How are renters finding your rental property?

How are prospective tenants or renters finding your rental property? Are they searching offline, online or a combination of both?

If prospective tenants and renters are finding your property online that’s awesome but are you getting the most ROI from your online advertising results? Before moving forward with advertising another property online take the time to review your online marketing plan and make sure you’re using the following websites and resources.

Har.com

Over the last 5 years www.har.com has quickly developed into the best resource for renters to find great homes and properties for rent across the Houston area and it’s also a great website for property owners to get the most qualified rental leads as well.

Zillow

Although it’s a great resource for finding homes for sale in Houston, and across the United States, Zillow is also an excellent tool for searching for rental property as well since Zillow will save your search and email you new listings on a regular basis which will match your search criteria.

Local Connections

When people are not searching for homes, condos or townhomes online, they are searching for rental properties by asking their own personal connections if they know anyone who may know of rental properties available in their target areas.

This tip is also a good reminder of the reason why you should consider asking your current tenants if they know of anyone who may be searching for a rental property since you stand a good chance of renting to someone like your current tenants especially if they have a similar character and attitude.

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For professional property management contact RPM Central Valley today by calling us at (832) 498-0016 or click here to contact us through our website.

Other People’s Money – Learn more about how this Real Estate investing principle works

Consider the goal of funding a child’s college education in the future. If “other people’s money” in the form of a scholarship is not a possibility, there still may be another way to use some “other people’s money.”

The Power Of Other People’s Money

A $25,000 investment into a mutual fund paying 5% would earn $1,250 in the first year. Alternatively, the $25,000 as a 20% down payment to purchase a $125,000 rental home appreciating 3% a year would have gone up by $3,750 or three times that of the mutual fund in the first year.

The mutual fund’s growth depends on the value of the money invested. Rental real estate benefits because a 20% down payment controls a much larger asset because you’re using “other people’s money.” Leverage allows the investor to profit not only from the amount of cash invested but from the value of the investment.

How Other People’s Money Pays Off

With a 20% down payment and current interest rates, a typical rental would have a positive cash flow. In ten years, the equity could be $75,000. On the other hand, the $25,000 initial investment in a mutual fund earning 5% annually would only grow to about $40,000 in the same 10 years. It would require an additional $2,700 each year to reach the same $75,000 value.

Leverage is just one of the many benefits that make rental real estate the IDEAL investment. Whether you are saving for higher education, retirement or wealth accumulation, consider rental real estate. Using single-family homes as investments are attractive because homeowners have a better understanding than many other investments and self-management is a possibility.

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For professional property management contact Vestpro Residential Services by calling us at (832) 498-0016 or click here to connect with us online.

Planning for retirement? Why not buy an investment property?

Is your retirement around the corner and you’re searching for income producing investments to add to your portfolio? If so, why not add rental properties to your portfolio?

There’s never been a better time than right now to invest in Real Estate especially since more people continue to move to Texas every day and as an investor you will be able to capitalize on the demand for rental properties by investing in Real Estate.

Tips For Investing In Rental Properties

Gather as much information as you can. Talk to other investors, mortgage brokers andreal estate agents who have worked with income property about what owning a rental property is really like, in addition to reading books and articles on the topic. “It’s all about obtaining knowledge,” Rodriguez says.

Decide if you’re ready to be a landlord. Buying and managing property yourself provides the greatest return but also the greatest headaches. “Do you have the stomach for being a landlord?” Fleming says. “Stuff’s going to happen that just really ticks you off.” Other, less active options include becoming a partner in a limited liability company that owns properties or buying into a real estate investment trust.

Crunch the numbers carefully. A rental property is only a worthwhile investment if it makes money. Yes, the property may rise in value and yield a profit when you sell, but it also may lose value depending on which way the market goes. “If you’re banking on just appreciation, it’s really hit or miss,” Alexy says.

Make sure you have enough cash. Getting rich on real estate with no money down is a great dream, but it’s almost impossible to accomplish. Expect to need a sizeable down payment, reserves to pay for repairs and maintenance and a good income before you start investing.

Property Management Makes Owning Rental Properties SIMPLE

Before managing your rental properties yourself, learn more about how affordable property management is by calling Vestpro Residential Services at (832) 498-0016 or click here to connect with us online.

DIY Property Management Is HARD! Make it easy by calling Vestpro at (832) 498-0016 or click here to connect with us online.

