All Forum Posts by: Tom Woodhouse

Hey Michael, I've enjoyed using Baselane for my background checks. I've found that they are more comprehensive than the other background check options that most landlords use. You can customize how detailed you want it to be and yes, the prospective tenant pays for it. 

Hey Tom! I use Baselane for my tenant applications. I find they are more comprehensive than other tools. They allow you to customize how in depth you want the application to be so if you want it to include things like criminal report, eviction reports, income verification, etc... you can choose to add those and if not, they support just a basic application. Tenant pays the application fee. 

Hey Aaron!  Congrats on renting out your first property! That's an exciting step. For me, I use Baselane to screen my tenants. There are many platforms out there that offer it, but I've found Baselane to be the most in depth. You can customize the level of detail you'd like the background check to collect and then it will flow into its tenant management feature if you decide to move forward with a prospective tenant. I usually look for 2-3x the rent in income, credit of over 600, and of course no criminal history. I also require employer contacts and a history of past rentals and contact both to verify and get a sense of who they are. Hope this helps! 

If your intention is to use the software only to see who the owners of properties are and reach out to them directly, I would just utilize town tax maps to see the registered owners and collect their contact information. Then if you wanted a larger campaign you could import the contacts into something like mail chimp for way cheaper than what Propert Radar offers. 

Hey there Drake! For me, I've tried to find a tool that would do most of this work so I didn't need to manage multiple platforms, or deal with a property manager. I landed on Baselane. Especially for managing multiple properties, Baselane has worked well because their platform allows you to set up multiple bank accounts for each of your properties and accept rent directly into those accounts. Aside from banking features, Baselane also include tenant management, property information storage, tenant screening, and more. 

I'd recommend looking into getting duvets for your comforters so you can wash those every time and then maybe wash the comforter itself once a month maybe 

Hey Anthony! Congrats on closing on your first deal! That is very exciting. Members here have given great tips on tenant screening, setting up tools for rent collection, and more. What I found when I was getting started was there are a lot of tools out there, but not all of them are great, and most of them charge high fees. I landed on Baselane, there are no monthly fees and it includes all these great tools. My favorite part is that it has its own banking system where you can set up separate accounts to accept rent and keep track of your expenses so come tax season, you're ready to roll! 

Good luck! 

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Hey Brendan, this was a big pain for me especially when I was getting started since most of the affordable apps aren't great and the nice ones are really expensive. I landed on Baselane, its a new platform that combines the financial aspect of managing rentals with the tenant management aspect. You can collect rent from tenants and have it deposited directly into an account you open with them. Their savings accounts earn interest and as long as you have your rent deposited into the Baselane banking accounts, there is no monthly fee for you and no fees for tenants to pay online. There are other features like lease management, prepared tax documents, mobile check deposit, and more. I'd recommend giving them a look! 

This is exactly where I was when I started, getting into the investment area was tricky at first (I first got in in 2021 when people were going nuts!)...  and I couldn't agree with what @Olivia Caldwell-Nepveux said earlier... especially as you're trying to get into your first rental, living in one unit and renting out the other brings down the majority of the barriers you face with your first purchase - lower deposit, lower interest rate, and you're able to keep a closer eye on the property with your tenants as you get used to everything. Another big part of it for me was the financial management of it all. Being a landlord isn't my full time job and I'm guessing it won't be yours as this is your first, so choose a tool that can help you manage rents, keep track of expenses, prepare documents for taxes, etc. I suggest Baselane, it's great for first time investors because it has no monthly fees which most landlord financial tools will. Keeping your finances organizes is half the battle and it's much easier when you separate it from your personal finances come tax season.