All Forum Posts by: Alison Brenner

Hi Denise, Congrats on your first application! I prescreen my applicants first. I have the applicant fill out an income verification form and a rental history form. I also have the applicant submit documentation showing 3x the rent per month for the three months prior to applying. If there is an employer, I contact the employer and the current property manager or landlord. Most people recommend contacting the previous and current landlord. I then ask the applicant to apply through Rent Spree (rentspree.com). You will need to create an account and property profile, and then enter the applicant's email into the system. The applicant will be invited to apply via email. Once they submit the application, Rent Spree will send you a credit and criminal history/background report. I recommend writing out your applicant criteria and distributing it to prospectives. You also want to make sure you get a copy of an identifying document, such as a DL, to confirm they are who the say they are.. Hope this helps.

I think BP offers some services as well. I am not familiar with them.

Put your screening criteria in writing and use prescreening forms. Put together a prescreening packet that includes your criteria, a rental history form, and an income verification form. I usually leave a stack next to a candy bowl in the vacant unit. Prospectives can review it and decide whether they want to apply. I always run credit as a the last step in the application process but that choice is based primarily on my location and California law.

Experian Boost? I use Buildium as well. My tenants love that feature. I've heard Experian Boost offers something similar.

Not an attorney..just an OC landlord. If I understand your question correctly, the answer is "no." I think you are saying that you use PM software, which allows residents to pay online. One habitually late payer was unable to pay this month because you modified the software settings to disallow partial rent payments. My understanding is this is exactly what you should do if you offer online payment methods. If you had accepted a partial payment, then you would have a problem with proceeding with the UD action. Per my attorney, always cut the tenant portal and do not accept any form of payment once the 3-day notice payment deadline expires. If you accept even $1 from the resident, you will have to start the process over again.
The second part of your question regarding changing payment methods is more complicated and depends on your lease terms. If your resident is month-to-month, you can serve a 30 day change of terms notice. If your resident is fixed term, you have to live with written terms until the lease expires.
I sincerely hope this helps. I've got a great eviction attorney if needed.

Post your screening criteria in the body of the listing. This should deter some but not all who do not qualify. Having a written criteria also helps protect against discrimination claims. Here's mine as an example:

Applicant Screening Criteria(June 2023).

Please review the following criteria before applying.

• 3 to 1 combined gross income to rent ratio: $5550 to $1850.
• No Evictions (5 years).
• No Bankruptcies (5 years).
• Credit score of 650+.
• Income verification required.
• Existing landlord debt disqualifies application.
• All adults over the age of 18 must submit a rental application, meet the application criteria, and sign the lease agreement.
• Identity documents must match applicant(s) information as stated on the rental application(s).
• No incomplete applications.
• No more than two tenants/occupants per unit.

Clean, clean, clean.
Appliances and LVP are huge. I LOVE Frigidaire ranges. They look more expensive than they are.
Fixtures and hardware. Can't emphasize this enough. Brainerd cabinet hardware. Hampton Bay ceiling fans. Moen, Delta, or Kohler faucets. Spending a little more here pays off.
And paint. I prefer Sherwin Williams Pure White : ) - Be sure to schmooze the customer rep. They can offer "Pro" discounts without a Pro account.
If you do not want to replace cabinets, you can always paint or stain them.
Hope this helps!

Quote from @Cathy B.:

Quote from @Alison Brenner:

3) Replace all detectors - battery operated is preferable, IMO. Charge the cost of installation and materials to the residents.

Careful.  For newer construction, code requires hard wired smoke detectors in most jurisdictions.  Going backwards would be a code violation if they are already hard wired.  FYI.

That's interesting. I had no clue. In Cali, we have a 10 year battery requirement for battery-powered and have to specify in our lease whether the device is battery-powered or hard-wired. Most of my PM friends recommend battery-powered. Very useful nugget of info. Thank you!

In addition to Bill's advice:
1) Check the lease terms. Make sure that there's something about tenants removing the smoke/CO detector.
2) Serve a 3 day cure notice stating that tenants are in violation of lease agreement by removing the detectors.
3) Replace all detectors - battery operated is preferable, IMO. Charge the cost of installation and materials to the residents.
4) Let them know that this is a violation of the lease agreement and state law, as well as a safety concern. In the future, failure to comply with the signed lease agreement will result in termination of their lease agreement.
5) Document everything.

What kind of debt? Student loans? Medical? Some prop managers view student loans differently than CC debt, for example.
What's their current monthly rent? If it's within ballpark of your asking, that's reassuring. If they will be going from $1500 to $3200...that's worth a pause for thought.

@Chris Seveney

Thanks so much, Chris. I spoke with the attorney. He thinks that the subcontractor cannot place a lien on the property without sending a notice prior to beginning work.