Honest Realestate Agent

Posts Tagged ‘renting’

Despite a difficult real estate economy, a lot of people are building their real estate portfolio. Buying an investment property while the market has slowed can be a good move as demand for rentals is still high and it ensure you will be in the market for a future property boom.

If you have a property to rent as an investment property there can be many financial advantages. Managing the rental of that investment could be time consuming, though.

Hiring a good property management company is going to make the investment an even more attractive proposition for you.  A letting agent can manage the process for you so that your investment property becomes a passive income stream for you.

What does a property management professional do?

This professional works as a liaison between you and the individual(s) renting the property. Most of the common tasks such as collecting rent, dealing with enquiries, arranging repairs and so on are managed by the property manager. An experienced letting agent is a professional who will keep your property rented and generating income for you while also maintaining it so that it can appreciate in value and be a worthwhile investment.

Choose the Right Letting Agent

Property management professionals who are experienced and qualified ensure that they stay abreast of the laws and regulations related to letting out properties so this is going to work to your benefit as your property will be managed with your rights and your responsibilities as a landlord taken into account. Ask about trade and industry association memberships or roles to get a feel for whether an agents stays up to date on changes within the property management industry.

Find out how much experience a potential property manager has with the type of property you want managed.

Letting Agents for Rental Properties

Rental properties have great income generating potential. It’s important to choose a letting agent that uses a careful screening process to help place the right tenants on your property. They should follow guidelines with respect to maintenance and periodic inspections to ensure your tenant keeps the property in a good state of repair.

Letting Agents for Vacation Properties

Vacation properties have great earning potential as well, especially if they’re great properties in hot areas. Look for an agent with the experience, connections and marketing know how to keep your property rented with minimal vacancy rates. Seek our agents with effective marketing strategies and a history of strong client relationships for greater word of mouth and repeat stays. Repeat rentals and word of mouth are among the most effective ways of maximising your revenue and minimising vacancies.

Letting Agents for Commercial Properties

Some sectors are seeing large numbers of vacancies in commercial properties. Having an empty unit not generating an income puts you out of pocket and expenses such as mortgages keep coming in. Having an experienced letting agent will reduce the chances of your unit sitting vacant for long.

Choosing a Property Management Company

Many things need to be considered when you choose a letting agent for your investment property. The fees they charge, the services they include, and their level of success with existing customers are all important things to consider. The right property management company will make it easier for you as an investor to enjoy the income the property generates without having to be a landlord who deals with repairs, collecting rent, screening tenants, and worrying about vacancies. When talking to a potential letting agent try to figure out their levels of industry experience, sales skills as well as looking for a customer focused personality.

Editorial by Quantive Digital Marketing for Burleigh Miami Real Estate providing Miami Real Estate.

Are the first glimmers of a housing market recovery in Sussex visible??According to the latest figures, the housing market in Sussex is showing some signs of recovery.The only thing slowing it down appears to be a lack of properties on the market.   Activity may have picked up, but price levels seem to have returned to where they were several years ago, with the average house price in Sussex for the first quarter of 2009 being £202,952.00 compared with £254,070.00 last year.

According to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), 6% of estate agents across the UK said that property values had risen in May, although 42% said they fell!  It’s not uncommon for there to be months of rising prices when house prices overall are still trending down and it’s predicted that house prices will fall by a further 10% in real terms to hit their nadir around mid-2010

In such a confusing but potentially promising environment, it’s more important than ever to secure the services of experienced and knowledgeable Estate agents London. The personal touch and commitment still count for a lot, particularly if you are looking to buy or sell property in or around Burgess Hill.These areas are proving very popular, due to their excellent rail and road communications with London.Houses here are targets for those moving down from Surrey and Greater London in order to upsize for less money and for potential commuters looking for a pleasant home base within convenient striking distance of the City.

