“Hi my name is Albert. In October I used one of your services to report a tenant who owed me money. It was the reporting service to the the credit bureaus that reports delinquent payment. Well good news! The tenant payed me this past week because he was trying to buy a new car and the delinquent payment showed up on his credit report which was nice. The tenant had remorse and payed the delinquent debt.. Thanks” — by Albert
“I had a tenant that skipped a couple of years ago owing $2500.00. I used the bad debt reporting service (available on this site) and ‘lo and behold slugette called to make arrangements. We came to an agreement and she made her payments. I just got the last one. Once the check clears I’ll give her a statment of same. Now, if I could get the mondo slugette to pay up I’d have nearly 1/2 of this year’s tax money already! Just wanted to share a happy ending story.” — by Sandy [SC]
“When you file a small claim it is usually not picked up by credit bureas till the case is 100% over plus about 1 to 3 months. And there are still areas the credit bureau does not pick them up at all or miss alot. By using the service offered on this site which is the best there is you have the piece of mind knowing that you have placed your debt directly to their credit. That is enough to put a smile on any landlords face. One of the great services that this site MRLANDLORD offers. I am so happy I found it. Tell a fellow landlord about this site if you haven’t.” — by LL
“Always report to their credit bureau. Eventually they [former residents] will want to do something that requires their accounts to be cleaned up. I had someone contact me years later and ask for the amount they owed, where to send it, and how long it would take me to update the bureau. Small amounts I just put on there and wait, while large amounts I file via Interrogatory and FiFa. I have always collected in full (Yes, I know I’m lucky)!” –Laura [GA]
“I’ve used the service on this site. .. You want to report BOTH debtors. You will pay $12.95 (or whatever the per person fee is now). Why do this? Your couple may divorce next week… you want to be able to go after BOTH of them. Also, this way you ensure that they BOTH get tagged any time ONE of them tries to apply for financing of some sort. Plenty of renters out there are savvy enough that once hubby has terrible credit, they apply for utilities in just the wife’s name…once wife’s credit is terrible, they apply in the kids’ names. Etc. Tag as many parties as possible. It’s only $13…seriously, you spent more on a hamburger at Applebees last Friday. Don’t cheap out on pursuing your money. ” — Sid [Mo]
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| “Just wanted to let you know that I had a Wonderful experience with Mr. Landlord Credit Checks today. “Dave” walked me through the whole process. It had been a long time since I had used the credit check thing and was unsure of how to do it. Thankfully Dave was patient and all went well. Thanks! ” – by Melinda, [MD] |
| “Definitely check out the site here recommended by Jeffrey (Mr Landlord). I’ve used their services for several years and I’m 100% happy” – by razorback_tim [AR] |
| “Over the years we’ve used many check services– this one is by far the best.” – by myob [GA] |
| “I use the one that mrlandlord provides. It’s affordable and pretty detailed. I used to use other service which was more expensive and not as detailed.” – by Pacman [IL] |
| “Just used the new MrLandlord.com online (web) credit check for the first time. Worked quite well. It was straight forward to use and very quick. I appreciate having access to credit checks during nights and weekends. This is a great improvement over my previously used (modem) company.” – by Paul [CA] |
| “I have done 4 credit checks so far. The last 2 were done online. It works great! Having this service online is appreciated.” – by P Globerson |
| “I was very impressed with mrlandlord.com credit screening service. In a matter of seconds the credit report was on my screen. No fuss no muss.” – by Kate George [TN] |
| “Having just used the credit report, it does not get easier than this. Though I thought the first time setup paperwork might get me in a circle romp, it didn’t. It was easy, they were pleasant on the phone, and the report results were great! Thanks!!!” — by George [MD] |
| “It’s quick, affordable, and even easy to read.” — by Ralph [DC] |
| “I’m a new LL who just started using the mrlandlord.com credit report service. It’s great; it couldn’t be faster or more accessible once you have it set up.” – by Matt [NJ] |
