Tenant Verification Services provides landlords and property managers with a variety of screening options. Select a market to sign up or learn more.
A Nova Scotia couple faced the landlord nightmare of a lifetime when they discovered the condition of their rental property - a mess so egregious that the news agency videotaping it warned that viewers may find the images disturbing. One landlord, a 10-year veteran,...
Short-term rental platform Airbnb announced that it is adding two new regulations to host listings in Canada. Guests under the age of 25 no longer will be eligible to book unsupervised or "whole house" listings in their own communities. Additionally, Airbnb has...
When rents spiked in Denver five years ago, lawmakers resisted the urge to overregulate. Instead, they encouraged developers and added more inventory -- much more inventory. Over 12,000 new units -- four times the previous average -- were added last year alone. Rents...
The prequalification process is a crucial step in screening tenants. By asking a few questions on that first phone call, landlords can weed out unqualified renters before wasting time showing a unit to someone who won't be living there. Prequalification should be...
HUD has issued a new guidance paper aimed at clarifying the process for handling companion animal requests. The move comes after HUD agreed to investigate growing concern over fraudulent companion animal requests -- those made by pet owners attempting to avoid a...
Oakland, California City Council last month passed an ordinance that prevents virtually all landlords there from researching a rental applicant's criminal history. The measure prohibits landlords from inquiring in any fashion about an applicant's past criminal...
"You don't have to answer that." That's the advice given to a tenant after she showed a landlord's rental application to a legal services volunteer. And for good reason. The landlord asked applicants to identify if they were alcoholics. Another question asks...
After a spike in complaints over serious delays at the Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board, Ontario's Ombudsman announced an investigation to address the problem. According to Ombudsman Paul Dubé, complaints about long wait times in obtaining hearings and decisions by...
One hundred five. That's the total number of cats rescued from a two-bedroom apartment in Guelph last week. The tenant voluntarily surrendered the animals to the Guelph Humane Society after she was evicted from the apartment for causing an estimated $20,000 in damage,...
The rental vacancy rate continues to decline across Canada, according to CMHC's latest Rental Market Report. The average vacancy rate for all unit sizes currently is 2.2%, the lowest figure since 2002, as demand continues to outpace supply. CMHC points to the 1.5%...
Rental leasing trends for 2020 are revealing a few surprises: Tenants Prefer Face-to-Face Property Tours The latest technology allows apartment-seekers to tour properties on their own. That has never been a good idea for landlords. Self-guided tours are a lost...
With all the variations in city, state, and federal rental laws, drafting the perfect lease agreement is a moving target. If your lease has never been reviewed by an attorney, or if it has been a while since it was updated, you might want to check for these potential...
California is among at least 15 other states and over 100 cities that have passed prohibitions against source of income discrimination. This month, California broadens its rules to include rental applicants using Section 8 vouchers. Several California cities already...
The Department of Justice announced last month that it is suing the city of Hesperia, California, along with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, for enforcing a nuisance ordinance that it says violates the Fair Housing Act. According to the complaint, the...
Stop tenant fraud, and you'll prevent the resulting income loss. A little detective work early in the tenant screening process can expose a would-be nightmare tenant. But in the rush to fill a vacancy, some landlords miss important opportunities to screen tenants:...
When a tenant first rented a unit, the landlord agreed in writing that the tenant could have a roommate, and if that roommate moved out, the tenant could remain. So, not a co-tenancy agreement. Later, after the first roommate moved out, the tenant found another...
A British Columbia landlord was able to stave off a claim by his tenant who wanted over $9,000 in damages -- including loss of furnishings, hotel stays, meals, a temporary rental, two month's rent, moving costs, and hydro -- because of mould in the unit. The tenant...
Toronto is moving forward with its plans to limit short-term rentals, including overnight vacation listings on Airbnb, to principal residences only. The registration bylaw was passed in 2018, but enforcement was paused after a legal challenge brought by landlords of...
Now is the time to get ahead of recent trends and start your new year off on the right foot: Sticking Landlords with the Affordability Problem Tenant screening restrictions Affordable housing -- or the lack of it -- is the prevalent issue in many metro areas today....
Rents are rising and will likely continue to accelerate in 2020, that according to the latest Market Report from Zillow. Apartment rents grew 2.3% year-over-year, driving the median U.S. rent up to $1,600 per month. At the same time, housing values showed the lowest...
