Today we are sharing some of the reasons you might want to work with Your Dream Real Estate when you have a rental property in Houston. We are a family owned and operated company local to the area and we specialize in caring for residential properties. One of the reasons we do so well as property managers is that we own rental properties of our own. We know what it’s like to handle all the details that come with investment property.

Business Model

Our investment and management experience has resulted in a business model that works well for any type of property owner. It doesn’t matter if you own one rental property or 50. Our system is the result of the work we’ve been doing and the procedures we’ve been perfecting over our many years of property management. Everything we do is for the benefit and protection of you, the property owner, and our systems will ensure your investment is successful. Whether your priority is peace of mind, investment growth or current cash flow from rental income, we can take the frustration of managing a property away from you and provide the tools and resources that come with a full time brokerage and property management company.

Maintenance

With our own properties, we do a lot of rehab work. This gives us experience and knowledge when it comes to maintenance and repairs. Our team will take care of any minor repairs at your property and if a more specialized skill is needed, we work with the best contractors and vendors in the business, all of whom are licensed and insured.

Fees and Services

At Your Dream Real Estate, our fees are fixed so you won’t have any surprises when your rent payments are made. You’ll receive a statement of understanding before we begin working together. There will not be any hidden fees or surprise charges that leave you wondering what exactly you’re paying for.

Marketing and Screening

Our marketing strategies and tenant screening practices are outstanding. In addition to widely advertising your property, we screen thoroughly to ensure only the best tenants are placed in your home. We back this up by providing a one-year guarantee for each tenant we place.

State of the Art Technology

We use the best property management software available, which provides a number of online features for our tenants and owners. Tenants can pay rent online and submit maintenance requests. Owners can review statements and see what’s happening at the property no matter where in the world you’re located.

At Your Dream Real Estate, we believe in and practice the abundance theory, which means we grow when you grow. When you’re successful, we’re successful. If you have any questions or you’d like to hear more about the property management services we can provide, please contact us at Your Dream Real Estate.

What You Need to Know About Home Inspections

Whether you’re buying your next home or another investment property, the inspection process is the single most important stage between an accepted offer and the closing. However, it’s not always straightforward. Depending on the home and how comfortable you feel, you may choose to have certain elements professionally inspected while analyzing others on your own.

The Dangers of Ignoring Home Inspections

While buying a home may be exciting, it’s also a very serious process. Even for professional landlords with handfuls of properties, a mistake with one house can completely damage an entire portfolio. That’s why it’s so important to get home inspections.

According to professional home inspectors, some defects are more common than others. Dave Swartz claims faulty wiring is the number one defect, with roof problems, HVAC issues, plumbing problems, and poor insulation in the attic following closely behind. Rick Yerger and Austin Chase, also reputable home inspectors, both claim they encounter foundational moisture, drainage, and water damage more than anything else.

However, the list doesn’t stop there. There are plenty of other common defects (especially in older homes), including window and door leaks, minor structural damage, termite damage, wood rot, stucco issues, undesirable grading slopes, and presence of unwanted chemicals or dangerous substances.

Important Home Inspections

The undetected presence of even one of these issues can be costly. That’s why it’s so critical to have the following home inspections done prior to closing:

• General home inspection. The first thing to get done is the general home inspection. This will be your most expensive (somewhere between $300 and $500) and comprehensive inspection. This inspector will look at things like electrical wiring, roofing, plumbing, insulation, structural integrity, and more. He or she will produce a written report that discusses any issues and necessary repairs.

• Termite inspection. If the previous owner already has a termite bond in place, you may simply be able to transfer it to your name. However, if there is no existing termite bond (or if the home inspector finds any evidence of termite damage), you should invest in a new inspection. Termite inspectors will search for signs of structural damage and identify any possible issues. A good termite inspection usually costs around $100.

• Water inspection. For homes that are supplied by a well system, a water inspection is critical. This report will tell you about the makeup of the drinking water and identify metals like cadmium, lead, and arsenic. Furthermore, homes with septic tanks need testing.

• Radon inspection. The EPA recommends every home be tested for radon prior to purchase. This dangerous chemical is directly linked to cancer and causes thousands of deaths per year. Testing is the only way to detect the presence of radon and it should only cost between $75 and $200. That’s a low price for peace of mind and health.

• HVAC. Many people overlook an HVAC inspection (assuming the general home inspector can identify all issues), but this can be a costly error. While a general home inspector will briefly examine HVAC units, it’s not always as thorough as you may like. A good HVAC professional will look at the furnace and heat exchanger, identify pre-existing conditions, ensure all systems are working, verify thermostat settings, and more.

While these are five of the most important inspections, there are others you may want to invest in depending on the age, location, price point, or findings in the general home inspection report. It may be wise to have older chimneys inspected, square footage verified, soil tested, large trees examined, and more. However, do note that you can spend thousands of dollars on inspections. In most cases, the five inspections above should be adequate – but do follow the direction of your general inspector if he or she sees any red flags.