A lot of people turned to the rental market after their homes failed to sell, but in Sussex at least it would seem that now is an opportune moment for homeowners to put their properties back on the market with a knowledgeable local agent.  However, the rental market also remains buoyant, especially in Burgess Hill and the outlook for sussex property is extremely good compared to property to rent in Wandsworth  so whether you are seeking a property to rent or you’re a landlord looking for high quality, professional tenants.

Self help eviction is when you take your own actions to kick out a tenant without going through the courts. There are procedures you have to go through with the court and that is the only legal way you can evict a tenant.

A self help eviction is any one of the following actions to remove a non-paying tenant from your home: changing the locks to prevent the tenant from entering your property, threatening the tenant, turning off vital utility services, and remove a tenant’s personal property.

You must not threaten self help eviction on your tenant like threatening to change the locks or to shut off the power. In most States there are clear statutes that prohibit threats of self help eviction.

If you are dragged into court for a self help eviction, the judge won’t care that the tenants were behind on the rent. If the tenant is in possession of the premises, and you want him out, and he won’t leave, you have to go through the correct procedures with the court.

Do not even think about engaging in a self help eviction. There have been many cases where a landlord removed a tenant’s personal property and put it on the sidewalk or even in the trash. A judge could easily award your non-paying tenant with a 20,000 dollars damages award. Most judges will not require the tenant to produce receipts for his belongings because such proof of purchase could have been disposed of in the lock out.

There is also a law you can be sued under called the common law intentional torts of conversion. This is simply fancy legal wording that means the exercise of control over an item in a manner inconsistent with the rights of its owner which permanently deprives the owner of its value. You can also be sued for trespass to chattels which means which is the same as the law above but which temporarily deprives the owner of its value. And of course you can be sued for trespass which is the unlawful entry upon the property of another enjoying right to possession. Because these claims for relief are intentional torts, if court can award not only nominal damages, but punitive damages plus attorney fees as well.

Take a look at WILLIAM SPANO v. HANNA ABDALLA South Carolina Superior Court (October 3, 2002) Hanna Abdulla engaged in the act of self help eviction by changing the locks and removing William Spano’s personal property from the premise to the sidewalk. Hanna Abdulla’s defense was that she thought the tenant had abandoned the premises (she should have posted an abandonment notice but she did not). The court was not convinced that she was telling the truth and awarded Spano 1,800 dollars for the three months of rent expense he incurred to live elsewhere. The court further awarded 1,200 dollars in punitive damages and attorneys fees.

In the case of Gordon v. Morris, 2001 Ohio App. (February 2, 2001) the landlord changed the locks just before the end of the month upon learning that the tenants had shut off the utilities and removed most of their belongings. The trial court awarded the tenants only 96 dollars in actual damages (they had paid rent through the end of the month but were deprived of the use of the apartment, and this was the prorated amount). But the trial court further awarded 1,000 dollars in punitive damages and 1,462 dollars in attorneys fees.

I often hear owners complain that the courts are siding with the tenant and not owners. This is simply not true. The courts are not siding with non-paying tenants. What the courts are doing is trying to prevent violence in our society that frequently occurs over the struggle for the possession of land. Think about this. If it was legal for a landlord to turn off the electricity or to change the locks, that same tenant could turn violent and club you to death. While on the surface it might seem like the courts are on the side of the tenant, they are actually protecting you. Just follow the court approved procedure for evicting a tenant and you’ll be fine. If you don’t know the legal way to evict a tenant, then hire the surfaces of a professional property management company.

I hope this article helps you with renting your house out. If you desire additional assistance and own a house in Fresno and Clovis, California, see Fresno property management

If you are running ads that contain these words, you will likely be fined 100,000 dollars or more and lose your rental home.

Now is the time to take action if you think your ads are violating Fair Housing law.

Fair Housing regulations must be followed by all owners. Fair Housing regulations apply to apartments and homes.

Do not post any discriminatory concepts within your ads. Section 804-c of the Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. 3604-c reads, “…it is unlawful to make, print, or publish, or cause to be made, printed, or published, any notice, statement, or advertisement, with respect to the sale or rental of a dwelling, that indicates any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin, or an intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination.”

