Landlord Newsletter - Before Buying A Credit Report

Dear Fellow Landlord,

Did you ever notice that tenant problems don't always go away during the holiday season? Even good tenants face misfortune in losing their health coverage, employment and unforeseen problems during the holiday season. Sometimes unanticipated move-outs happen at exactly the wrong time.
Keep in mind that good tenant screening practices are even more important during tough rental markets.
I wish you a happy and safe Holiday Season!

"It is better to have NO tenant than it is to have a bad tenant."

In this newsletter:

• 3 Easy Steps Before Buying a Credit Report
  
• Free Essential Form: Snow and Ice Notice or Addendum
  
• LPA Holiday Season Coupon Code
• Ask the Eviction Attorney
  

Please e-mail us if you have any questions or would like to add or share any material / information. Have a great month and an even more successful year ahead.
John Nuzzolese
John@theLPA.com

Why spend money on a credit report you may not need?
Often, landlords jump to spend money on credit report screening when the applicant can be easily eliminated simply by following a few easy tenant screening steps.
The Landlord Protection Agency® suggests the following simple steps to take before you spend any money on credit reports:

1. Pre-screen your prospects before showing the rental. It eliminates unnecessary appointments and saves you time. Use a free LPA Pre-screening Prospect card.

2. After showing the rental, have your interested prospects fill out and sign an LPA Rental Application. Be sure to collect a non-refundable screening fee and deposit as provided for in the application.

3. Verify the employment and tenant references contained in the application. Use LPA Landlord Reference Qualifier form to evaluate the legitimacy of the landlord reference.

If you feel confident the tenant passed all your screening inquiries so far, run a credit report with a major credit bureau to review the prospect’s credit history on the payment of bills, delinquencies, address history, employment history and judgments.

Remember: "It's better to have no tenant than a bad tenant."

FREE DOWNLOAD Snow and Ice Notice & Reminder Your lease agreement may say your tenants are responsible to keep the walkways safe and free of snow and ice. Tenants sometimes forget. Sometimes they are just too lazy! It helps to have a Snow and Ice Notice & Reminder to urge tenants to stick to their agreement and keep the premises safe in winter weather.

Real Estate Attorney John Reno, an expert in landlord tenant legal matters, has specialized in landlord tenant law for many years. Mr. Reno answers questions asked by LPA members to help solve all kinds of landlord tenant problems.

Dear Mr. Reno:
Is there a clause (or wording) we could put in our lease contract which would allow us to avoid court eviction procedures.
Dusty, Missouri

A: Not really. You can put it in, but the problem is, the people you need to follow it will not. In other words, when you ask the Sheriff, or Marshall, (or whoever evicts in MO) for help, they'll ask for an Order from the Court- They won't care what your lease says. And if you go in and evict by yourself, you'll be in trouble with the fuzz.

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.

How to Check your LPA Membership Expiration Date:

1. Be logged in with your LPA username & password
   
2. On the "Main Menu" (top right), click on "Your Orders" (right below your name)
   
3. The beginning date of your membership will be listed to the left of your membership order # in this format: YYYYMMDD
   

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 while saving you money!

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