Tenant Screening – Changes You Need To Know

There’s no doubt that tenant screening can be one of the most complicated aspects of owning rental properties because you have to follow the requirements of the Fair Housing Act and not offend anyone.

In 2017 tenant screening has gotten a little more complicated for owners thanks to recent policy updates from the Department of Housing And Urban Development.

HUD rolled out a 10-page policy update last year advising all landlords and property managers that using criminal history for the purpose of tenant screening may actually be discriminatory. HUD notes that nearly one-third of the U.S. population (or 100 million U.S. adults) have a criminal record of some sort, and the misuse of background checks during the tenant screening process can hinder their ability to find safe, secure, and affordable housing—a key aspect of rehabilitation. Sometimes, even those who have been arrested but not convicted have difficulty securing housing based upon their prior arrest.

Black and Latino Americans are disproportionately affected, the memo notes, as they are incarcerated at rates disproportionate to their share of the general population. Black and Latino individuals comprise an estimated 58% of the U.S. prison population, despite accounting for only 25% of the total U.S. population.

Consequently, the memo states:

Criminal records-based barriers to housing are likely to have a disproportionate impact on minority home seekers. While having a criminal record is not a protected characteristic under the Fair Housing Act, criminal history-based restrictions on housing opportunities violate the Act if, without justification, their burden falls more often on renters or other housing market participants of one race or national origin over another (i.e., discriminatory effects liability). Additionally, intentional discrimination in violation of the Act occurs if a housing provider treats individuals with comparable criminal history differently because of their race, national origin, or other protected characteristic (i.e., disparate treatment liability).

This does not mean that criminal history cannot be considered at all during the tenant screening process. Instead, HUD is basically telling landlords and property managers:

You cannot institute a blanket ban on all applicants with a criminal history.

You cannot reject a tenant based upon an arrest that did not result in conviction.

You must treat comparable criminal histories similarly without consideration of race, national origin, or other protected classes.

Because Black and Latino Americans are incarcerated at higher rates than their peers, any blanket policy for tenant screening that bans applicants with a criminal history would inadvertently discriminate against minorities. HUD cites a Supreme Court decision in reminding us that simply being arrested often has little probative value in showing that someone has actually engaged in misconduct—which is why arrests without convictions should not be used as the basis for denying a tenant.

Convictions are treated differently. Landlords and property managers may reject an applicant whose background check reveals that he/she has been convicted of a crime. There’s one big caveat: The landlord or property manager must show that excluding a person with a conviction achieves a “substantial, legitimate, nondiscriminatory purpose.” To put it simply, you have to distinguish between criminal activity that creates a demonstrable risk to resident safety and/or property, and criminal conduct that does not.

Given the new HUD guidelines, landlords and property managers should consider the following questions when reviewing a person’s criminal history:

Was the applicant convicted of a crime, or were they just arrested?

What was the severity of the crime?

How long ago was the crime committed?

Has the person reoffended since their original conviction?

Was it a drug-related crime? (HUD allows a blanket ban on those who have been convicted of illegal drug manufacturing or distribution.)

New Guidelines for Tenant Screening

HUD’s new policy memo has the downside of making the tenant screening process more complicated than it already is. It muddies the waters in terms of how landlords and property managers evaluate criminal history, as there is no guidance on which crimes should generally considered acceptable and which are not. Landlords and property managers are asked to use their discretion, with the memo acknowledging the need to look at circumstances on a case-by-case basis.

Here are a few tips to help you to comply with the new guidelines:

Screen tenants based on their financial and other qualifications first. Only conduct a background check if a person appears to be otherwise qualified. This will protect you from denying a tenant based upon another qualification, and having the tenant argue that they were denied based upon their criminal background.

If a background check reveals a criminal history, evaluate the nature of the crime (see questions above). If you plan to deny a person based upon this information, put a note in your internal file explaining why you felt a denial was appropriate (e.g. how this protects you, other tenants, and the property). Sign and date the note. This will protect you if the applicant ever alleges discrimination.

Review all existing rental policies and applicant screening procedures. Some landlords or companies may be facing a complete overhaul given the new HUD guidelines. Be sure that all members of your team clearly understand the new policies so they can be implemented uniformly by all.

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Are turnkey rental properties a smart investment for you to make?

On television, turnkey rental properties are highly touted because, many people like the idea of purchasing a rental property without having to do any work to get it ready for rent but the BIG question is are these rental properties a smart investment to make?

