Seattle landlords would be almost completely prohibited from screening prospective tenants based on their criminal histories, under a proposed ordinance approved by a City Council committee Tuesday. The only people who could be denied housing based on their criminal histories would be those listed on sex-offender registries because of adult convictions. And landlords denying housing…
Landlords can sometimes get a bad rap for being ruthless, money-driven tyrants. The truth is, many landlords do a great job at keeping their tenants happy and, in return, reap the benefits of these people being taken care of. There is a downside for you as a landlord, though, and that occurs when you have not…
The single biggest mistake you can make in property investment is buying the wrong property. The next one – and by far the most common – is getting the wrong tenants to live in it. If you have the wrong tenant in your property, your life as a landlord can be hell. The right tenant,…
By utilizing the proper tenant screening methods, you may be able to avoid future problems and headaches by performing the proper prescreening process. Screening prospective tenants is much like interviewing candidates for a job. Asking good resident screening questions will help you determine who will make the best tenants for your property. Prescreening questions for…
Believe it or not, effectively screening tenants can help you to eliminate as much as 95% of rental problems. That said, for those of you who find it difficult to relax when experiencing vacancies, then you’d probably want your property to get rented as soon as possible, right? Well, familiarize yourself with these tips to…
Our son had been renting our home and just moved out. Now we have to find a renter. We are 75 and 85 years old and are afraid we don’t know enough about this to do it ourselves. What are the advantages of using a Realtor vs. a rental management company to find a good…
When interviewing prospective tenants, you want to make sure you get the best tenant for your property, so naturally, you want to ask them as many questions as possible. You have to be careful however. There are many questions which you are legally not allowed to ask tenants. Learn what not to say when interviewing…
There are over 70 million Americans with arrest records. By providing rentals for felons, you can increase the pool of renters for your apartments while enjoying the satisfaction of knowing that you are helping an ex-convict get back on his or her feet. Yet there’s a bigger reason to rent to felons: By denying potential renters…
Tenants are an important part of your investment property succeeding, so how can you secure the right ones every time? In the first of this two-part series, Matt McCann, CEO of LocalAgentFinder.com.au shares his 10 tips on getting the best tenants and avoiding high turnover. 1. Find the right property manager Finding the right team…
In recent years, there has been a proliferation of “drive-by lawsuits” involving the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”). Such actions typically involve a plaintiff’s lawyer cruising around town with a disabled individual in search of retail properties whose premises are in violation of the ADA. Indeed, these lawsuits are so prevalent that 60 Minutesrecently dedicated…