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Lease Agreements were so easy to create

July 22nd, 2010

Tyler
Thank you so much …if I ever need a form again, I will use your website. The lease agreements were so easy and talk about saving time! All the wording is there and it was so easy to fill in the blanks and your done. Have a great weekend and thanks again for your help

Kelly

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Posted in Landlord Basics, Testimonials | No Comments »

Customer Support

July 20th, 2010

Thank you for your timely response and explanation of the difference!

As new Landlords, we were excited about finding this site. The electronic application process was wonderful as it allowed us to simply enter the applicant’s name & email address then sit back and wait to view the three reports (Employment, Background & Credit). The applicant paid the fees and your service handled the consent forms & other authorizations.

The contract was nice too but we did run into some glitches:

First, it doesn’t have option to pull any information from rental application. We tried to find the applicant’s address & phone numbers to get started but they were not viewable so we had to call them.

Once entered we were moving along well but it didn’t pull any information set up originally with applicant such as Pet Deposits, Non smoking, state variances, etc.

Once finished, we purchased the contract download. The download could not be saved. We even tried copying it into MS Word and had difficulty saving the soft copy. There were several typos, spacing issues and grammatical & punctuation errors.

We had to add property description, correct verbiage to state house rather than apartment, insert missing paragraph on Inspections (copied from sample), delete repeated paragraph, etc.

Overall, I believe the terms of the contract will serve as protection to us but I thought you might like the feedback.

We have already told several people about your site (Realators, Investment Bankers, Insurance Agents and other acquaintances).

Thank you again!

Eugene
Kellyville, OK

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Posted in How to Screen an Applicant, Landlord Basics, Testimonials | No Comments »

Customer Support

March 3rd, 2010

I have dealt with one of your Customer Service Agents, Shawn, on several occasions.  I just wanted to let you know that she is absolutely wonderful to deal with, she knows her stuff, and is extremely pleasant!

This renting industry is extremely difficult and can be challenging at times, but when you call or write and get someone like Shawn on the phone, everything just seems to get better.  She calms you down, explains everything to you, and gets you on your way in such a way that you walk away feeling better about the entire process.  Consider yourselves blessed to have an employee such as Shawn.  If she lived in Houston, TX, I would be doing everything I could to have her work for me because you just don’t find employees like that anymore these days!

Best regards,

Laura J. Hoover

Posted in Testimonials | No Comments »

Property Tax Questions

December 10th, 2009

Hello, I am looking for someone who can help me with a dilemma regarding taxes on one of my rental properties. If not yourself, if you can direct me in the right direction as to who could help answer my questions, that would be very much appreciated. Thank you

Jill Pleune

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Posted in Landlord Basics | No Comments »

Online Rent Pay FAQ

December 2nd, 2009

What is Online Rent Pay?
Our service allows Renters to pay their rent and deposits, over the Internet. All transactions are deposited into the Property Manager/Owner’s bank account.

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What are the benefits of using the Renting Authority service?
Online rent payments will be the norm in the near future. Enjoy the ease of not cashing checks, automatic deposits, and electronic record keeping, avoiding lost or late payments, and improved service for your Residents.

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The Internet is increasingly the place of choice for businesses to reach and connect people. Prospective Renters are turning to the Internet now more than ever to fulfill their living needs.

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How do the transactions occur?

1. The Payer submits their payment in the secure Pay Rent section of your website.
2. The transaction is processed in the Automatic Clearing House (ACH) network.
3. The payment is deposited into the Payee’s checking or savings account.

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What are the fees for using Online Rent Pay?
There is a $5 transaction fee for each payment paid by check submitted through the service.  Credit card transition fee is $5 plus 3% of the transaction.  All paid by the tenant.

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Do you receive a confirmation that a payment has been submitted?
For each payment submitted on Renting Authority, the Payer and Payee will receive a confirmation email with the transaction id if a valid email address has been entered in the profiles for the users.

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How do I know the system is secure?
All transactions on Renting Authority are 128-bit encrypted and we use industry-standard Secure Socket layer (SSL) technology to protect your information.

We will never request or send your bank account information through email, if you ever receive an email requesting your bank account information please contact us immediately.

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Member FDIC
Renting Authority processes every electronic payment through institutions insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). The FDIC insures deposits in banks and thrift institutions for up to $250,000; identifies, monitors and addresses risks to the deposit insurance funds; and limits the effect on the economy when an insured institution fails.

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CISP Compliant
Renting Authority is in full-compliance with Visa’s Cardholder Information Securty Program (CISP). Since its launch in April 2000, CISP has defined a standard of due care for securing Visa cardholder data, wherever it is located. CISP compliance is mandatory for all entities storing, processing, or transmitting Visa cardholder data.