About Turnkey Rental Properties

When we use the term “turnkey rental properties,” we are referring to the loosely defined investment strategy of buying, rehabbing, and managing a property through a third party. The process of working with a turnkey real estate provider typically looks something like this:

Finding a property: Based on your personal investment goals, the company will help you to identify and build a portfolio of properties. Most claim to have a pre-vetted database of turnkey investment properties for you to consider. Some also have proprietary software to evaluate which properties are likely to produce the greatest returns.

Funding the investment: Unlike experienced investors, most turnkey buyers are unfamiliar with the various ways to finance rental properties (e.g. various loan products, 401K, 1031 exchange). The turnkey provider will help you to evaluate a range of financing alternatives depending on your individual circumstances and goals.

Acquiring the property: Once you’ve identified the property you’d like to purchase, the turnkey provider will assist you with all of the paperwork, home inspections, appraisals, loan documents, and more. They provide end-to-end service, much like a real estate agent would, but they specialize in working with long-distance buyers who want to take a hands-off approach.

Renovating the property: Depending on the situation, some turnkey rental properties will be in need of major renovations, while others may simply need minor repairs to bring the property up to code. The turnkey provider will manage all renovations and maintenance for you.

Managing the property: The primary reason that people buy turnkey rental properties is because someone else pledges to manage the property on a day-to-day basis. This includes finding tenants as well as responding to any tenant needs (e.g. fixing a leaky sink). It ostensibly creates a stress-free investment opportunity—all that’s left for the buyer to do is deposit those rent checks!

Generally speaking, most turnkey firms will charge around a 3% fee for property acquisition, and then anywhere from 7 to 10% for ongoing management of turnkey rental properties.

That said, it’s important to know that there are hundreds of turnkey firms across the U.S., and no two are exactly alike. Some will buy, rehab, rent, and THEN sell a property to you (the investor). Others specialize in helping you to find cheap properties (for as little as $20,000!) that need major renovations—and the turnkey company will take on all of those renovations for you. The range of services can vary greatly, so be sure to thoroughly research several turnkey providers before you commit to anything.

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The Growing Popularity of Turnkey Rental Properties

Turnkey rental properties have proven a great fit for people like Yang Guo, a 30-year-old data scientist who lives and works for a tech company in San Francisco. Even though he earns a good salary, he’s been priced out of the Bay Area. Nonetheless, Guo still wanted to add real estate to his investment portfolio.

Guo ultimately purchased two properties: A small home in the suburbs of Birmingham, AL and another outside of Columbia, SC. He worked with HomeUnion, a turnkey real estate provider based in Irvine, CA. HomeUnion helped Guo to purchase the two properties for a total of $60,000—quite the bargain in comparison with the Bay Area, where the median home price is over $675,000. HomeUnion, a 3-year-old startup, handled all of the necessary renovations, and they now manage the property for Guo. He’s never actually seen the properties or met the tenants—but he collects a rent check each month from 2000 miles away.

“There’s too much risk with buying property in the Bay Area,” Guo says. “As long as the cash flow is coming and hitting my bank account, I basically don’t care about seeing them in person.”

Novice real estate investors like Guo are attracted to turnkey rental properties because they’re lower-cost and less time-intensive to manage. The average turnkey investment property sells for between $50,000 and $150,000. Most are located in markets that were hit hard by the housing crisis. For example, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Ohio have experienced an explosion of turnkey rental properties. In Florida, for instance, an estimated 12% of landlords are from out-of-state. Turnkey investors tend to come from high-priced markets and want to buy in states with low home prices and relatively strong rents.

However, long-distance real estate investors tend to lack local market knowledge. “You see these people coming from California and what I like to call ‘yuppie-ing up a place,’ but they don’t realize it’s not in the best area because they didn’t do their homework,” says Tony Kazanas, a Cleveland area real estate agent. There are all sorts of miscellaneous things that novice real estate investors don’t consider, like local vacancy rates or the need to obtain hurricane or other specialty insurance. Turnkey companies fill these important gaps by providing local market expertise.

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The Dangers of Turnkey Rental Properties

Based on our overview so far, turnkey real estate investment might seem like a no-brainer! Not so fast: Turnkey providers often target uneducated buyers and sell the promise of a stress-free, cash flow-generating investment opportunity. Unfortunately, too many buyers forget to do their due diligence. They fall for a compelling pitch and slick marketing materials, only to regret the investment down the road.