Whether you run ads on a website, Craigslist, or in printed magazines or classifieds in a newspaper, you must stay away from using discriminatory wording.

Some owners have been fined 12,000 dollars for every discriminatory ad they ran plus damages awarded by the court.

Do not refer to a persons skin color and do not use the words, “white”, “black”, “Hispanic”, “colored home”, and “no Hispanics”. Don’t even try to work race into the advertising of your home.

Religion should never be used in your ads. It is not legal to use words like “Christians only” or “no Jews”.

If you want to advertise the fact that your rental home is in an upscale neighborhood on the North side of town, you would be wise to use a phrase like “desirable neighborhood”. Desirable is subjective and relies on interpretation by the individual as to what their definition of desirable is. It is a matter of taste. Much like crayon colors. It is useless arguing what color is the best because such a topic is subjective.

You should not discriminate against people who have a disability of some kind. It is not legal to use the wording “no wheelchairs” or “handicap people need not apply”. It is legal to mention accessibility features for people with handicaps such as “wheelchair ramp included”. You can also discriminate against certain types of behavior or conduct like saying “no smoking” is legal.

Do not discriminate against children or parents. It is NOT ok to use the phrase “adult building”, “adults only”, or “no children”. In December of 2007, the Southern California Housing Rights Center brought charges against Robert Krug, a Monrovia landlord, alleging that he engaged in housing discrimination by not allowing children into his apartment complex. The suit, filed in March 2007, stated that the center had people pose as renters with families and approached the manager of Krug’s 28-unit apartment building in 2004. They were told the owner didn’t allow children. As part of a settlement reached, a federal court has fined Robert Krug nearly 140,000 dollars for the federal offense.

Familial status should never be used in the advertisements for your rental home. You can not say things like “3 children or less only” or state a preference for couples, singles, or adults.

Fair Housing regulations do not just govern your ads. They also govern how you screen tenants, your rental application, and how you treat your tenant the entire time they stay in your rental home.

I hope you find this article useful for renting your home out and should you find yourself in need of additional help in renting out your home in Fresno, California, visit the first and largest Fresno property management company.

To evict a tenant you first must give them a Notice of Termination.

Tenants who are on a month to month lease can be evicted with a 30 days or 60 days written notice. In some states 60 days is required while in others only 30 days is required. You need to check your locality. The form you use is called either a 30 Day Notice or a 60 Day Notice.

First though, you need to check your local laws for what is an acceptable reason to serve a 30 Day Notice.

Subsidized housing programs often limit what you can evict a tenant for. They usually have forms where you have to list the reason for the eviction.

Some cities have rent controls in place that require “just cause” in order to evict and the landlord’s 30 Day Notice must specifically state the reason for which he is terminating tenancy.

An eviction can never be retaliatory or discriminatory in nature.

Forms very from state to state but there are basically three types of Notice of Termination forms you use, depending on your circumstance, to evict tenants.

Pay Rent Or Quit is a notice given to a tenant who has not paid the rent. This notice instructs the tenant to either pay the rent or pack up and move. Tenants are then given anywhere from 3 days to 30 days to pay the rent depending on your local laws.

Cure or Quit notices: This notice is given to tenants whove violated one of the conditions you listed in your rental contract. It tells your tenant to cure the violation in a limited number of days (determined by state law) and vacate the premises, or be subject to an eviction action.

Notice to Quit or Unconditional Quit notices: These forms are just basically kick out a tenant forms. They tell your tenant to vacate the premise without giving them a chance to fix a violation in the rental agreement, or even to pay. It basically just says GET OUT. Most states discourage the use of these notices unless tenants are conducting illegal activity, have repeatedly violated a significant term or condition of the rental contract, or have severely damaged the premises. Out of all the court cases I’ve seen where a tenant wins a significant judgement against a landlord (don’t worry, it’s very rare), it involved the use of this form. Don’t be lazy and use this form as a kind of “catch all” form.

