Tenant Verification Services provides landlords and property managers with a variety of screening options. Select a market to sign up or learn more.
For the second time in two years, California voters defeated a ballot measure that would have paved the way for cities to enact more stringent rent control. In 2018, voters defeated a similar measure. Both propositions lost by a 60% majority. The failure to pass rent...
Lawmakers in San Francisco have passed an ordinance to support landlords whose tenants cannot pay rent due to the pandemic. According to a report by the city's Budget and Legislative Analyst, the eviction moratorium put in place in response to COVID-19 has cost...
Major property management firms report that tenant fraud -- rental applicants who misrepresent qualifications -- is a common occurrence. These applicants are the most likely to become nightmare tenants, skipping out on rent, damaging the property, or causing...
A retired British Columbia couple in their seventies shared their frustration after their tenants disappeared during the province's eviction moratorium, leaving the fixed-income landlords with over $4,500 in unpaid rent. To add insult to injury, at least one of the...
With pandemic eviction bans coming to an end, it is likely many landlords will be queueing up for dispute resolution, some for the first time. Judging by recent decisions coming out of these tribunals, it is apparent that some landlords are going into dispute...
Landlords in British Columbia will not be allowed to increase rent in December as previously announced by the Province. In March 2020, the Province ordered a freeze on rent increases due to the pandemic. Subsequent emergency orders had slated rent increases to begin...
After enacting a ban on eviction filings for nonpayment of rent from September 4 through December 31, the Administration issued further guidance last week that is causing some confusion. This latest guidance comes in the form of an FAQ offered jointly from the CDC,...
Louisiana's legislature rejected a bill that would have prevented landlords there from obtaining eviction records on tenants who did not pay rent during the pandemic. The measure would have prevented courts from reporting eviction cases for nonpayment that occurred...
With an expected wave of eviction filings for nonpayment of rent to begin in January, rental applicants are going to begin to line up for vacancies. Some paid rent and simply are relocating. Others didn't pay anything and they're leaving before the current landlord...
A lease agreement should include provisions that help landlords avoid income loss -- including these: Joint and Several Liability “Tenants shall be jointly and severally liable for all obligations under this lease.” Few tenants understand the legal ramifications of...
Most rental applicants out there right now are decent people looking for a place to live. But among them are a handful who have no intention of paying rent, and others who have shown no respect for their previous landlords or tenancy agreements. The trick to tenant...
An Ontario landlord was ordered to pay $15,000 and attend Human Rights training after rejecting a couple applying for a vacancy because the husband was not white. According to a published decision at the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal, when the wife responded to a...
Vancouver's City Council is considering a motion calling for a province-wide prohibition on landlords who refuse to accept tenants with pets. Councillors argue that pets are a way for residents to soothe the emotional fallout from the pandemic and resulting social...
With pandemic precautions still in place as we approach the winter months, it is important for landlords to limit property visits. Mould is a pesky problem that is difficult to remedy once it takes hold. Potential health consequences require both tenants and landlords...
As many states were set to lift bans on eviction proceedings against nonpaying tenants, the President signed an Executive Order directing the CDC to declare a public health emergency and to implement a ban on evictions. That ban, which began September 4, cites the...
According to a new survey conducted by real estate giant Zillow®, landlords now are nearly twice as likely to offer rent concessions to new applicants as they were earlier this year. In February, some form of concession was offered by 16% of landlords, while in July...
It appears landlords and tenants will continue to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic for several more months. As the end of the year approaches, it's important to consider strategies needed to adapt to today's challenges: Tenant Screening in the Age of COVID-19...
Landlords in Massachusetts are lobbying their state legislature to reject a proposal that would require rental property owners there to offer a first right of refusal to purchase any properties brought to market. Referred to as TOPA laws, the acronym first was...
Emergency orders surrounding the pandemic have forced landlords to accept repayment plans allowing tenants to defer rent payments over time. Some provinces have extended that time frame well into 2021. Where does that leave the landlord when the tenant decides to move...
British Columbia The annual allowable rent increase for 2021 in British Columbia has been set at 1.4%. This figure is less than half of what landlords could have expected in previous years, according to a statement by the Province's Ministry of Municipal Affairs and...
