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Landlord Newsletter September 2009

Landlord Mini Newsletter September 2009

Dear Fellow Landlord,
It's Back to School time again. Time to stock up on "supplies" to get ready for the months ahead. Many people look at this as a time to reorganize & streamline their affairs. What better way is there to get your life in order than to arm yourself with the perfect tools? Make sure you have the correct form for every occasion by ordering an LPA membership. What if you're already an LPA member? Be sure to be familiar with all your Essential Forms so that you can be most effective with all the tools at your disposal.

In this issue:

10 Red Flags that should scare you when Screening Tenants
Ask the Attorney Q&A with John Reno
Landlord Do's & Don'ts
Free Form Download!
Inspirational Quotes and Wealth Secrets
The Fair Housing Coalition with Bill Hooey The LPA on Twitter Tweet us , stay in touch.

Please e-mail us if you have any questions or would like to add or share any material / information.
John Nuzzolese
John@theLPA.com

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After a while in the landlord business, showing rental properties to many tenants, you tend to hear some of the same questions and statements again and again. The screening process is alive from the moment you first speak with your new prospects until the leases are signed and the money is paid, so you must keep your eyes and ears open for clues and telltale signs of whether your prospect is the right tenant for your rental.

10 Red Flag Questions or Statements
that Should Worry You about a Tenant Prospect

"We can have my wife sign the lease. Her credit is OK."
"Why do you need our credit reports? That doesn't tell you what good people we are."
"Has the home been inspected for lead or mold?"
"We're moving because our landlord is a jerk."

"You won't need a security deposit with us. We'll take good care of your home."

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Ask the Attorney

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

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.

Dear Mr. Reno:
I recently had flooding in my unit occupied by 2 tenants they deny leaving the faucets on but it is the only way it could have happened. The damage is in the thousands. Can I evict them both even though they deny leaving the faucets on? Furthermore they waited 45 mins to contact me and ripped my carpeting without my consent.
Thank you.
Dave

A: You can't evict them because you'll never prove it was deliberate. You can sue them in civil court if you want. As for as getting them out, you may just have to let the lease expire and not renew it. Or if its month to month, serve a 30 day notice to vacate.

Dear Mr. Reno:
Tenants, (a couple) paid deposit, I told them it was theirs and took it off the market. They signed 6 month lease a week later. Had 3 other calls on unit, told them it was rented. The next week tenants called and said she was laid off and would not be moving in.
Do I have to give deposit back? 30 day notice in lease after 6 months.
LeeAnn

A: I think you can keep it (but I've heard to the contrary, so please don't sue me) but here's my thing: If you have to give it back, why take a deposit in the 1st place? That's the whole point!

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Landlord Do's & Don'ts
After the Tenant has Moved

What The LPA says you should do and shouldn't do:
DO

Have a signed & fully documented Property Condition Report
Have the tenants prepared with a Tenant's Notice of Intention to Vacate Letter
Use a Security Settlement Statement to itemize deductions and to accompany the return of the tenant's deposit.
Use a Security Settlement Challenge Crusher letter to deal with any complaints about deductions from the deposit.

DON'T

tell the tenants that they will not be getting their security deposit back- they will be resentful and possibly more destructive on the way out. Let them see your deductions on the Security Settlement Statement after they've left.
return any security deposit until after tenant vacates and the rental has been thoroughly inspected for damages

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Essential Landlord Forms

Successful landlords value The LPA Essential Forms System as essential tools of the trade. Reinforce your landlord protection and maintain a successful landlord business!
(Save money: All the Essential Forms are included Free in an LPA membership!)

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The Fair Housing Coalition

Update: 08/30/09

We are a civil rights organization created to fight unfair laws against landlords. We are based in Los Angeles, California.

Yesterday I sent a letter to President Obama and the new Secretary of HUD. Because the REAP Act is causing high numbers of African-Americans to lose their apartment buildings in Los Angeles, this could be seen as a form of racism by the Federal Government. If we are able to get the Department Justice to determine that the REAP act is being politically to take property away from minority people and from "mom and pop" type landlords, this could help us in getting the law abolished....

Click for the complete article

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Quotations...

"I will persist until I succeed." - The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino

"I cannot believe that the purpose of life is to be happy. I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be compassionate. It is, above all to matter, to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all." - Leo Rosten

"Everything in your life gets better when you get better, and nothing is ever going to get better until you get better." - Larry Winget

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." Plato

"How much did your last tenant problem cost you?"
- John Nuzzolese

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The LPA's Newest Credit Report Affiliate!

Quick Check Credit Reports, Inc. is proud to announce its affiliation and partnership with The LPA in helping landlords protect their interests by better screening tenants at lower costs!!

NO sign-up or set-up fees,
NO membership fees,
NO compliance fees
Just lower prices!

Special Tenant Screening Discounts for LPA members. See our price list!

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FREE LPA Gift with Book Purchase!

Click here to order Dani Babb's Book,The Accidental Landlord

Fellow LPA Member, Dr. Danielle Babb is a national real estate expert and author of the new Landlording Book, "The Accidental Landlord".

Get your copy now... with a FREE BONUS! from theLPA.com

Not only is Danielle Babb one of our county's most knowledgeable real estate analysts, she also shares excellent landlord information and advice in her book, "The Accidental Landlord". Plus she's a super nice person! - John Nuzzolese

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FREE BONUS - FORMS DISK
comes with all 2 - 5+ year LPA Memberships
Be a more powerful landlord - able to handle just about any landlord / tenant situation in a professional way, saving you time and money.
ALL FREE with LPA Membership!

Yes, this offer also applies to LPA membership renewals!
Having all the forms all on disk is a handy time saving convenience.

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NEW SITE FEATURE: PICTURES!
Worth A Thousand Words!
The LPA's Rental Advertising division,"Landlord's Corner" allows you to include up to 6 pictures (thumbnails and full size pictures) in each rental ad.

(UNLIMITED FREE ADS come with LPA membership!)

LPA members: FREE!

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LPA Membership Expiring?
Take Advantage of the Renewal Prices!

How to Check your LPA Membership Expiration Date:

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

NEW! Save Money with our Promotional Membership Renewal Prices! *Your Membership Expired? No Problem!

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Electronic Rent Collection

LPA members have been asking me for a while now about how to set up automated rent payments with their tenants. I'd like to bring your attention to ClearNow, the leader in electronic rent collection. ClearNow enables you to have your rent automatically withdrawn from your tenant's bank accounts and directly deposited into your bank account.

If you haven't done so already, please check out

*********************************************** Interested in past LPA Newsletters? Feel free to view the LPA Newsletter Archive

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