Common Home Inspection Mistakes

As you can see, the home inspection process isn’t something to be taken lightly. Missing something here can be extremely costly (or even damaging to your health and safety). Be aware of these two common home inspection mistakes so you don’t fall victim to the same errors:

• Selecting based on price. You should never choose a home inspector based on the company that offers the cheapest price. To some extent, the price will be correlated with thoroughness and quality. Your home inspection is something worth paying for, so don’t give it to the person with the least experience or lowest qualifications. Your real estate agent or attorney should be able to give you multiple referrals and you can then interview each for information regarding licensing, insurance, and affiliations.

• Not being present. It’s certainly not mandatory, but it is ideal to be present for the actual inspection. This gives context to the report and allows you to really understand where the problem areas are, how serious they are, and what you should do about them. Without being there, you’re likely to over or underemphasize issues. “I did one inspection where the buyer didn’t come along, and he ended up getting worked up about first-floor plugs that weren’t grounded and completely ignored that the water tank was drafting carbon monoxide,” says Aaron Flook, owner of a Pittsburgh-based inspection company.

Quick DIY Checklist

Before placing an offer or calling a home inspector, you can always perform a firsthand inspection to identify any obvious issues. Here’s a simple checklist of tasks you can perform yourself (so that you can ask the inspector about them):

• Run multiple faucets at the same time and check to make sure water drains properly.

• While running the kitchen faucet, go ahead and taste the water to see if the pipes give it any extra, unwanted flavor.

• Open the electrical panel and make sure everything is clearly labeled (and that there aren’t any signs of damage).

• Pull the carpet back at the corners to see if there’s any presence of mildew, mold, or moisture.

• Open the windows to make sure they aren’t stuck or cracked.

• Light the fireplace to make sure it’s in working condition (and that the chimney is clear).

Contact Your Dream Real Estate Today

At Your Dream Real Estate, we understand how big of an investment a home is. Whether it’s for your own personal enjoyment or intended to be an income-producing property, you want to make sure everything checks out. For additional information on anything related to real estate – and specifically property management – please contact us today!

Everything you need to know about Landlord Insurance

Though most landlords will tell you their job is rewarding, they’ll also tell you it’s not without great personal risk, and that landlord insurance is one of the best investments you can make. A simple policy can mean the difference between seeing a profit and shelling out thousands a month for legal and property damages. For just a few hundred dollars a year, you can ensure that you are protected from property damages, maintenance issues, contract disputes, and even rental defaults from tenants.

Landlord insurance ensures that you’re covered when disaster strikes, and it’s something you don’t want to be without. Imagine if the Texas rains become so much in the Houston area that your rental property is washed away. Sure you’ll have home owner’s insurance, but it’s also important to make sure that you, your assets, and your finances are insured in the event of a lawsuit or any other unforeseeable damages.

When you’re choosing the right insurance for your rental property, tread carefully. It’s easy to get caught up in an insurance policy that doesn’t fit your specific needs. If you’re new to the landlord insurance game, use this guide to get you started on finding the perfect policy for you.

Consider Your Coverage Options

Begin by researching your coverage options. Like most things in life, landlord insurance is a little more complicated than it appears on the surface. It’s a multi-faceted entity, and finding the right policy for you will mean exploring each of your options and comparing them to your needs. Here are some of the coverage options available to landlords.

Most Important Options

These coverage options are worth serious consideration for landlord insurance.

• Property: This will cover you for any damage to your property, ranging from natural damage (earthquake, storms, fire, lightening, etc.) to vandalism. It’s important to note that flood insurance is a separate policy. Ask your insurance what they recommend based on your property’s location.

• Landlord Contents: If you’re renting out a partially or fully furnished unit, don’t skip the contents coverage. This covers you in the event of damage to anything from appliances and chairs to carpet and paint. It’s worth the extra investment, particularly if the property is furnished with high-end items.

• Loss of Rent: It’s impossible to control every aspect of your property, and if your tenants find a mold infestation and have to move out, you’ll lose out on payments unless you have loss of rent coverage. This ensures that you’ll receive a rent payment if the property is deemed uninhabitable, so long as you’re working to get it back up to an inhabitable level.

• Liability: No one is safe from lawsuits these days, particularly landlords. Liability insurance covers you from legal issues associated with your property. In other words, your tenants can’t sue you if they fall and break their leg while on your property.

Other Options

These coverage options can be quite useful, but they aren’t as common or as necessary as some others. Still, depending on the neighborhood of your rental home and the kinds of tenants you typically deal with, these options could come in handy.

• Rent Guarantee: This insurance deals particularly with tenants that default on the rent, which means that they are always late or miss payments. If you are renting to low-income individuals, this rent guarantee plan could be very useful.

• Unoccupied Rental: Unfortunately, it might be very difficult to keep your rental unit filled at all times. Though this policy won’t pay the rent for you, your insurance will still cover the property in case of damages, even if the property has been vacant for more than 30 days.