See, there has been an explosion of turnkey providers since the downturn of the housing market. Many of these companies are run by young adults in their early 20s who have little experience in real estate. They bank on the fact that most out-of-state buyers won’t come to see the properties they’re selling in person, which often haven’t been upgraded to turnkey standards. Some are pitching portfolios of turnkey rental properties that look like they’re straight out of the foreclosure process, where upgrades haven’t even begun. This isn’t a red flag for someone who intends to spend money on renovating the homes; but many turnkey investment providers sell people on the fact that the homes have already been renovated when that isn’t actually the case.

As it turns out, many of these turnkey providers are expert internet marketers, not expert real estate professionals. Many are less than capable of managing the properties that they’re selling to you.

Here are some key warning signs that a turnkey real estate company may not be as legitimate as they seem on the surface:

Inexperienced operators: Find out how long the company has been in business, where they’ve invested in real estate, and how many buyers they’ve worked with. Don’t be shy about calling references. If you’re going to be getting into business with someone, you have the right to do your due diligence before signing on the dotted line.
Lack of direct investments: Has the company invested in its own portfolio of turnkey rental properties? If so, what types of returns are they getting? It’s a major red flag if the company doesn’t own and manage its own properties—how else will they know how to look after yours?
Weak support structure: Is the person who’s selling you on the investment the same person responsible for property acquisition, renovation, tenanting, and maintenance? If so, that’s an indication that there’s a weak support structure in place. Legitimate turnkey firms typically have a deep bench with professionals of varying expertise. If someone promises you that they can do it all alone, how much individual attention will your properties really be getting?
Shoddy renovations: Before going into business with a turnkey company, take the time to tour a few of the other properties that they manage. What condition is the property in, and have the renovations been done properly? If the company claims that thorough renovations have already been completed on the property you’re considering, an inspection is worth every penny. Otherwise, you could get stuck with costly repairs down the road.
Rental guarantees: Experienced real estate investors know that there is no such thing as a “rental guarantee.” A property may be more or less likely to rent quickly, but there’s no guarantee that it will be rented at the price the turnkey operator has stated. Spend some time doing your own market research to understand what rent prices are like in the area where you’re looking to purchase.
Overpriced properties: Similarly, spend some time researching the local market. Turnkey providers are notorious for selling overpriced homes to out-of-state investors who are used to expensive real estate markets. A home that sells for $200,000 might seem like a bargain compared to where you live—but if local comps are selling for half that, then there’s a good chance you’re being duped.

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For affordable and professional property management contact Vestpro Residential Services today by calling us at (832) 971-1841 or CLICK HERE to connect with us online.

New 1099 deadline change to impact businesses

Every year, tax season brings a variety of changes, from forms to regulations—and this year is no exception.

Beginning in 2017 (for the 2016 reporting year), many important deadlines will change. Filers will be required to send 1099-MISC recipient copies and submit the forms to the IRS by January 31, 2017, regardless of method (paper or e-file). This significant change to the deadline, which was previously February 28 for paper and March 31 for e-file, will undoubtedly dial up workloads and stress levels for companies.

To further complicate matters, the new filing deadline, as it relates to Form 1099-MISC, only impacts filers reporting non-employee compensation payments in Box 7. Although the overwhelming majority of 1099-MISC filers will report information in Box 7, there is bound to be some confusion.

As you are likely aware, many filers traditionally provide recipient copies first and wait for employees or vendors to review the forms prior to sending them to the IRS. This approach has allowed errors to be corrected and the fixed form to be filed to the federal government, along a new copy to the recipient, without creating a corrected 1099. The new reporting deadline all but eliminates this option, which we expect to result in more corrected forms being sent this year.

To avoid filing late and incurring penalties for noncompliance, it’s important to plan ahead for these new deadlines, form changes, and other deadlines. We also recommend reviewing the required data as soon as possible to allow extra time to edit errors or gather further information if needed. Click here to learn more!

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Do you need Houston Texas Property Management? If so, contact Vestpro Residential Services today by calling us at (832) 971-1841 or click here to connect with us online.

As long time property management professionals we can save you the time, money and hassle of managing your own rental properties especially when it comes to things like rent collection, maintenance, customer service and all of the other property management tasks that you might currently be doing yourself.

Let us show you the difference our services can offer you and how we can simplify your business so you can focus on growing your portfolio of rental properties in Houston, Humble, Kingwood and the surrounding area.

Houston Rental Property – Maintenance Checklist

Fall is a great time of year because the holidays are around the corner and you may be enjoying more time with family but if you own Houston Rental Property it’s also a great time to take a step back and focus on maintenance, especially if you haven’t set foot in your rental properties within 6 months because focusing on maintenance now will help you to avoid problems later.