| “The credit service on this site is $9.95, with no other fees. First one free. My local co charged $15.00, faxed back several hours to a day later. This was instantaneous! Again, I was impressed. VERY thorough, scores, verified SS#, bankruptcies, month by month payment hx breakdown, very easy to read. Available instantly, 24 hours/day was my reason to try. Right off the computer, online. Not e-mailed to you later. I did two co-applicants. Had both in seconds. Happy so far!” — by Karen |
| “I find the credit reporting service from this site to be very convenient (sp?) Prior to this, I went through a local realtor and paid double for the reports. It takes some paperwork to set up to verify you are a landlord (most internet credit checks require this anyway and it makes sense). That was the most time consuming part. Once you’re set up, you can check credit reports any time, and you can access them later, and it even allows you to select if they were approved or declined. If you check decline, it will allow you to generate a rejection letter for that applicant.…The credit reports on this site are complete with past addresses, account info, etc. I ran my first one, and got my rebate check a few weeks later. I’ve run 4 additional reports, all worth the money (well the applicant’s money, anyway!!)” — by Nightaura [CT] |
| “I use the credit report service on mrlandlord.com regularly. You get a credit report on your computer screen within seconds. I have not had a problem with this credit service at all. I would recommend it.” — by Scott [FL] |
| “Just starting to lease the 6 new duplex’s I built. Have run about 10 credit checks so far with the Mr LL agency. Seems fine with quick 24/7. I’m hooked, also love the price.” — by TT [Texas] |
| “I signed up to do credit reports here. I did my first two last night. Whew! I’m sure glad I did.” — by JJ [CA] |
| “The credit report gives you a wealth of info!!!! The score is just the tip of the iceberg. You can find past addresses – call the city where those places are located – ask for the name of the owner of record and call them!!! Past LL’s give plenty of info. Call employer. What is work history – steady employee or skips around from job to job. Call former employer if less than 1 year on job. Judgments, spending habits, collections – are all on there. We recently had a couple of applicants that had a chunk of money in their hand (bad sign-says I’m desperate and hope you’re greedy)… when we ran the credit check we found judgments from landlords for the past five years – I could almost see my name up there if I had rented to them. They had 27 collections – that means they have no concern for the responsibility they assumed to pay back these charges when they got their cell phones, etc. He had been at his job for 3 months. She was at hers for 1 year-but was PG and planning on being a stay at home Mom. That credit report gives you a history of what they have done and how they will respect your rental agreement. I wouldn’t consider renting to anyone without a credit report.” — by mlr [MI] |
| “I just signed up for the credit reporting service offered on this site. The process to sign up is a little cumbersome. Be aware that you will be asked to fax the service things like proof you own property and at least one signed rental application. But once you are set, it works great and you can run all subsequent reports any time you need to from the internet. The report is fairly easy to read and gives you a lot of information. Additional comment, I really like what they put at the bottom – a series of colored dots that show how they paid each month on each account they have. Red and green. Green is good! Red is….Easy to get a quick though detailed view of how they are doing now (which is what I’m most interested in) vs. how they have done over time. That plus the FICO score gives you a pretty good picture.” –by Steve [TN] |
| “Note that you have to provide information to ANY credit reporting agency to get set up. Actually, this site doesn’t require nearly as much information as my local landlord association did to get set up.” — by Beth [WI] |
| “I just used the Mrlandlord.com credit check for the first time. Excellent & fast process! I highly recommend it…” — by S.R. [CA] |
| “I just used this site last month and really liked it. The information came through right away – plus the system keeps a copy of the tenants credit report, so if you ever need something down the road.” — by Rose [CA] |
“I use the Credit Check also. Like it — sort of a hassle to first set it up, BUT you only need to do it once. Love the idea that I can use it anytime — my Landlord Association closes on weekends. This is open 24 hours 7 days a week.” — by Mario [CA] |
| “I ran my first credit report from this site yesterday, and it came sooooo fast and was easy to read!” — by KF [VT] |