• Landlord Emergency: For older rental homes, landlord emergency insurance is always a good option to consider. It will cover the cost of emergency repairs, such as gas leaks, plumbing issues, lockouts, and more.

• Guaranteed Replacement: If something happens to your property that would require a rebuild or complete renovation, the guaranteed replacement policy will take care of all associated costs.

Take stock of your specific needs and then decide which policies apply best to your situation. Ask a trusted insurance advisor for suggestions if you aren’t entirely sure which policies you’ll need.

Screen Insurance Agents

Insurance can be a tricky game. It would be nice to say that insurance companies always attend to your claims without dispute in a timely manner, but that’s just not true. You want to do everything you can to ensure that you’re hiring an agent or company who will treat you, your property, and your tenants professionally.

The best way to avoid getting mixed in with a sneaky or stubborn insurance company is to screen prospective agents well. Make sure that you are asking the right questions and you feel satisfied with their answers. Look for an insurance agent that treats you like a human being and is concerned with getting you the best deal and the best coverage. For more ideas on screening insurance agents, see this blog post.

Look for Insurance Packages

Often times, insurance comes in packages in the rental world, and you can save a fair amount of money on a policy if you bundle different types of insurance together. For example, many insurance companies will offer you a discount if you bundle your landlord insurance and homeowner insurance for multiple properties in the same policy. These kinds of incentives are the best way to cut costs on this necessary measure.

Utilize Your Dream Real Estate

Insurance isn’t easy to navigate, especially if you’re new to the landlord business. However, it’s extremely important to find the right policy to protect yourself from the unknowns that come with renting out a property, and Your Dream Real Estate can help.

We are a team of experts devoted to helping you get answers to any questions you have regarding every aspect of your rental property. We want your property to succeed, and we have many of the tools that can help make that happen. For any questions about how we can help you protect your income property from physical and legal damage, contact us today!

How to Handle Late Rent Excuses from Tenants

 

As a landlord, you’ll quickly be forced out of your comfort zone. For individuals who strive to avoid confrontation or offending others, it can be easy to become a pushover landlord. Unfortunately, you won’t last long with this kind of reputation. You need to tackle late rent issues head-on to avoid any future catastrophes. Do you know how to effectively handle the plethora of excuses tenants will throw at you?

Common Tenant Excuses for Late Rent

If you’re an experienced landlord, you probably think you’ve heard all the excuses in the book. However, you’ll keep hearing new ones as long as you’re in the business. For new landlords, you need to be prepared for the apologies and excuses you’ll hear. Here are some of the most common:

• “I mailed it a few days ago –the post office must have lost it.”
This is by far the most common excuse. Everyone likes to blame the post office, because it’s nearly impossible for the landlord to trace the lie.

• “It’s been a tough month. I had to buy groceries for my kids.”
This is an example of a sympathy excuse, and almost always comes at the expense of children. After all, who’s going to demand a rent payment over a needy child?

• “Work has been slow. I’ll have it next month.”
For self-employed tenants, it’s quite common – true or not – to blame late payments on a lack of business. This excuse is often used over and over for an extended period of time.

• “I’ve been sick and medical bills have wiped me out.”
Much like excuses related to children, tenants know that landlords will be forced to feel sympathy if they’ve been sick.

There are literally thousands of other excuses, but they all come down to a single problem, that you don’t have your rent payment in hand. While it can be easy to feel bad for tenants after hearing their excuses, you must accept the truth; it’s either you or them. Without rent payments, it’s entirely possible that you’ll be the one in a bad financial situation –not the other way around.

Starting with the Basics

We have already talked at length about how to screen the proper tenants and find long-term renters, but it’s worth repeating. While you can’t avoid all future problems, you can certainly reduce your risk by finding reliable tenants from the start.

Instead of taking on tenants at random and dealing with the consequences later, you must implement a calculated approach. Use a rental application, run credit and background checks, contact references, and above all else –get comfortable. Interview potential tenants and find out what they’re really like.

Tips for Handling Late Rent Excuses

Even after discovering all of the details and conducting a personal interview, you can’t always find perfect tenants. It’s in these situations that you need to have a plan in place to handle late rent excuses.

• Be strict from the start.
One late payment isn’t usually a big deal for a landlord. What is a big deal, however, is when it becomes a habit. While you may like to give your tenant the benefit of the doubt the first time they miss a rent payment, do so cautiously. Many tenants are skilled at handling landlords and look for weakness or compassion. Bad habits are hard to break and a tenant with financial issues will always look for a pushover landlord. Be strict from the start and you’ll show your tenants you’re serious about rent collection.

• Encourage communication.
Tenants that understand their landlord as a person, rather than someone they send money, are more likely to pay their rent on time. Encourage communication with your tenants and don’t be afraid to meet with them face-to-face on a regular basis. You can even drop by in person to collect rent; it makes excuses that much harder to use. By encouraging communication, you are actually facilitating a functional relationship.