Maintenance Checklist

Paint common areas every five to seven years. Or, DiNatale says, “When they start to look worn and paint starts to chip or wear off, or has an uneven sheen, it’s time.”
Re-carpet hallways and other shared spaces every five years. This is about the time carpet will start to unravel and become a tripping hazard.
Replace lobby flooring, whether wood, stone, tile, or vinyl every 15 to 30 years. If maintained properly, stone, tile, and wood, can last as long as 30 years. Vinyl’s lifetime is shorter, usually around 15 years. But if a wood floor is cleaned weekly, it can last, then be rescreened or polyurethaned every two to three years. Stone can be buffed every two to three years to remain looking good. And remember to put down mats when it’s snowy or rainy, and have a front awning to protect residents’ and their shoes and boots.
Change light fixtures (not just bulbs) every 10 years or so. Quality fixtures can last for years, but many older ones aren’t compatible with new LED bulbs. Most buildings don’t tend to change the fixtures, however, until it’s time to repaint.
Clean and replace/upholster furnishings when they show wear.Good quality furnishings will last, but they should be kept clean on a regular basis.
Repaint or clean the exterior annually. Yearly inspections are important and have to be done in some cities and states. It’s wise to plan to repaint certain parts of the building every two to three years, tuckpoint every five years or so, and clean limestone, which can get very dirty every 10 to 15 years, depending on pollution and climate (salt air can be tough on materials).
Clean windows four times a year. At a minimum, twice a year, once in the spring and in the fall.Inspect terraces and balconies annually. Railings and balcony floors should be inspected to ensure they can support a set weight.
Clean and inspect downspouts, gutters, and other water-related features twice a year. Once in the fall when leaves are falling and again in the spring after trees flower to avoid debris getting clogged and causing backups.
Service and repair furnaces, air conditioning systems, and plumbing annually. In the Spring, check the AC and change fluids or filters, and in the Fall inspect the furnace and change filters.
Inspect and service elevators and sprinkler systems every year.Elevators and sprinkler systems should be inspected annually, usually by the fire department, but it may depend on your city code.
Landscape seasonally. Curb appeal is everything: invest in your outdoor plants every season to keep your building looking it’s best.
Upgrade gym equipment, computers, and laundry machines every few years. This will help keep your building efficient and your residents safe.
Replace roofs every 20 to 30 years. Good roofs will last decades, but should be inspected regularly, especially after bad weather.

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Tips for getting ready for leasing season

Do you own rental property in the Houston area? If so, you know that January is typically one of the busiest times of year for property owners and landlords because this month is when we typically have the most lease renewals and there will also be more calls from people searching for rentals in the area.

If you’re getting ready for a busy leasing season here are some tips you can use to approach this busy time of year correctly:

Tips For Leasing Season

#1. Pricing Your Unit

Proper pricing is critical to balancing your vacancy rates and your return on investment; this is how you make your money after all. If your units are priced too low, you may have an issue staying in the black. Priced too high, and you might find more than a few of your units are empty at any one time.

Many Property Managers still call in for rental comparisons within their area to find an accurate price, but there are many tools online that can do this for you (and give you more accurate data). By pairing your rental units against comparable units and their pricing in the area, these tools will tell you if you should raise or lower your rent relative to the properties in your area.

#2. Effective Marketing Budgets

Most PMs are not marketing professionals, but knowing where and when to advertise your vacancies can set you well ahead of your market competition and help you fill vacancies faster. In an informal survey, we learned that about 50% of property managers spend $200 or less on their marketing budgets per property per month. Many of these PMs don’t even know where their money is going; it feels like they are throwing darts against a wall, hoping that something will stick. When considering how much you want to spend on marketing your properties, be intentional about where you spend your money and track whether or not those dollars are getting you renters. If they are not, it may be time for a new marketing approach.

#3. Listing Details Matter

Every property manager has at some point made the mistake of posting a vacancy before that listing is ready—you have one or two pictures that you took a few years ago, and you just don’t have time to make a listing with a full list of amenities. As the world becomes more and more mobile, prospects do almost all of their home shopping online. If you don’t have the most attractive listing, your vacancy simply won’t make the cut.

Take the time to create video walkthroughs for all of your units. These are becoming standard practice across online listings, and it won’t be long before posts without video are treated like posts without photos. On that note, take multiple photos of each room from all different angles, online listings can never have too many photos. Ensure that your listing’s written description is thorough and accurate. Taking even these small steps will show a significant decrease in turnover time, maximizing your revenue.

