All Forum Posts by: Stephen White

I love Legal Zoom. We used them originally to set up our LLC and then an attorney several years later for the exact same thing with a new entity. Side by side Legal Zoom was about $800 cheaper and they gave us more "goodies" like the nice embossed corporate folder and seal with the company name. They also enroll you into a system and manage your registered agent so you need not worry about that. My opinion is 100% Legal Zoom.

Hey fellow Western New Yorkers, my company is in Buffalo. I frequently speak at the WNYREI that is held at the Holiday Inn near the Buffalo airport on the last Tuesday of every month. They move a TON of property out of that group and have huge names in the area like Jim Roberts from Metro Roberts Realty. Last month he mentioned that in 2012 they sold hundreds of properties through the association. Highly recommend the trip from Roch if you can make it. And if anyone is ever in the Buffalo/West Seneca area and wants to stop into our office you're more than welcome!

Thanks Al Williamson! I checked out your site and it looks like a great resource. Glad to be part of such a great tool for landlords that experience like yours bring.

Great advice Jon Holdman I've spoken to several landlords that use this method with great success. It just makes sense to forfeit that rent and move on. And even better advice on the cash or money order policy!

We are working on adding this addendum to our form bundle in light of the recent changes so I can't give you our official version yet. However I really like the Wichita Falls Housing Authority's because they respond to the need for a plan to include scheduled inspections with guidelines in the event of violation. They clearly understand the verbiage requirements. Here is the link http://www.wfha.com/tenant/policies/housekeeping_policy.pdf

International background checks are available as well. And in this case (as for the future) I'd be less concerned with credit history and very concerned with prior address history and talk to previous landlords. Chances are they would give you immediate indication that this was a problem tenant. Lesson learned, screen everyone! Thoroughly.

Unfortunately not just NY. The "disease" is being recognized by the American Psychiatric Association. So this means it will be treated the same as anyone with a mental disability like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Autism, etc.. Which makes them a protected class now. The more disturbing part of the story is the Fair Housings recommended action for landlords dealing with tenant hoarders.

Here is what they say.. Hoarders, as persons with disabilities, have the right to request a reasonable accommodation. A reasonable accommodation is a request for a waiver or change in policies, practices, procedures and services to provide equal access and opportunity in housing for persons with disabilities. There must be a direct connection between the person’s disability and the reasonable accommodation request. An example of a reasonable accommodation by creating a remedy plan to preserve the tenancy. Included in the plan are support services and an individualized schedule for cleanup and inspections.

So landlords I guess will have to find some free time for "support services and scheduled inspections".

Thanks for the warm welcome! I checked out the guide and understand the rules. I'm looking forward to contributing to your community however I can.

Great advice by Ned Carey and Chris Sweeney. There are so many addendums that can and should be included to protect yourself as much as possible. The latest one I'm recommending is a Good House Keeping Addendum that gives you the right to get rid of hoarder tenants. Seeing that as of May 1st they are a protected class its a good idea to make clear that poor house keeping that creates an unsafe environment and can be considered (and treated as) damage to the property and cause for eviction.

So after countless landlords mentioned they love the BiggerPockets community, I had to check it out.

I am the CEO of a screening company that specializes in landlord solutions. Since 2007 we have been a resource to over 10,000 landlords for selecting the right tenants and navigating the wild world of compliance. Our reports are hand-compiled by Certified Screeners using multiple databases and can even include us making the verification phone calls.

I am not here to compete with the SmartMove product that is featured on the site as the tenant screening vendor. In fact, my company offers the same product and I often recommend it to landlords that prefer to have the tenant involved with the screening process. I am here to share my experience and help landlords understand the screening process through my unique perspective.

My goal is to answer any screening questions (or related) and give back to the community that has built my business.