Tenant Screening Process

[paramount]

Anyone know of a good online rental application site? I’m looking at using MySmartMove (transunion) which will provide an applicants composite score based on certain factors, but does not include a standard rental application.

How easy should the application process be?

Thanks in advance for any insight.

I’ve looked at property management companies that provide tenant placement, but they are pricey. As high as 75% 1st month rent + other fees.

I’ve also looked at RentPrep – anyone have experience with RentPrep?

Packages & Pricing

[paramount]

I also see that the following are also popular:

https://www.houserie.com/what-is-houserie

https://www.leaserunner.com/

http://www.ntnonline.com/resident-screening/packages/ntn-decisionpoint.cfm

[spdrun]

What’s the big deal?

There are literally thousands of tenant applications available online. Do a search, appropriate one, modify as needed.

[paramount]

True – but it is a big deal. If they miss an eviction(s) you could be in trouble.

If they can’t start utilities in their own name, that can lead to problems.

And on and on…

[spdrun]

Is there any good reason to put utilities into their name vs keeping them in your name and billing them?

[Hatfield]

The Nolo Press landlord’s guide is worth every penny, and there’s an edition specifically for California. It describes in detail everything you need to know about how to properly and legally screen prospective tenants and it also includes rental agreements, applications, and a bunch of other useful forms. It’s 32 bucks wisely spent: http://www.amazon.com/California-Landlords-Lawbook-Rights-Responsibilities/dp/1413320864/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1436511142&sr=8-1&keywords=nolo+california+landlord

For credit and background check, I use SimpleScreening.com

Spdrun, there is no reason to put the utilities in your name. Make the tenant put the utilities in their name. Why on earth would you want to do that accounting every month?

[Coronita]

[quote=spdrun]Is there any good reason to put utilities into their name vs keeping them in your name and billing them?[/quote]

Uh. That’s not just a no…That’s a hell no….

How many real tenants have you had to deal with? Are you even serious about this one?

[Coronita]

So far, I’ve only found a need to do credit screening and employment verification. The first people that jumped on most of my rentals have all been engineers at big companies, so I figure they already did the necessary background checks.

For credit screening, I used Experian Connect.
Experian offers a tenant screening service, but I don’t know what extent it is.

[Essbee]

Re: utilities, doesn’t the water bill generally stay in the landlord’s name? In my former apartment dwelling life (9+ years ago), it seems like this was the case…

Maybe this is for apartment buildings, only.

I always assumed that maybe the water company bills from the street, and can’t install meters for each individual unit?

[spdrun]

Uh. That’s not just a no…That’s a hell no….

That’s the way it’s often done on the East Coast. One water and gas meter for all apartments in a building, so heat and water are paid by the landlord. Electricity bill is small enough to make either arrangement (landlord pays or tenant pays) acceptable.

[FlyerInHi]

[quote=Essbee]Re: utilities, doesn’t the water bill generally stay in the landlord’s name? In my former apartment dwelling life (9+ years ago), it seems like this was the case…

Maybe this is for apartment buildings, only.

I always assumed that maybe the water company bills from the street, and can’t install meters for each individual unit?[/quote]

It’s become more customary to charge for water and trash. Apartment
complexes do it. Like hotels charge mandatory resort fees or parking.

If you’re a small landlord it’s a good way to defray your HOA. I would charge.

[Hatfield]

In San Diego trash is covered by property taxes, so we can take that off the table.

For anything that’s metered in common (water to an apartment complex, for example), it’s common for the landlord to average that over a year and factor it into the rent. I’ve never heard of a landlord doing penny-ante nickel and dime accounting of this stuff on a month-to-month basis. Same for dumpster service if the complex uses dumpsters instead of city bins.

I’ve only rented out SFRs, and in that case, they only utility bills are water/sewer, gas/electric, and television/cable, and all of these are in the tenant’s name. There is no reason why you would want to keep these in the landlord’s name and lots of reasons not to.

[spdrun]

Electric is pretty much a fixed cost. Would be really hard to go above $50/mo for a condo. Cable: I just offer Internet and an over-air HDTV antenna. Fixed monthly cost.

[paramount]

My current tenant is vacating, so I switched the utilities back in my name. While I was switching the water back, the rep told me that a previous tenant still had not paid their water bill.

They said if it happened again they would put a lien on my house – this was rancho water district.

[paramount]

I think now is a good time to sell investment properties.

I am selling.

The landlord business can be miserable.

[Author]

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