Landlord Newsletter July 9, 2013 Security Do's & Don'ts

One fact of being in the landlord business is that rent checks will occasionally bounce. When that happens, you, the landlord will probably not find out the rent check was returned until 3 or 4 weeks later, depending on how efficient your bank is.
How does that concern the tenancy? It means the rent is approximately 3 -4 weeks late, plus you’ve incurred bank charges on top of it.

Like a late rent notice, the LPA Dishonored Check Notice will inform the tenant that the rent check was returned for insufficient funds. It will ask for the balance due along with any applicable bounced check charges, late fees, and daily late charges as agreed in your lease.

Remember, a bounced check can cause the rent to be extremely late, thereby placing you at a point in time where you may normally begin eviction proceedings, so it is important to jump on this immediately. The LPA recommends that you check your bank account often to discover bad checks as soon as possible.

FREE LPA Form Download! LPA Dishonored Check Notice See more Essential Forms

The LPA Dishonored Check Notice also contains a checkbox for the option to inform the tenant that personal checks will no longer be an acceptable form of rent payment and that they must now pay the rent in the form of postal money order, certified bank check or cash (cash only if you collect rent in person).

The LPA also recommends that when you send a notice like this to the tenant, it is a good idea to copy and paste the late fee and bounced check clause from your LPA Lease to the bottom of the form to show the tenant the penalty fees they agreed to in their lease.

The Landlord Protection Agency® presents John Reno, Esq., a highly experienced Landlord - Tenant attorney based on Long Island, NY.

John Reno also does Mortgage Loan Modifications (Nationwide).
(Mention The LPA for a 10% discount!)

Dear Mr. Reno:
I am trying to get a precedent that defined broom clean in new jersey.
Tenants leave our properties filthy beyond belief, walls written on, rip fire alarms out to stop them triggering when they smoke or burn things, empty fire extinguishers, leave windows unwashed despite obligation to maintain in clean order and clean windows at least once a year.

Then they claim nj law says that we have no right to charge cleaner's costs or materials for cleaning and repairs under nj statute.

I am trying to get a
Please advise.
I am a member of lpa.
Mark N., NJ

A: "Broom clean" just means they took their stuff and threw out their garbage. You're in the proverbial grey area. Repairs are one thing. Fix the fire alarm. Save your receipt or paid bill. Window washing? Now you're pushing it. That comes under "normal wear & tear."

If you have a landlord tenant problem you'd like to ask a question about, please feel free to e-mail me your question.
Submit a landlord / tenant question for Mr. Reno
Please try to keep your questions as short and to the point as possible.

If you haven't already, please take the opportunity to sign up for The LPA's Quick Check Credit Reports! Quick Check is a simple, fast way to access online credit reports with an LPA discount!

Have you ever been beaten by a tenant on the rent? Most of us have and unfortunately, it is one of the costs of doing business as a landlord.
On the brighter side, remedies are available for many. If you have documented your tenancy with the proper paperwork including a rental application, lease agreement, late notices, etc., you may have a chance of collecting.

Credit bureau reporting is an option in which many modern landlords are beginning to participate.

The LPA recommends tenant and credit reporting to our members.As landlords ourselves, we do not believe tenants should get away "Scott Free" for leaving their landlord with a mess of unpaid rent, damages and other unpaid responsibilities. The prospect of reporting delinquent rent onto the tenant's credit record creates an incentive for the tenant to preserve his good credit, or to clean it up in order to some day qualify for a loan or mortgage.

A delinquent landlord debt is a serious mark against a consumer tenant's credit report for seven years and will likely:

Notifying the current or former tenant that you intend to report their rental debt or payment history can be done in the following ways:

For The LPA's Tenant Reporting, click here

"I'm a good tenant, because I've never NOT paid". But, she's late every single month for some wonderful reason. - Jude, KY

"I worked too much this month so my government check was short" ... They are both on government support. - Barbara, New Mexico

"Could you please file a Landlord/Tenant Complaint so I can get financial assistance to pay you the rent?" - I did, and they got the financial aid but didn’t give it to me! Her request ended with her eviction -of course! Melissa, PA

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