Tenant Verification Services provides landlords and property managers with a variety of screening options. Select a market to sign up or learn more.
Most landlords think fall leasing is just for students, but this time of year can generate many other opportunities and challenges. Successful fall leasing requires an understanding of the realities and mindset that all of your prospective fall renters are facing. For...
The value of a lease agreement is stated right on its face. But that's not what a landlord is going to get if there's a breach. Although there is a lump sum owed for the agreed-upon term of the lease, that figure is misleading for landlords who think they can bank it....
Manitoba landlords need to come up to speed on recent changes to the Residential Tenancies Act: August 1, 2014 Changes According to the Residential Tenancies Branch, landlords who allow pets can charge a pet damage deposit equal to one month's rent. If a current...
When most people think about fall leasing, the knee-jerk reaction is to think student rentals. If your property is in a college town then, yes, you will naturally be interacting with student renters -- and all their unique proclivities. But the challenges and...
Rental repairs are as much a part of property management as tenant screening and landlord forms. Whether a property is old or new, repairs are going to be needed, and the requests will never come at a convenient time. Preparing for the inevitable will make it feel...
Q:I am wondering about the verification letter from a doctor (prescribing a companion animal). Does that person who is treating our tenant have to be local, or do we have to accept a letter from someone who is not in our state, and, in my opinion, not really treating...
A number of cases have arisen in recent months where landlords have been sued for discrimination over evicting or rejecting pregnant tenants. Landlords stand to lose tens of thousands of dollars to fines if they discriminate, and that warrants a look at when occupancy...
A professional property manager missed a litany of red flags that should have prevented her from choosing a bad tenant, according to a judge with the Provincial Court in British Columbia. The court case was brought by the rental property owner against his management...
Two tenants who have been subject to eight eviction actions have now paid $6,000 to a previous landlord in British Columbia to avoid going to jail. The duo's extensive eviction history was exposed by CBC news this year. Reporters calculate that the couple generated...
Ontario's rent increase guideline for 2015 has been set at 1.6 per cent. This figure represents the maximum a landlord can increase a tenant's rent without first seeking approval from the Landlord and Tenant Board. The guideline applies to rent increases throughout...
The Residential Tenancy Branch in British Columbia announced that it has revised the Rules of Procedure for dispute resolution hearings. Beginning June 28, 2014, landlords or tenants applying for dispute resolution are requested to submit their evidence along with...
They say hindsight is 20/20, which is an unfortunate reality for landlords, especially when they only see a tenant's flaws after being scammed out of tens of thousands of dollars. Take the example of a Los Angeles homeowner turned landlord who reported to the...
Do you insist on money orders for rent payment? Many landlords do. Some do it because they are concerned about cash in drop boxes or in the office. Others feel it's a safety blanket that protects against bounced checks. A few do it out of habit. But, like everything...
Safety is a high priority for renters, according to a new survey conducted by two major apartment and home listing services. Homes.com® and sister site, ForRent.com® found that tenants looking for a new rental home placed security very high on the priority list,...
Do you consider yourself a crime-fighter? Not many landlords have training in law enforcement, but that's not stopping city officials across the country from holding landlords accountable for disruptive tenants. Recently, a local police chief told his city council...
The infamous tenant from hell who has been been featured by the Toronto Star for her long string of eviction cases is reportedly at it again. The newspaper became interested in the story in 2012, after hearing from landlord victims. At that time, the paper conducted...
The key to optimizing the rental application process is to first realize that it’s not about completing rental forms. If there’s one phrase that best describes the screening process, from vacancy to new tenant, it’s a process of elimination. The goal throughout that...
A landlord in British Columbia lost its bid to enforce a provision allowing it to recover a $1,000 move-in bonus offered to a tenant who later defaulted on rent. The case went before the Residential Tenancy Branch after the tenant's rent payments fell two months...
The latest Rental Market Survey by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation was released this month, revealing that the average vacancy rate for primary purpose-built apartments remained unchanged. The vacancy rate in Canada’s 35 major centres was 2.7 per cent in April...
The way you communicate says a lot about the person you are. The same is true of prospective tenants. Evaluating a rental applicant's communication style is one of the best ways to spot potential problems. It’s not so much the words that someone chooses, but the...
