All Forum Posts by: Ariel O.

 If I had to guess it would be because they can't afford the price point. There is a metric ton of regulation surrounding payments in any space, but no desire on the part of smaller landlords to really pay for it. It just doesn't work economically. Could be other reasons, too.

For credit cards, get a stripe.com account. For ACH, get an ACH authorization from your tenants and debit them monthly.

@John T.

There are some weird things you're saying which I don't get. You think Tenant Screening is going to help you prevent non smokers? And in terms of criminal stuff - if you have someone who is in the US legally, especially on longer term visas (H, J etc), then I think it's fair to rely on the work CBP has done before you. Just ask for the passport with the visa in it and make a copy.

Once you've dealt with that issue, it becomes an issue of money - can these people pay? And that you handle like you would anybody else - bank statements, extra deposits if you're concerned etc. I'm not really sure what the issues are here.

(If their english is not so good you can try and say "mish cigarra fee beitni" but my dialect is not gulf so they may just laugh at you).

 The vast majority I have encountered are actually just Ubot software coded for specific tasks. In any event, CL is (so I've heard) particularly notorious in their efforts to prevent scraping, compared to almost anyone else really.

You should also check out Kimono, http://www.kimonolabs.com . I find the app a lot more intuitive then Import.io.

If you're a programmer then learn how to use cURL and read up on navigating the XML/DOM tree in your language of choice.

@Derrick Strope There are whole forums out there of people discussing ways to get data off of craigslist. Google is your friend. But they also offer a fairly robust and usable RSS feed, too.

@Shawn M. 

 @Michael Noto 

 @Daniel Raposo 

Just so you CT guys know, the CT court system is not entirely current and only goes back 7 years on felonies/misdemeanors. I'm not sure how far back they are on civil.

The guys at  have a better archive, I Don't know if they only work with screening companies or work direct. You can email them and ask. 

 Trust, but verify. Credit is Credit, so just make sure it's a real Experian/TransUnion/Equifax report.

Evictions depend on provider and state. 

Landlord and Employment Verification - get the landlord name and the employer name - find the number yourself and call and ask for the person listed, as opposed to relying on the phone number provided.

If you can get copies of bank statements, or get them to sign a 4506-T (without even actually sending it in), then they're probably telling the truth.

 Hi James,

I love anonymous people on forums who's first post is always to cause trouble or promote a product but I will you humor you anyway. If I had to guess one of the management companies that uses our software may have sent you a love note recently.

I love AirBNB as a user. I've used it countless times and saved thousands of dollars by staying in apartments off the beaten track as opposed to hotels. And you're right, as a user, I don't care about the legal status of the apartment, as long as it's clean, safe, and has all the amenities it claims it has.

But if I own a building, and all of my tenants have no sublet clauses in their leases, then I don't want them subletting. I don't want them turning my building into a flophouse. If I wanted to run a hotel I would open a Hilton or something. 

A lease is a contract. That's it. Two parties entered into an agreement, and one party wants to make sure the other party sticks to it. There's no other issue here.

Let's not even get started with rent control/rent stabilized apartments in AirBNB, which is basically profiteering from a form of subsidized housing. 

Mary,

If you are truly paranoid, learn how to use something like GPG or TrueCrypt to encrypt the files you want to save, and you should be good.

100% yes, illegal. If you're going to use a third party company for tenant screening data they have to be FCRA compliant, which primarily revolves around how the data is compiled and dispute resolution, but there are compliance issues as well.

None of these really cheap background providers are legal for these purpose, and they usually state it in their terms and conditions. Occasionally the FTC will bust them for being "wink wink, nudge nudge" and letting people use them for employment screening. Most recent was Instant Checkmate with a $500,000 settlement in May I believe.

@Kevin L. That is weird - are you pulling the credit or is he? What bureau? Do you know what model the score is (FICO 04, 08, Vantage Score?)