Renting Authority adheres to strict policies for providing the highest level of data security at all times. Renting Authority maintains CISP compliance by adhering to all of the following security requirements:

* Working firewalls
* Up-to-date security patches
* Protection of stored data
* Encryption of public networks
* Regularly updated anti-virus software
* Restricted access by “need to know”
* Unique ID to each person with computer access
* No vendor-supplied defaults for passwords and security parameters
* Access tracking to data by unique ID
* Regularly tested security systems and processes
* Regularly maintained information security policy
* Restricted physical access to data

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How does the ACH process work?
The Automated Clearing House (ACH) Network is a nationwide batch-oriented electronic payment network to transfer funds between financial institutions. ACH payments provide improved cash management capabilities and lower costs than traditional paper payments by electronically debiting or crediting a company’s or individual’s deposit accounts, such as checking and savings accounts. The ACH Process consists of the following steps:

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1. A company or individual (Receiver) authorizes another company or individual (Originator) to initiate a transaction to their financial institution account.
2. Then the Originator submits the transaction to an Originating Depository Financial Institution, known as an ODFI.
3. The ODFI collects ACH transactions and then submits the consolidated information to an ACH Operator.
4. The ACH Operator processes the transactions from the ODFIs and distributes the transactions to the Receiving Depository Financial Institutions, know as an RDFI.
5. The RDFI receives the entries for its customer accounts and then posts the entries on the settlement date of the transaction.

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How do I contact Renting Authority?
You can use one of the following options to contact us, please let us know if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions:

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Email
support@rentingauthority.com

Renting Authority Customer Service Representatives are available to assist you Monday through Friday 9:00 AM MST to 5:00 PM MST
Telephone
1-(888) 674-9181
Fax: 1-(801)-406-0104

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Renter’s Common Questions

What are the Registration steps for a Renter?

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The renter clicks on the pay rent tab located in your website.  Follow the step by step instructions.

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Do I have to create a profile?
Yes, Renters are required to create a profile on the Renting Authority service in order to submit a Rental Payment. Creating a profile allows the Renter to easily submit Rental Payments without having to re-enter their account information for each payment.

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Can payments be submitted via telephone?

No

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Does Online Rent Pay allow credit cards to be used for paying rent?
Yes.  Renters pay a transaction fee of 3%  of the rent amount plus $5

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Property Manager/Owner’s Common Questions:

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What are the Registration steps for a Property Manager/Owner?

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Fax the following information to (801)406-0104:

  • A copy of a voided check for the checking account associated with the property.
  • A copy of a valid government issued I.D.

After we receive the voided check and I.D. we will activate the property so you can begin accepting rent payments online.

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What is required to Activate a Property after it has been added?
For your security we require the following be faxed or emailed to us for each bank account used for receiving online payments:
- A copy of a voided check for the checking account associated with the property
- A copy of a valid government issued I.D.

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Fax: 1-(801) 406-0104

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Once we receive these two items we will activate your property so that you can begin accepting rent payments online. If you have multiple properties and use the same bank account for each property you only need to send the information once. If you use different bank accounts for your properties please send a voided check for each bank account.

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How fast will I get my rent money?
First time users of Renting Authority’s Online Rent Pay are required to wait a minimal of 5 business days.
Landlords in good standing with Renting Authority receive sub sequential Rent Funds in 3-4 business days.

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The funds will be deposited into the Payee’s banking account within 3-4 business days of the payment submission.  Payment must be submitted before 3pm EST to count for that day.  Payments received after 3pm EST will be processed the following business day.

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What happens if a rent check bounces?
The tenant is charged a $25 fee.  If Renting Authority has already transferred funds to the landlord, funds will be pulled back out of landlords account.
If funds have not yet been transferred to landlord’s account, landlord receives an email from Renting Authority informing of returned check.

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Renting Authority reserves the right to hold future rent checks transfers for a minimal of 5 business days with 2 of more returned checks within a 3 month period.

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Is Renting Authority acting as a collection agency?
Renting Authority’s Rent Payment Service assists both you and your Renter by facilitating electronic transactions between the parties. Renting Authority simply provides an electronic alternative to the traditional forms of rent payment. While this electronic alternative will bestow numerous benefits on both Property Owner/Managers and the Renter, the collection of such rents and related payments remain their legal responsibility. Renting Authority is in the business of simplifying the rent payment process, but unfortunately we are not in the business of collections.

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Can I use Online Rent Pay for any type of property?
Any property you are collecting payments or fees for can be used with Renting Authority, such as residential properties, multi-family properties, commercial properties, and vacation properties.

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Can I use different bank accounts for each property?
Yes

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Can I charge a late fee for late rent payments?
With Renting Authority you can specify what day of the month rent is late after and what fee to charge for late rent payments and the system will automatically generate a late fee transaction for late rent payments. When a fee is charged for late rent payments a separate transaction will be created to debit the renter instead of adding the fee amount to the rent payment.