• Implement a late fee.
One of the best ways to show you’re serious is to implement a late fee. There is no greater motivation for a tenant to get their payment in on time than money, or the loss of such. There are various strategies on how much to charge – as well as a legal maximum – but the point is to make it inconvenient and costly for the tenant to miss their rent payment.

• Have a plan ahead of time.
The problem many landlords encounter is that they don’t have a plan for handling excuses. Instead, they are left to come up with an idea on the spot. If you’re forced to do this, you’re already behind. You should have strict rules in place to avoid letting emotions run the decision making process.

• Evict if you must.
While eviction should only be used in extreme cases and as a last resort, it is a tool, and can be used for tenants that are way behind. After all, when a tenant is behind, so are you. Before evicting a tenant, ensure that you’ve given them multiple chances to pay their rent and make up the outstanding balance.

• Always remain professional.
Above all else, avoid losing your cool. Dealing with late payments can be frustrating, but you will gain nothing from threatening to cut off utilities or take legal action. Personal attacks won’t be looked upon favorably by anyone involved. The more professional you remain, the more receptive your tenants will likely be.

You Don’t Have to Do it on Your Own

Thankfully, being a landlord doesn’t mean you have to deal with the challenges of collecting rent. Instead, you can partner with a professional property management company to take the frustration out of the equation.

Let Your Dream Real Estate Collect Your Rent Payments

At Your Dream Real Estate, we are experienced at rent collection and property management in the Houston area. In fact, we’ve been doing it for many years. That means we understand how to interact with tenants and get you your money on time, every time. For more information on the services we offer, please contact us today!

Tips for Tenant Screening

Choosing the right tenants is one of the most important parts of being a landlord. The right tenants make being a landlord an easy way to make money, particularly with help from Houston, Woodlands, and Katy property management. The wrong tenants, on the other hand, are bad news.

A bad tenant can be a danger to your property and, in particularly bad cases, can end up taking you to court in an eviction case. Bad tenants can fail to pay the rent on time, and while you can eventually get the money you’re owed, it’s only after legal proceedings.

It is therefore imperative to sign your lease with the right tenant or tenants. Fortunately, there are a few simple steps you can go through as a landlord to ensure you’re picking the right tenants.

Rental Application

Be sure to have any prospective tenant for your property fill out an application before you consider him or her. Property management can help you design the proper rental application for your needs. Every rental application has a few basic components. The application should first clearly state that a background check will occur; a credit check should also be performed.

By signing, the applicant is agreeing to allow these checks. Your application should ask for the applicant’s current and previous employers. Learn how long the prospective tenant has been at his or her current job, and keep an eye out for tenants who have switched jobs too frequently; this could be a red flag.

The application should include the tenant’s current income level. If his or her income is too low to support living in your property, it’s prudent in most cases to disqualify the tenant. Other financial information should be part of the application as well, including bank information and credit card information. Balances and monthly credit card payments help complete the applicant’s financial profile. If your applicant’s current job doesn’t pay enough to cover the rent, but he or she has significant savings and is seeking a second or replacement job, you may consider the applicant.

Lifestyle considerations should also be part of the application. These include how many people are applying to live in your property and how many and what kind of pets the applicant has. You may also request personal or character references in the application. Previous landlord references are common practice as well. These references should come with contact information – preferably a phone number and an email address.

Credit Check

Houston, Woodlands, and Katy property management facilities may charge prospective tenants the cost of their credit checks reports; this is a legal practice. However, you may choose not to do so. There are several credit check services available online. A quality credit check typically goes back around 10 years. A credit check includes credit history and your applicant’s current debt. In the history, keep an eye out for frequent late payments, collections, or serious financial problems, like bankruptcy.

A few issues are common in any credit history, but be careful for the larger problems. In the debt portion, again, some debt is normal, particularly student debt. However, an applicant who has significant loans, unpaid balances, and unpaid credit card bills may be a problem as a tenant.

Some applicants with poor credit may choose to have a guarantor sign on to the lease. Additionally, among young people it’s common to lack enough financial history to accurately calculate a credit score. In cases where applicants want to sign with a guarantor, run a credit check on the guarantor to learn his or her financial profile.

Background Check

A background check will help you learn more about tenants’ personal history, including legal difficulties from their past. Typically, background check companies require an applicant’s social security number. A background check will let you know if your applicant has ever been evicted. If he or she has, you may want to choose another tenant. Background checks also include criminal records.

Keep an open mind for some criminal charges. People make mistakes, and some crimes are worse than others. Finally, background checks will bring up anything of public record involving the applicant. This would include current or past legal battles; for example, an applicant who was previously sued for unpaid rent or unpaid child support. In light of these or similar legal problems, you may want to seek another tenant.

Contact the References

The landlord and personal references included in the tenant application should be contacted. When speaking to previous landlords, important questions include:

• Did the tenant pay rent on time?
• Does the tenant owe you unpaid rent currently, or did he or she in the past?
• Did the tenant cause property damage?
• Was the tenant disruptive?
• Would you rent to the tenant again?

