Tenant Verification Services provides landlords and property managers with a variety of screening options. Select a market to sign up or learn more.
Landlords in many states are facing a temporary ban on evictions for nonpayment of rent. Even in states that don't have a ban, the courts are closed or on reduced hours. As the summer progresses, these courts will need time to process the backlog. One option that can...
An Airbnb host in Tampa is facing criminal charges after renting a property for two nights. Florida is one of many states and several major cities that have banned vacation rentals during the pandemic. According to a police report, local teenagers were throwing a...
The majority of tenants in Canada did make full or partial payments for the month of April. According to a news report, 85% of tenants made some form of payment to their landlords, with 70-75% paying in full. That's positive news for the rental industry as a whole,...
Over the past several weeks, we've all been inundated with news about the pandemic. In that sea of constantly changing information, two facts are emerging. Social distancing and stepped-up sanitation measures do work to slow the contagion. And, with no cure at the...
British Columbia announced in March that it would provide a rent supplement of up to $500 per month to tenants impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Information is now available to guide tenants who wish to apply for this assistance. Payments will be made directly to the...
Short-term rentals are suffering another blow this month as Ontario and Quebec have prohibited hosts from offering properties to travelers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ontario's order provides that short-term listings booked after April 4th are limited only to those...
While the numbers are not yet in, it has been estimated that as many as 40% of tenants did not pay April rent, at least not yet. Financial relief may be weeks away, so for now, focus on the short-term, one step at a time: 1. Work out a payment plan with tenants. If...
The National Multifamily Housing Council has compiled a resource guide for landlords that is worth bookmarking. The NMHC's Coronavirus HUB is being updated in real time and covers a wide range of relevant property management topics, from the latest legislative efforts...
The COVID-19 outbreak is challenging landlords who are looking to fill vacancies, especially in tenant-occupied properties. Where it may have made sense a few weeks ago to run tours through a unit before the current tenant moves out, that's no longer a viable option,...
As many landlords are scrambling to shore up cash flow, there are some who are enjoying relative stability: those who manage affordable housing units. Proponents of government housing assistance programs like Section 8 have for some time been touting the benefits for...
The Canadian government has announced an economic stimulus plan to counteract the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Several provinces have pledged supplemental assistance to individuals and businesses. Rent Supplements At this time, the most robust rental...
As landlords work through the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, it's important not to lose sight of the need for active property management to minimize income loss day to day. For now, focus on the immediate: Calm Your Tenants As frightening as it is for...
Good credit is an important asset for both landlords and tenants. Throughout 2020, landlords may need to qualify for operating loans, pull cash out of investment properties, buy properties, or refinance to stay financially sound. Tenants need good credit to find...
Investors who purchased residential properties with the hope of renting them out on short-term sites like Airbnb and individual tenants who have come to rely on extra income from renting out a room to travelers may have cause for concern now that the current pandemic...
New Bedford, Massachusetts lawmakers are mulling a "problem property" ordinance with an eye toward reducing local crime statistics. According to a news report, City Council is considering adding a provision requiring landlords to purchase -- for $30 -- a local...
The way to save time and avoid bad tenants is to take a surgical approach to tenant screening by focusing solely on qualifications. Detours and tangents only lead to irrelevant information. Use the checklist below to help you stick to the basics: First Contact Begin...
A series of pro-tenant rental regulations are moving through the Colorado General Assembly, the latest of which is a bill that would prevent courts from reporting evictions unless the judge ultimately signs an eviction order. Under the proposed measure, if the...
Twin Cities landlords no longer are required to provide new tenants with voter registration information after a judge found the ordinances unconstitutional. In 2016, Minneapolis lawmakers passed a measure requiring landlords to provide city-approved voter registration...
When confronted by his landlords for bouncing his first rent cheque, an Ontario tenant informed the couple that he and his family intended to stay in the home -- rent-free -- for as long as it took the landlords to obtain an eviction order. According to a news report,...
It's heartbreaking to hear landlord horror stories, especially when they start with "I thought I found the perfect tenant," or "I was trying to do something nice." Problem tenants are the exception to the rule, but they are out there, and they tend to repeat the...
