The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting social distancing guidelines have impacted the way landlords manage rental properties, including how they find and screen tenants. Companies that offer turnkey leasing services are touting the benefits of online leasing, such as...
Category
Tenant Screening
Screening Tenants at a Distance
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed a spotlight on our social interactions. Experts warn that the social distancing guidelines currently in place in most states may be with us long into the summer, and possibly beyond. To avoid liabilities -- and avoid picking the wrong...
Property Management Strategies for Summer 2020
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...
Virtual Reality: Social Distancing Reshapes Property Showings
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,...
New Rules on Criminal Background Checks Run the Gamut
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...
How to Screen Tenants (Without Wasting Your Time)
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...
Colorado Lawmakers Push to Suppress Eviction Records
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...
How to Spot a Nightmare Tenant
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...
Airbnb Places Restrictions on Canadian Rentals
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...
6 Mistakes to Avoid When Prequalifying Renters
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...