After this, contact the applicant’s employer or employers. This is to verify the applicant gave truthful information about his or her income and employment status. Not all employers are able or willing to give out salary information, but they can tell you whether the applicant works for them or not.

Personal Interview

Spring rental property management advises you to trust your instincts during your personal interview with the applicant. If the information you found in your vetting process was spotless, but the applicant shows up for the interview and behaves disrespectfully or is visibly intoxicated, he or she may not be the best choice. Always remember it is illegal to discriminate against applicants on the basis of disability, race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation.

Some good questions to ask during the interview include:

• How many people are applying? Are they friends or family?
• Do you have pets? If so, what kind? What size? Are they house trained? Kid friendly?
• What is your work schedule? Will it stay the same?
• Will you have frequent guests? If so, how often? How many?

Your Dream Real Estate

Houston property management companies like Your Dream Real Estate can help with the process of vetting and choosing a tenant. Contact Your Dream Real Estate today to learn more.

Ways to Make Your Rental Home’s Carpet Last Longer

As experienced landlords know, carpet can take a beating. In fact, it’s arguably the most heavily used items in the home and requires frequent replacing. By understanding the causes of damaged carpet and following a few simple rules, you can extend the life of your carpet, keep tenants satisfied, and save money.

Common causes of carpet deterioration

Carpet isn’t meant to last forever, but you should certainly be able to get a few years out of it. Understanding some of the most common causes of carpet deterioration can help you prevent unnecessary damage.

• Lack of cleaning. In most cases, carpet deterioration is the direct result of a lack of cleaning. Whether it’s letting stains soak in or never vacuuming, poor cleaning habits can ruin a perfectly good carpet.

• Pet-related issues. Pets are a nightmare for carpet. They shed, urinate, defecate, track in mud, chew, and everything in between. If you have a pet policy, keep this in mind.

• No house-rules. Finally, a lack of house rules can ruin carpet. In other words, not paying attention to removing shoes at the door and other bad habits can cause carpet to prematurely deteriorate.

Ways to extend your carpet’s life

In an effort to make carpet last longer, you should set your tenants up for success by following these easy tips and tricks:

• Choose the right carpet. The next section will discuss specifics regarding how to choose the right carpet, but it’s worth mentioning now that choosing quality carpet from the start is the best way to ensure it lasts. However, even with the right carpet, you should pay attention to the remaining tips.

• Use entryways to your advantage. As a rule of thumb, never let carpet stretch to an entryway. It’s better to place a hard surface (laminate, tile, hardwood) at entryways to cut down on the likelihood of dirt and debris being tracked inside. It also provides a great place for people to remove shoes. A small, simple landing is all you need. Additionally, it’s always a good idea to place entryway mats outside and inside doors to encourage people to wipe their feet before entering.

• Provide tenants with a vacuum. Very few tenants own a vacuum. It’s just not one of those things you want to deal with when moving. But that’s not to say a tenant won’t clean or vacuum. In order to solve this issue, many landlords supply their rental properties with a good vacuum and encourage their tenants to use it. This is a sub-$100 investment that’s well worth the price tag.

• Pay for an annual deep clean. After continued use, carpet fibers get matted down, dirt is embedded, and the yarn can even begin to lose its color. Getting your carpets professionally cleaned on a yearly basis (even semi-annual if possible) will not only make them look and smell better, but also extend the life in heavily-trafficked areas.

• Set a strict pet policy. The importance of having a pet policy cannot be stressed nearly enough. While you may allow pets, you need to have a firm stance on what kind of pets are allowed, whether they’re allowed indoors, and who is responsible for accidents. As we’ve discussed in previous posts, make sure you get each of these details in writing so they’re enforceable.

• Ask tenants to rotate furniture. Those wooden feet on couches, chairs, and tables can leave permanent marks in your carpet. Depending on the relationship you have with tenants, this tip may or may not be possible – but asking them to regularly rotate furniture can help prolong carpet life. They don’t have to make any serious changes – as moving furniture even a few inches can make a difference.

• Do away with carpet. Finally, if carpet is the bane of your existence, maybe it’s a better idea to do away with it altogether. Laminate flooring, tile, and hardwoods last longer and may even look better. If nothing else, at least check underneath existing carpet to see if there are any hardwoods hiding beneath. Homeowners are often surprised to learn previous owners used carpet to cover up other surfaces.

How to buy better carpet

When it does come time to have new carpet installed, you can do a better job of selecting a more durable solution. Here are a few things to consider:

• Carpet fiber. The first thing to consider is the type of carpet fiber. Not only does this affect the look, but also contributes to longevity and durability. Solution dyed polyester is very cost-effective and is virtually stain and bleach proof, nylon carpet fibers are great when you expect lots of foot traffic, and standard polyester is eco-friendly and pretty much stain resistant, too. Whatever you do, avoid staple polyester yarn. It’s being phased out and doesn’t hold up well at all.

• Carpet color. One aspect people don’t think about nearly enough is the color. While you may like the look of nice white carpet in the living room, it’s probably better to go with a darker color that shows less dirt and makes the room feel warmer.