If your resident chooses not to correct a violation of the rental agreement or to pay you rent, she is not instantly evicted.

You must go through the formal eviction process.

File the correct forms with the court and have the resident properly served with a summons and complaint. The complaint needs to only have unpaid rent on it. You must not put late charges or other fees on it. If you do, it is likely that the court will deny your complaint.

One of the biggest mistakes owners make is right here. Never just put this notice in the mail or slip it under the tenant’s door. You must have an authorized person physically deliver the legal notice to the tenant face to face. Every state has specific rules and procedures as to what exactly constitutes proper legal service, including who can serve notices, the method of delivery, the specific parties who can be legally served, and the amount of time the tenant has to respond to the legal notice. Check with your local attorney for the requirements in your area.

By law, a trial date is set, and your tenant has a certain number of days to file an answer to your summons and complaint.

At this stage, most residents will vacate your rental. The legal summons and complaint tells them you know the law and you know what you are doing. They know that they broke some condition of the rental agreement they signed with you when they moved in.

Often a resident will want to settle with you out of court. That’s fine if you both come to an agreement. Just don’t forget to dismiss your eviction action with the court.

If your tenant doesnt file an answer in a timely manner, the eviction action proceeds to court without the tenant.

This is called an uncontested eviction. The court requires you to prove your case, but the tenant isnt there to respond to or deny your charges. Typically, you can easily prevail in this situation, as long as you have good documentation.

4. If your tenant files an answer and appears at court, each party receives the opportunity to present its evidence before the court makes a ruling.

The court calls this a contested eviction. If you have all your paperwork and proof in order and professionally present yourself and the facts, you generally will win. But if you have acted illegally to evict the tenant you will not.

5. After you win the eviction suit with the court, you then give the court judgment to your local police department.

Your local police will then give the tenant one last notice of a pending lock out. A lock out is when the police physically remove the tenant and his possessions from your rental unit. You need to meet the police at your rental unit and immediately have the locks changed once you get legal possession of your rental unit.

I recommend you have a property management company or an attorney handle the eviction process. The filing and serving of various forms in the eviction process must be done in a precise way. One mistake can delay the entire action even if your tenant clearly is in the wrong.

You want to use an “eviction collection” law firm that specializes in property management law.

Eviction and collection attorneys will handle everything for you. You just turn the eviction process over to them and they do the rest. They do all the filings with the court, the correct serving of your tenant with the appropriate legal notices, and they even call the police and schedule a date for the lock out to take place. They even have their own collections department where they collect on past due rent and have the power to negatively impact a tenants credit report until he does pay you.

I hope this free advice helps you with dealing with the eviction process of your tenant. Should you require extra property management services and if you are a property owner in Fresno or Madera County in California see property management Fresno CA

As a renter, you will have more rights than you might imagine.  Owning a house is a great dream, but it comes with a large amount of responsibility.  When something goes belly up on a rental property, you may be inconvenienced, but it’s’s not up to you to mend it.  As a tenant, it is always a good concept to know about owner responsibilities. 

Outside the normal wear and tear, a whole host of things can go wrong.  Many apartments or rental homes have things such as washing machines and cookers that are already fitted in the property.  When something happens to the washer or the burner, you don’t have to fix it.  This is one of many owner responsibilities.  In the past years, there are have been devastating hurricanes that have ravaged the southern part of our country.  The most important have been Louisiana and Mississippi.  Lots of the house owners have lost everything and don’t have the funds to rebuild.  For those in the devastated areas who were renters, they don’t have the financial responsibility to reconstruct, though they do need to find another place to live.  Rebuilding those houses are owner responsibilities. 

Besides appliances, the general maintenance of the exterior of the house is also part of owner responsibilities.  This could include peeling paint, siding damaged by strong winds, broken steps or gutters.  You ought to have a look through your lease, but customarily part of owner responsibilities embodies the upkeep and maintenance of the yard, if you have one, and any trees or shrubs.  The owner may pay you to look after lawn cutting, or they may hire a landscaping company. 

