord to rip off. 

Call jobs. I once had a potential tenant make up a fake pay stub. I called the place they were suppose to be working and found out that said person had been fired 6 months ago for stealing. 

Talk to past landlords. Sometimes problem tenants don't have records. Its not against the law to be a pain and your not likely to find records on how often they called their landlord to complain over stupid things. 

For more tips http://www.tenantsinfo.com/ is a good source of landlord tenant information.