Landlord Newsletter October 15, 2013

Dear Fellow Landlord,

"Your life~the way it looks today is a result of your choices...What will you choose today for your tomorrows?" - Robert G. Allen

In this newsletter:

• Credit Reports for Collection Purposes
  
• Landlord Tips on Utility Abuse
  
• FREE Lease Renewal Form
  
• Ask the Attorney, Real Estate Attorney, John Reno
  
• Wealth Secrets & Quotes
  
• $20. Promo Code
  

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

A common misconception landlords have is that they can run a credit report on a tenant if they have the tenant's social security number. You must have the applicant's written authorization explicitly for running a credit report. It is illegal to pull a credit report without the tenant's written authorization according to the FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act). There could be very serious ramifications if you order credit reports without written authorization.

What if you have written authorization on your tenant's rental application to run a credit check? ...

click for the full article on how you can run credit reports for collection purposes...

I never recommend having your tenant's utilities in the landlord's name. BUT, if the tenant is on an LPA lease that allows you to issue a Notice of Change of Terms or a month to month tenancy, you may have the power to do something about it. When your tenant abuses utilities that are included in the rent, you should alert the tenant that the utility bills have reached excessive levels and the tenant will be billed the overage amounts or the utilities will be paid by the tenant in the future. A lot of this should already be addressed in the lease. If it isn't, you left the door open to problems.

I realize that in many cases we are dealing with multiple family homes with split utilities ...

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:
Does a landlord have the right to a key for every room of an apt? Say an office inside that the tenant doesn't want open to anyone while away at work. A friend has this problem and I thought you may know...also this is CA....BUT I'm curious about NY too. thanks so much.
Bernice B., CA

A: This is a tricky area for the following reason: There's nothing illegal about a clause in your lease requiring a key for every room. The problem is, if the tenant changes the locks, there isn't much you can do. No judge will evict on that ground. And if you try to force entry, the cops will side with the tenant and ask you to leave to keep the peace. So I guess the answer to your question is the landlord has the right only if its in the lease, but it's a right you can't really force.

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.

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 bright side, remedies are available. 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....

Click here for the full article

"When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. - Wayne Dyer

"People with goals succeed because they know where they are going... It's as simple as that." - Earl Nightingale

"Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears." - Les Brown

"One of my biggest fears is having a tenant with more landlord - tenant knowledge and expertise than I have." - John Nuzzolese

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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