• Upfront cost. It’s important to weigh the upfront cost of installing high-quality carpet versus the long-term savings. You probably don’t want to invest in top of the line carpet for rental properties, but you should definitely avoid the cheapest option – somewhere in between is ideal. Carpet should be good enough to hold up, but not so expensive that an accident would be costly on your end.

Your Dream Real Estate

At Your Dream Real Estate, we know better than most how to maintain properties and increase profitability for landlords. Whether you own a single rental property or have a portfolio with dozens of homes and apartments, we can help you every step of the way. We have lots of years of experience working with landlords in the Houston area and would love to build a working relationship with you. For additional information on our services, please contact us today!

How To Evict A Tenant For Non Payment Of Rent

Too often landlords do not realize how simple it is to evict a tenant is when payment of rent has not occurred. If you’re a landlord or property manager, you don’t have to hire an expensive attorney to evict a tenant for you – just put the “How To” steps below into practice and see how you can deal with your evictions simply and quickly yourself.

Simple Steps Legal Tenant Eviction

1. Once you’ve discovered a client to be delinquent in paying their rent, first fill out a “Notice to Vacate” form and mail it to the tenant. Hand delivery or posting on the inside of their front door is also an option. Do NOT post on the exterior of their door as this can get you into trouble. So really, the simplest option is to mail it, either regular or certified mail.

2. The tenant has 4 days (when mailed) or 1 day (when hand-delivered) after receiving the notice to either pay their due rent or leave the property, and if they do not do so you can file a formal petition for eviction for non-payment of rent.

3. You can use the site linked here to find out what precinct your home is located in this link, then go to your County’s Justice of the Peace website and select the precinct in which your home is located.

4. Search for the “Petition for Eviction Based on Non-payment of Rent” form and fill it out completely.

5. You will have to fill out a Military Affidavit stating whether or not the tenant being evicted is a member of the armed forces. If you’re not sure, check on this military site: https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/appj/scra/

6. To confirm you have everything needed to file, call the Justice of the Peace office clerk and walk through the info you have.

7. Head to the Justice of the Peace office and file the paperwork with the clerk. Note: There will be a filing fee and a charge for each tenant that signed the lease. Filing fees are usually between $100-$125 and each additional tenant  is usually between $70-$100 more.

8. You will be given a preliminary court date, as well as a receipt for the filed eviction form. To make sure the court date remains the same, call the office to confirm the date as it approaches. A delay might be due to the fact that the court has to serve the tenant with eviction paperwork and if they are not able to get a hold of the tenant to do so, they may have to reschedule the court date. Typically you will have to wait from 2-4 weeks from the date you filed the eviction form until the actual court date.

9. Here are the items you will need when you head to the court:

• Fully signed lease agreement.
• Copy of notice to vacate you sent to the tenant.
• Tenant ledger for past due rent.
• Management contract if you are an agent acting on behalf of a Landlord.
• Evidence that tenant is not in the military

10. Remember to show up early to make sure you have everything you need and it’s all organized before your name is called. It might take some time for your name to be called, but even so promptness is important so that your case is represented well in court. If your name is called and you are absent, a default judgment will be issued in favor of the tenant and you will have to start the entire eviction process over again.

11. The judge will call your name and ask what you are seeking. What you will tell the judge is that you are seeking First – Possession of the rental property and Second – Past due rent plus court costs. Please be aware that if you accept any rent from the tenant after the eviction is filed, you will need a written agreement between you and the tenant stating that even though you accepted past due rent from the tenant, you are still expecting them to vacate the premises. If you accept rent for future periods or do not have a written agreement, the Judge will often dismiss the eviction because you accepted rental payments after filing the eviction. The Judge will also ask to see a copy of the lease showing the monthly rental rate.

12. Once the Judge has issued a judgment in favor of the Landlord, the Judge will inform the tenant that they have 5 days to work something out with the Landlord or vacate the property.

Please note: The court will only award you PAST due rent amounts and court costs. They will not award late fees or other fees. It is important to keep this in mind in the future when collecting rent. You always want to attribute cash payment from tenant to late fees and other past due amounts first so that RENT is the only balance left if you ever have to file an eviction.

13. Now that the tenant has been ordered by the court to pay the rent or vacate, they have 5 days to do so. If they do not fulfill this command, head back to the Justice of the Peace court and file a “Writ of Possession,” a form which will result in a deputy going to your property and forcing the tenant out with their belongings.

Finally, if you have any questions about this process, don’t hesitate to contact Your Dream Real Estate today.

Feel Free To Contact Your Dream Real Estate For Eviction Assistance

If you are still feeling uneasy about handling the process yourself, you are welcome to contact Your Dream Real Estate to assist you. Your Dream Real Estate provides full service property management & leasing for an affordable rate in order to keep your property profitable. We perform thorough background checks (credit, criminal, rental history, employment history) for any tenant we place in a home to avoid having to go through the eviction process which costs time and money. We’re standing by, ready to help you with the eviction process when you call, so don’t hesitate to contact us.