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There isn’t an additional transaction fee for the late fee transaction though. The late fee transaction is scheduled for 2 days after the rent payment in order to provide time for the property manager to cancel the late fee before it is transmitted to the ACH system if warranted. The automatic late fee only applies to rent payment transaction types and not other transaction types, such as security deposit or utility payment for example.

Posted in Landlord Basics, online rent pay | No Comments »

Be Grateful and Thankful

November 24th, 2009

We all have a lot to be grateful for. Take 10 minutes today and write down 5 things you are grateful for. I am sure your list is longer, but focus on what’s most important.

No one succeeds without others. Call two people today who help you succeed and tell them thanks.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Troy and the rest of Renting Authority gaggle

Troy Boldt
888-674-9181
tboldt@rentingauthority.com
http://www.rentingauthority.com

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Posted in Landlord Basics | 17 Comments »

I really appreciate your article

November 18th, 2009

I really appreciate your article. I will certainly take the advice.

J. Alexander

Posted in Testimonials | No Comments »

Thank you so much

October 20th, 2009

Thank you so much for all the excellent reminders Troy! I can’t tell you how nice it is to have your tried and true methods and reminders. You have thought of everything!!

Sarrah

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Posted in Landlord Basics, Testimonials | No Comments »

So You’re Being Evicted? Tips for Tenants

October 6th, 2009

Introduction

Most tenants who are facing eviction are being evicted as a consequence of nonpayment of rent. Others may face eviction for a variety of reasons, including violation of lease terms, creation of a health or safety hazard, or even a personality dispute with a landlord.

While landlord-tenant law, and the laws governing the eviction process, can change substantially between jurisdictions, there are some generalities which apply for most jurisdictions. If you are facing eviction you should check with a lawyer or tenant’s union in your area, so you can learn the specific laws which apply to your situation.

The following information is of a general nature, and may not apply where you reside

Nonpayment of Rent

In most jurisdictions, there is an expedited process for evicting a tenant for nonpayment of rent. Typically, the tenant is served with a legal notice requiring that rent be paid by a specific date (e.g., within seven days of service), after which time the landlord can commence an eviction action. Many times, a landlord will agree to accept a partial payment during this time, with the promise that any remaining rent arrears will soon be paid in full.

If the landlord accepts partial payment (no matter how small) prior to obtaining a judgment on a nonpayment action, upon learning of the acceptance of the payment most jurisdictions will dismiss any eviction proceeding premised on nonpayment of rent. The landlord must then start the process over, in relation to any additional rents owed.

Typically, even after judgment the tenant has a period of time during which the rent arrears can be paid, so as to avoid eviction. Read the rest of this entry »

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How Evictions Work: What Renters Need to Know

October 6th, 2009

How Evictions Work: What Renters Need to Know

Landlords can’t just lock you out, even if you are behind on rent. They must get a court judgment first.

Your landlord can’t evict you without terminating the tenancy first. This usually means giving you adequate written notice, in a specified way and form. If you don’t move after proper notice (or reform your ways — for example, by paying the rent or finding a new home for the dog), the landlord can file a lawsuit to evict you. (This type of lawsuit is sometimes called an unlawful detainer, or UD lawsuit.) In order to win, the landlord must prove that you did something wrong that justifies ending the tenancy.

State laws have very detailed requirements for landlords who want to end a tenancy. Each state has its own procedures as to how termination notices and eviction papers must be written and delivered to you (”served”). Landlords must follow state rules and procedures exactly.

Notice of Termination for Cause

Although terminology varies somewhat from state to state, there are basically three types of termination notices that you might receive if you have violated the rental agreement or lease in some way:

  • Pay Rent or Quit Notices are typically given to you when you have not paid the rent. These notices give you a few days (three to five in most states) to pay the rent or move out (”quit”).
  • Cure or Quit Notices are typically given to you if you violate a term or condition of the lease or rental agreement, such as a no-pets clause or the promise to refrain from making excessive noise. Usually, you have a set amount of time in which to correct, or “cure,” the violation.
  • Unconditional Quit Notices are the harshest of all. They order you to vacate the premises with no chance to pay the rent or correct a lease or rental agreement violation. In most states, unconditional quit notices are allowed only if you have:
    • repeatedly violated a significant lease or rental agreement clause
    • been late with the rent on more than one occasion
    • seriously damaged the premises, or
    • engaged in serious illegal activity, such as drug dealing on the premises.

Notice of Termination Without Cause

Even if you have not violated the rental agreement and have not been late paying rent, a landlord can usually ask you to move out at any time (assuming you don’t have a fixed term lease) as long as the landlord gives you a longer notice period.

A 30-Day Notice to Vacate or a 60-Day Notice to Vacate to terminate a tenancy can be used in most states when the landlord does not have a reason to end the tenancy. (The length of the required notice can be slightly longer or shorter in some states.) Read the rest of this entry »

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