Credit Reports

National Tenant Network

It has been around for years and is a very good resource for credit reports. I’ve been using a California based provider, CICNet, for decades. Just make sure to pass along the cost to your applicants.

Rentometer.com

This is amazing! Simply type in your address & answer 2 other questions and in seconds you’re looking at a Google map with other rentals marked on it, a ‘gas gauge’ that shows where your rent falls with the competition and a few other really cool features. Check it out for sure.

Google Voice

There’s a short YouTube video on a few of the Google Voice features, and there’s quite a few others, too. You really should Google, Google Voice and sign up for a free local number. I use it as an alias cell phone number when I advertise, to give to residents, repairmen, just about everyone except family, close friends and close business associates. Voice messages get transcribed and emailed as well as texted to you, it can screen your calls, it’s really cool. You’ll find a ton of uses for it.

Buildium & appfolio

These are the larger property management software programs / services out there unless you are large enough that Yardi makes sense for you, although they are quickly catching up… I use Buildium, but they both allow residents to pay electronically (and they automatically add the convenience fee), submit maintenance requests through a tenant portal and if you have partners or your manager uses them, they and you can log-in anytime to see various owner reports. They both offer applicant screening services as well as renters insurance policies, allow you to have your own website with property data you’ve loaded in previously and allow residents to even apply online. There’s a ton of other features both offer. I chose Buildium on the recommendation of a friend and they were also a bit less expensive that appfolio.

Venmo / PayPal / Stripe

These are useful for landlords that don’t use a service like Buildium or appfolio. These allow tenants to pay their rent online. Like everything in the online world, things change so check into their features and price for their service when choosing one. Since so many people carry debit cards (no one seems to write checks anymore) these types of services make getting rent paid easier for tenants and collecting easier for you.

Virginia courts systems website

For forms & search (judgments for rent, damages, etc.): www.courts.state.va.us you can fill in the forms online and print them submit maintenance requests through a tenant portal and if you have partners or your manager uses them, they and you can log-in anytime to see various owner reports. They both offer applicant screening services as well as renters insurance policies, allow you to have your own website with property data you’ve loaded in previously and allow residents to even apply online. There’s a ton of other features both offer. I chose Buildium on the recommendation of a friend and they were also a bit less expensive that appfolio.

Craigslist / Zillow / Facebook

Great sources to advertise vacancies. We have a huge amount of success with Craigslist, but Zillow is seems to be catching up. I haven’t used Facebook because then I’d have to be on Facebook or be willing for it to ding my phone so I can respond. It works well for some people, no question about it. You really want to use pictures and even a short video if possible so people can get a feel for the rental before they get there, decide if they need more information about it and to go see it.

Local Courts:

Chesterfield County 804-748-1231 9500 Courthouse Rd., Chesterfield, VA 23832

City of Colonial Heights 804-520-9346 550 Boulevard, Colonial Heights, VA 23834

Hanover County 804-365-6191 7530 County Complex Rd., Hanover, VA 23069

Henrico County 804-501-4723 4301 Parham Rd, Henrico, VA 23228

City of Hopewell 804-541-2257 100 E. Broadway, Hopewell, VA 23860

City of Richmond 804-646-6461 400 N. 9th St., Richmond, VA 23219

City of Petersburg 804-733-2374 35 E. Tabb St., Petersburg, VA 23803

Virginia Statement of Tenant Rights and Responsibilities as of July 1, 2020

View the Statement of Tenant Rights and Responsibilities here.

2023 Bills Passed

HB 1702 – This is the 90 days before the end of your lease notice required to increase your rental rate.

HB 2082 – Employees must have a criminal and background check and you must have written policies and procedures for keys (access) of all kinds.

HB 1725 – This deals with penalties for providing fraudulent documentation regarding service animals.

HB 1633 – Doesn’t deal with VRLTA issues. It cleans up the Contractor Transaction Recovery Fund.

HB 2441 – If you have a bunch of M2M tenants and want to terminate 20+ leases within a 30 day period, you will now have to give each tenant 60 days instead of 30 days notice.

HB 1735 – DHCD is to create a statement of tenants rights and responsibilities that everyone needs to sign.

HB 1635 – It’s the if, within 5 days after a tenant moving in they find the place uninhabitable, how they get out of the lease and recover their funds paid to date.