How Landlords Can Protect Themselves During the Move-In Process

Everyone seems to be against landlords. At least that’s what you’ll feel like if you start reading articles and blogs on the internet. Everything is written for tenants and how they can protect themselves against “greedy” landlords. But what about you? How can you protect yourself from tenants? That’s a valid question and one that deserves to be examined.

Don’t Wait Until Move-In

First and foremost, you have to start prepping your property well before move-in day. In order to streamline the process, minimize disputes, and ensure the process goes as smoothly as possible, you need to check and double-check everything. By doing this, you can make sure you don’t run into any unforeseen issues when you’re touring the property with your new tenant (which can cause some awkward and tense moments).

Before your new tenant moves in, immediately address any health and safety issues. This includes things like smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, mold, mildew, or any presence of lead-based paint. In addition to giving your renter peace of mind, this also saves you from potential legal issues down the road.

While this is stating the obvious, you should also give your property a thorough, professional deep-clean. You don’t want to give the tenant any reason to complain, so ensure everything from the bathroom to the stove is in pristine condition.

Finally, take a look at the property’s major systems and components. All plumbing, electrical work, and HVAC systems should be tuned up and inspected so you know exactly what condition they’re in prior to the new tenancy.

Things to Remember on Move-In Day

If you’ve taken care of all the basics, you’ll be confident on move-in day – which will give you the upper hand. Instead of being worried about what the tenant may find, you’ll rest easy knowing everything works as it should. However, in order to protect yourself and avoid a situation in which your tenant later tries to claim that something was broken or damaged prior to their tenancy, you should heed the following tips on move-in day.

1. Ensure All Tenants are Present

If you’ll have more than one adult tenant living in the property, it’s important that you ask everyone to be present for the move-in inspection. This ensures all parties get a chance to inspect the property and ask questions. It also prevents one tenant from bringing up an issue later on and blaming it on the fact that they weren’t able to participate in the walk-through.

If one tenant absolutely can’t make the inspection, you should have them sign an agreement that waives their rights to a move-in inspection. Simply explaining this rule will usually cause the tenant to reconsider their plans and participate.

2. Take Pictures of Absolutely Everything

While you often hear about tenants taking pictures of the property before moving in, you should also carry your camera with you and snap pictures while walking through with the tenant. In addition to providing you with visual proof of the pre move-in condition, this also shows the tenant that you’re serious about the property and you won’t be fooled by dishonest attempts to retroactively claim there were existing issues.

According to Cliff Tuttle, an experienced real estate litigator and legal writer, taking pictures can save a landlord a lot of hassle at the end of the lease. “This level of documentation may seem to be a pain in the neck, but if done properly, it may save a trip to the magistrate or beyond,” he writes. “True, photos can be misleading, but they can be the tiebreaker between two equally plausible stories.”

You have to remember, though, to take pictures at move-out, too. The images should be taken from the same angle, distance, and in the same lighting for optimal results.

3. Give Both Parties Checklists

Because you’re already walking the entire property with the tenant, you should go ahead and fill out an inspection checklist as you go. Give the tenant one, too, and let them know that they have 48 hours to fill theirs in and email or mail you a copy. If there are any discrepancies between checklists, discuss those issues and settle them immediately.

4. Email All Documentation

Here’s where a lot of landlords mess up – they don’t keep digital records of documentation. If you only keep paper copies or physical pictures, you aren’t protecting yourself as much as you can. By emailing digital copies of images and checklists to the tenant and yourself, you’re putting a verifiable time stamp on them and creating an undeniable digital paper trail. If you ever get into a dispute with the tenant or feel like they’ve manipulated their copy of the images or checklist, you can go back to the originals for proof.

5. Provide a Repair Cost List for Tenant Reference

At move-in, it’s a good idea to go ahead and give your tenant an itemized list of potential repair costs. This list should include every possible deduction you could take from them when they move out. By clearly stating costs up front, you’re less likely to run into trouble at the end of the lease. Additionally, it encourages them to treat your property with care and respect, since they can clearly see what it costs to fix something.

Contact Your Dream Real Estate for Your Property Management Needs

At Your Dream Real Estae, we understand the intricacies of the move-in process. That’s because we’ve worked with landlords like yourself for more than three decades. And over the course of those years, we’ve seen just about everything you can imagine.

Whether you need help finding and retaining tenants or assistance managing the day-to-day tasks and responsibilities that come along with your properties, we can help. It’s our goal to offer quality property management services that allow landlords to take a hands-off approach. For additional information on any of our services, please don’t hesitate to contact us today! We would love to tell you more about our company and why we’re considered the premier property management company in the Houston area.

 

A Landlord’s Guide to Cleaning After Move-Out

After the tenant moves out, you hope that everything’s been perfectly cleaned, and you won’t need to lift a finger. Unfortunately, that’s usually not the case. As a landlord, most of the time you’ll need to go in after the tenant has moved out, and clean a little deeper before the next tenant arrives.

