With the ongoing vaccine rollout and a new stimulus and relief deal in Congress, there is hope on the horizon that 2021 will bring an end to the economic pain brought on by the pandemic. Businesses can reopen, renters can get jobs, and landlords can get paid. But...
Rent incentives are back, and tenants can find them in cities across the country. Many Seattle landlords currently are offering six weeks free rent. New York City tenants can expect two free months. Same in Philadelphia and Boston. Washington, D.C. landlords are...
At least 11 Toronto-area landlords are suffering income loss after the same tenant scammed them using a fake name. According to this news report, the tenant provided documentation under an alias name to secure leases on multiple properties. The tenant allegedly...
Running tenant credit is the final step in the tenant screening process. This information helps landlords: Uncover tenant fraud including identity theft and false identity; Confirm the applicant's qualifications; and, Gain leverage for on-time rent payments. A credit...
Citing the apparent success of the Empty Homes Tax in creating more rental housing, Vancouver lawmakers voted to increase the tax in 2021, sending an "even stronger message" to owners of vacant properties. This vacancy tax currently is set at 1.25% of the property's...
Nova Scotia's Housing Minister has announced provincewide temporary emergency measures including a limit on rent increases. That rent cap is retroactive to September 1, 2020. Under the new emergency orders, rent cannot be increased by more than 2% each year. The cap...
The rental industry is experiencing a significant rise in fraud activity among applicants, that according to a new fraud analysis from TransUnion Credit Bureau. During the period from March 2020 to August 2020, landlords saw a nearly 30% increase in applicants who...
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...