#4. Review Your Online Application

If you don’t currently offer the ability to apply for your vacancies using an online application, you have a little bit of catching up to do—about 70% of all applications filed in the U.S. are electronic. Most renters expect the ability to apply online and prefer not to drive all the way to your property to file a piece of paper.

If you are using online applications, congrats! If you have properties in multiple locations, make sure that you are customizing each application by location. Depending on location, you may want to change the fee for your applications. In some areas of the country this fee is the responsibility of the applicant, and in others the PM needs to eat that cost as part of the rental process. The application guidelines for your prospects may vary by location as well.

#5. Update Your Screening Boxscores

When you’re screening a prospective new tenant, it’s important to look at them objectively not subjectively. In order to comply with Fair Housing laws, it is best to create a series of objective criteria that define a new applicant as acceptable or not. These criteria can include credit score or previous rent payment history but cannot include protected statuses like race, gender, marital or familial status, sexual orientation, or religion.

The turnaround on applicant screening is faster than ever before, and results come with much more detail than they did previously. Instead of a simple credit score, reports now come with all sorts of payment histories including car or student loan payment delinquencies. By creating a box score based on these objective criteria, you protect yourself from potentially bad renters as well as lawsuits. Record of objectivity will show that you do not discriminate in violation of Fair Housing laws.

#6. Check Your Leasing and Addenda

Every year, state and federal regulations for housing change and these can have a dramatic impact on how you run your business. These can include new Fair Housing criteria, but can also have an immediate impact on your leases and addenda. For examples, the beginning of 2016 saw many new requirements for pesticide use or mold prevention, and these changes need to be reflected in your leases. Failure to comply with these new changes can result in a possible lawsuit, so it is important to stay up to date on your state’s current requirements. There are many resources available online, check with your state’s online resources for more info.

#7. Upgrade Your Technology

Gone are the days of paper applications, faxing, and running from property to property to fix something in person. Mobile devices have all of the tools that we need to work from anywhere, and this saves you money! If your maintenance staff have mobile devices to track and handle requests, this saves you the gas they would have spent driving to and from the office to pick up paper requests. Some PM softwares have the ability to track the status of maintenance requests, granting greater visibility to you and your renters.

Mobile devices also give your leasing agents the ability to run their entire operation while hosting walkthroughs and engaging with prospects 1-on-1. Imagine being able to show a prospect properties, screen their application, and process their lease while standing right next to them. This is becoming a more popular trend as people do all of their initial research online, and taking a mobile approach to your business will save you time in the office and on the road, and will shorten those turnover times significantly.

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Simple Curb Appeal Tips For Your Houston Rental Property

Struggling with adding Curb Appeal to your Houston Rental Property? One of the great things about flower pots is that this is a simple curb appeal improvement that anyone can add themselves and what’s even better is that they are super affordable so if you’re on a budget and just starting out with your first rental property you can stretch your budget further with this curb appeal “hack”.

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Should You Accept A Partial Rent Payment At Your Houston Rental Property?

HOUSTON, TX. – If you’ve owned Houston Rental Property for any length of time you know that things change in the rental market for a variety of reasons.

Your tenants may become unemployed temporarily, roommates may move out, and you may be asked at least once if you will accept a partial rent payment but the BIG question is should you accept a partial rent payment?

Get Everything in Writing

As with any business arrangement when it comes to a partial rent payment you should get everything in writing including the amount of the first partial rent payment and when you expect the remaining balance to be due.

Your written agreement with your tenant should also include late fees that they are expected to pay as well just so they will understand that they are expected to have their rent caught up by a specified date instead of constantly rolling over the money that they are behind on their rent by each month.

If You Don’t Want To Accept Partial Rent Payments

If you’re not open to accepting a partial rent payment from your tenants you should make sure that your lease clearly states that partial rent payments are not accepted just so you can fall back on your lease and follow through with some of the typical penalties for tenants who are late paying their rent including late fees, daily late fees and eviction.

Partial rent payment situations hardly ever work out in the favor of the owner because once the tenant and the owner agree to a partial rent payment arrangement, the tenant may expect the ability to make partial rent payments in the future.

Worse yet, if the property owner or landlord chooses to evict the tenant they may be required by the courts to wait until the same time in the following month after the partial rent payment was collected because some courts will not start the eviction process in the same month that the partial rent payment was collected.

Get Property Management for Your Houston Rental Property

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