Generally, this type of cleaning is known as white-glove, which refers to an extreme cleaning wherein“immaculate” and “spotless” are the standard. It means cleaning all of the spots off of the blinds, wiping baseboards until they shine, and even polishing the individual slats of the air vents.

When your new tenants arrive, they want to see a clean space, and if you want to make a good first impression, you’ll give it to them. If you’re not sure how to clean to the white-glove standard, use this guide to get you started.

Gather Cleaning Supplies

Begin by gathering the necessary cleaning supplies. This is the most important step in cleaning success. It’s much easier if you have the right types of materials and tools with which to begin. Here are a few supplies you’ll want to collect:

Vinegar: This acidic mixture will be your best friend during white-glove. It has some surprising uses, including removing hard water deposits.

Rubbing Alcohol: Cleaners usually leave a residue. Even if you can’t see it looking straight on, if you look at a shiny surface from a different angle, you can usually see streak marks. Rubbing alcohol will remove all of the extra streaks and residue for a perfectly clean shine.

Magic Eraser: This little gem has so many uses, from cleaning baseboards to removing grime in the tub. It really is magic when it comes to removing stubborn marks and stains. Just be careful about using it on the walls because it’ll take the paint off if you rub too hard!

Brushes: You’ll want an assortment of brushes to get into the nooks and crannies. A pack of toothbrushes from the dollar store should do the trick. Q-tips are also excellent for cleaning miniscule corners.

Microfiber Cloths: Microfiber can clean, dust, and polish without soaking up too much of the chemical. You won’t need to switch out your cleaning rags as often, and you can use less product to get the job done. A microfiber cloth takes the place of a duster and a polishing cloth as well.

Dryer Sheets: It may seem like an odd tip, but dryer sheets are perfect for dusting off baseboards and blinds.

Cleaner Varieties: You’ll also want a variety of cleaners, starting with all-purpose, which are good for almost any surface. You can make your own by mixing three parts water, one part vinegar, and a few drops of dish soap. For the bathroom, look into getting an abrasive cleaner, such as Comet, to clean the porcelain on the tub and toilet.

Oven Cleaner: A good quality oven cleaner (avoid dollar store brands) left to soak overnight in your oven will remove the bulk of cooked-on messes. Make sure you get the kind that’s fume free!

Pumice Stone: Grab one to clean the stubborn ring in the toilet and another for the stuck-on grease spots in the oven.

Go Room By Room

Once you’ve gathered your handy supplies, go room by room, and take care of what the tenant missed. You’ll probably find the most issues in the kitchen and the bathroom. Here are a few tips and tricks you can use to polish those two rooms.

Kitchen: This’ll be the most difficult area of the house to clean, but also the most important. Pay special attention to these areas.

Oven: Remove the racks, spray the interior with oven cleaner, and let it sit overnight. Place the racks in a heavy-duty garbage bag,spray them with oven cleaner, and let them sit overnight as well. The grime will wipe right off! Use a pumice stone to remove stubborn stains. Polish the oven with rubbing alcohol and a clean cloth to remove residue.

Refrigerator: Throw any shelves and racks that’ll fit into the dishwasher, and run it with a cup of vinegar (this’ll clean your dishwasher too!). Wash the rest with soapy water.

Sink: The sink is actually one of the most germ-filled places in the house. Use a disinfectant cleaner and some vinegar to polish the sink. Get rid of odors in the disposal by cutting a lemon into small pieces, putting them down the drain, and turning on the disposal. Rest paper towels, soaked in vinegar, on stainless steel sinks and fixtures for a few hours to remove any hard water.

Floor: Mop the floor with a gallon of water mixed with a cup of vinegar. The solution, in combination with a scrub brush, will remove some of the toughest stains.

Bathroom: Many of the tips used for the kitchen, such as the homemade mopping solution and hard water deposits removal, can be used for the bathroom. Just remember that, when you’re cleaning the bathroom, don’t reuse any cleaning tools on any other area of the house until they’ve been thoroughly washed and disinfected. You’ll also want to pay attention to these areas:

Toilet: The toilet needs to be spotless if you don’t want to scare away potential renters. Use a toothbrush to scrub out the nooks and crannies to remove any germs. For any rings in the toilet, use your toilet brush to push the bowl water back into the tank. Then, take a pumice stone, and scrub away at the ring. It should come off fairly easily.

Bathtub: Don’t mix cleansers when working on the bathtub. It’ll result in a dusty residue, and you’ll have to clean the tub twice. For bathtub rings, use a mixture of baking soda and water, and then, use a magic eraser to remove excess stains. Use rubbing alcohol and a clean cloth to polish the bathtub, and remove any residue.

After-tenant cleanup isn’t an easy job. It’s time-consuming, back-breaking work, and not everyone has the time or patience to handle it, but we do. We at Your Dream Real Estate can take care of every aspect of the tenant move-out and move-in process, including extra cleaning. For more information about how we can make this process easier for you, contact us today!