Advanced Property Management Article Topics
3 TIPS TO ENSURE TENANT SAFETY
3 Tips To Ensure Tenant Safety Everyone wants to live in a safe place. But when you talk to potential tenants about your rental property, you shouldn’t tell them it’s a totally safe area because you cannot predict the future and an attempted break-in is always a possibility. However, there are a number of things you can do to enhance [...]
THE ABCs OF LEASE TERMINATION
THE ABCs OF LEASE TERMINATION Once someone signs your lease, you as landlord are legally bound to follow the rules and regulations as much as your new tenant. You should also know that state and federal laws further govern how and under what circumstances you may terminate that lease. Generally speaking, though, most states including Texas allow a landlord [...]
TEXAS LANDLORDS AND SECURITY DEPOSITS
TEXAS LANDLORDS AND SECURITY DEPOSITS No matter how careful you are with your records, a tenant can still sue you over the return of a security deposit. You can minimize the chance that you’ll have to go to court to haggle over back rent, cleaning costs and damage to your rental property by taking these four steps: 1: Review [...]
HOW TO DEAL WITH LAW-BREAKING TENANTS
HOW TO DEAL WITH LAW-BREAKING TENANTS It’s important to trust your tenants. But if you have evidence that that renters are involved in illegal activities such as selling drugs, then you need to take steps to end their tenancy as soon as possible. This is especially important if you are a landlord in the state of Texas. Even if you [...]
LAND-LORDING AND BACKGROUND CHECK LAWS
LAND-LORDING AND BACKGROUND CHECK LAWS Legally, you can use the information you receive through a background check in your rental decisions. But beware: you must follow state and federal laws very carefully when you (1) obtain a background check and (2) notify a tenant of a housing request denial. Get permission to do a background check in writing When you [...]
HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY HANDLE RENT INCREASES
HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY HANDLE RENT INCREASES Rent increases on your income properties are inevitable. As prices for utilities and other services go up, so must what you charge your tenants. In Texas, if your renters have month-to-month rental agreements, all you need to do is give 30 days notice of rent increase. If they don’t like the changes, [...]