Landlord responsibilities also extend to your heating and water systems.  They should have your heating system checked every year before it is turned on.  If there’s a problem with the heating or plumbing, they should fix it, or contact somebody to mend it, as soon as possible.  If you have got any questions about landlord responsibilities, refer to your lease.  If the lease fails to help you understand, don’t be afraid to call your landlord and ask for specifics.  Easy communication is typically the key to evading big issues between owner and tenant. 

Maybe one of the most important landlord responsibilities is to keep records and ensuring your security deposit gets returned to you when you vacate the premises.  Your lease should spell out what is predicted when you leave the property.  If you’re sure everything is as it should be, and you are stillwaiting for your cash, you can raise a complaint.  As a final resort, you can seek legal help with regard to landlord responsibilities.  If you’re feeling you are mistreated or that your living situation is dangerous and your landlord won’t do something about it, don’t be scared to ask for legal help.

This article was written by Harold Fenton, a UK insurance advisor with a particular interest in self employed public liability insurance

You will also need to plan the process of moving home if you have just bought or are thinking of acquiring a new home. While there are many things that you have to remember, planning them in advance will make the whole move easier and less traumatic. So a good idea will be to start planning immediately after you come to know the completion date for your move.

There are certain things that take quite a bit of time and all necessary arrangements should be made at least a month in advance. If you have any landlord or flatmates, you may wish to inform them of the date that you are leaving. This can mean the difference between getting your deposit back or not, if you are renting, so it’s a good idea to let everyone know your plans as soon as you know them yourself.

You should probably also inform the gas and electricity companies of your knew property that you are the new owner. Doing this will ensure no mix-ups occur later on. Calling your telephone company and arranging for the transfer of your phone number is what this also involves.

You can start packing up your things or getting boxes together. You can save a lot of hassles later on when the move gets closer by packing some of the things like books and photos that can be packed in advance. You may want to book some time of work, especially if you don’t think you’re going to be able to arrange the move in a weekend. Another good idea is to have a clearout and get rid of some old things that have been gathering dust. In fact, moving is the perfect chance to get rid of some of the belongings that accumulate over the years.

Things you should do as the move gets closer include booking the removal company and arrange for transit insurance if you think you need it. You can tell the post office to redirect your mail and you can also notify the local authority of the change in address for council tax purposes.

You should make sure that all your utility bills are paid up by the date of the move. You don’t want the new owners to be hounding you for unpaid bills once you’ve moved and now is the time to make sure they are accurate. If you have services like milk deliveries, newspaper deliveries and the like you should have these cancelled.

Make sure all doors and windows are locked and appliances and utilities are turned off before you leave.

Supported by Tampa Mortgage , Tucson Mortgage, New York Mortgage

One of the things that many couples who are preparing to get married consider before the wedding day is hiring a limousine. A limousine, after all, makes the memorable event more special, especially since this adds a touch of elegance to the big day. Because of this, here are some advices that they should thing about before renting one.

Availability of the Limousine

One of the things you should think about is the accessibility of the car. This is very much important because the couple would surely need the car to be ready during the wedding day, and being ready entails that the car should be ready before the actual time. Knowing that the provider will supply you your ride on time saves you from a lot of stress and dissatisfaction.

Condition of the Limousine

This is another point to think about. You would need the limousine to be on its top shape. What this means is that the limousine should be in good condition, and that the limousine should be spotless, inside and out. The wedding day should be very special, and a dirty gown caused by dirt or grimes on the limousine seat can put a damper on your wedding day.

The same condition applies when it comes to your driver. Your chauffer should be neat for the occasion, and the chauffer should also have proper decorum.

The Additional Services

There are some providers that provide extra services like a bottle of water, a bottle of wine, or soft drinks together with the car rental, so if you prefer extra services like these, you may ask the provider. This way, you will not be shocked about the extra costs when the bill arrives, and if you do not want the additional charges, you could simply ask the provider not to include their extra services.

The Price of the Limousine

This is very important since you do not need to go way over your budget when it comes to renting limousines. Just because their ad tells you that the providers offer the less costly price does not mean that it is so. In truth, you would do very well if you look around for prices and compare the variety of packages and prices before you choose a company.

You should also take into consideration the cost of the additional hours that you need their service.

Nowadays, a glamorous event calls for a glamorous ride to take you to the occasion. Of course, you will need cash for this. Unfortunately, not many of us have the cash to purchase a really luxurious vehicle. Luckily, you could rent a glamorous vehicle to take you to your special occasion.

There are many car hire companies nowadays that offer limousines for hire. You can simply visit their agencies or call them up to book a limousine. The costs of these car rentals are also so reasonable, so it will not put that big of a dent in your fund.

There are many reasons why you should rent a limousine for your special occasions.

Glamorous Ride

If you really wish to make the occasion more memorable, then a limousine will give you that glamorous touch that you need. For one, a limousine are perfect for weddings. Who would not wish to get there in style, right?

Limousines are also perfect for those people who are going to go to their prom. You could just share the tab with your friends and hire a glamorous car to bring you to your event. In this fashion, you will definitely have the grand entrance that you want.

Relaxed Ride

Limousines offer ample room for your friends when you go to the prom. The seats are comfortable and wide, so you need not worry about messing your dress before the sepcial event. This vehicle can accommodate eight or more individuals but still provide them enough space to move around.

As for utilizing limousines during wedding ceremonies, not only is it more comfortable for the couples but there are also providers that provide drinks like wine along the way. These additional services add ease and calm the bride’s jumpy nerves before the event.

Stress-Free Ride

Of course, limousines significantly decrease your stress. This saves you from the anxiety of your ride breaking down along the way or your ride not arriving on time. Since companies depend on good customer rapport, they truly make it worth their customers’ cash by offering the best services, and this includes always arriving on schedule.

All you have to do is to sit back and let the professional driver drive you to the occasion. No more fretting about parking spaces or getting lost because the driver has arranged all these for you.

So, the next time that you are going to an event, arrive in style and hire a limousine.

If you have just bought or are considering buying a new home, then you will also be required to plan the process of moving home as well. While there are many things that you have to remember, planning them in advance will make the whole move easier and less traumatic. So to start making plans as soon as you come to know the completion date for your move will be a good idea.

There are certain things that take quite a bit of time and should be arranged at least a month in advance. If you have any landlord or flatmates, you will like to let them know of the date that you are leaving. This can mean the difference between getting your deposit back or not, if you are renting, so it’s a good idea to let everyone know your plans as soon as you know them yourself.

You should probably also inform the gas and electricity companies of your knew property that you are the new owner. Doing this will ensure no mix-ups occur later on. Calling your telephone company and arranging for the transfer of your phone number is what this also involves.

You can start packing up your things or getting boxes together. There are some things like books and photos that you can pack in advance, thereby saving you hassles later on when the move gets closer. You may want to book some time of work, especially if you don’t think you’re going to be able to arrange the move in a weekend. Another good idea is to have a clearout and eliminate some of the old things that have been gathering dust. In fact, moving is the perfect chance to get rid of some of the belongings that accumulate over the years.

Making arrangement for transit insurance if you think you need it as well as booking the removal company are the things that you need to do as the move gets closer. You can tell the post office to redirect your mail and you can also notify the local authority of the change in address for council tax purposes.

You should make sure that all your utility bills are paid up by the date of the move. You don’t want the new owners to be hounding you for unpaid bills once you’ve moved and now is the time to make sure they are accurate. If you have services like milk deliveries, newspaper deliveries and the like you should have these cancelled.

What has to be ensured before you leave is that all doors and windows have been locked and that all appliances and utilities have been turned off.

Supported by Tampa Mortgage , Tucson Mortgage, New York Mortgage