| “I just completed my first credit check using the credit check at Mr. Landlord.com. I was very impressed with the service and I plan to use it frequently in the future. It worked quickly, smoothly, and was very complete. Unfortunately, I could quickly tell that I could have avoided ALOT of headaches if I had only used your service sooner!” — by JT |
| “Signed up last night – one fax and one phone call later (30 minutes) I was getting credit checks. Just faxed them the info. they required and had no problem at all.” — by Sue [MA] |
| “I just got registered and used the credit check service for the first time about a month ago. There is some faxing and phone calls involved in getting set up, but once that was done, it was all done on line – worked well. I did 10 credit checks in a matter of minutes.” — by Peva [VA] |
| “You have to fax them a document showing proof of ownership, and fax a signed agreement not to misuse the credit checks. Once you are through that in a couple of days, it is amazingly convenient. The format is very easy to read and contains payment history information on loans. Entries are red dots for late payments, green for on-time. At a glance you can see the tenant’s payment profile–whether it’s all clear, spotty, or red alert!” — by Suzanne [TX] |
| “I am very happy for this service,It is only fair to pay the rent and now when people need to purchase cars or homes it will make everyone be responsible.Thank you a service long needed.” — by Virginia V. |
| “I have used this service for over a year, and agree with all the advantages listed above. This May I ran a credit report on a young lady, and she showed no history. She had a job, and no BAD history. Now I find that she has a car loan! I called the lending institution, and they were glad to tell me that she is impossible. Why didn’t it show on my report?? They said they reported to Trans Am (?) I also find in recently posted court records that they have had her in court twice. What could I do to prevent this in the future if I use this service?” – by Chas [WI] |
| “After faxing the application through, getting a report was a piece of cake. The credit report is obtained from Experian, which is my favorite of the three because of the way that they format the credit reports (i.e. makes it easier to read through better layout).However, I think that Mr. Landlord should add a demo section, so others can see what a sample tenant credit report will look like before they purchase the service.” — by Charlie[CA] |
| “I like the credit report service. I’m also considering using the service where you can report court judgments to the credit bureaus….I really would like the details!” — by Barbara[OH] |
| “If you use the credit service from here it prints out with lots of red and green flags to easily see the payment patterns and you can see if they pay their bills or not.” — by Chris[MD] |
| “Evidently, I caught this company on the day that they were changing phone service. Their customer service manager called me the same day & got me signed up.I ran 2 credit reports that night. It was fast & easy. You enter the applicant’s name, address & SSN & you get the report in real time. My previous service required a person to physically fax a copy of the report & they didn’t work after 5pm EST nor on weekends.They retain a copy of the report online, so you don’t need to store a paper copy. I’m very happy with the service.” — by Cindy [CA] |
| “I am always apprehensive about sending personal information to someone I don’t know. I did anyway just so I could enroll in the service. That’s the hard part, but I’m glad I did. It is a good service, and I agree very easy to read. Takes some of the guesswork out of screening.”– by BC[OK] |
| “I requested to get set up to use the credit check service during business hours and was able to obtain my first tenant credit report within an hour of requesting to be set up.Now I have 24/7 access to reports.Set up now before you need a report in a pinch. It is free to set up even if you never need it – it’s good to know it’s there and you most likely will use it. Highly recommended.” — by Lisa[AZ] |
| “I really like the credit check service available on this site. It’s one of the best and user friendly I’ve encountered. You can track how many credit checks you’ve done on a particular property, get the denial and approval letters…Try it, you’ll like it!” — by Staci[MO] |
| “I have been using this service for 2 years now. I love it. It is my fist line of defense in screening out bad potential tenants.” — by markster2 [SC] |
| “Once I faxed the info that was requested, I was set-up, logged in and got all the credit reporting necessary. In future, getting info will be fast, no hassle. I like it!” — by Paul Steel[CA] |
| “I got past step 2!. The same day I emailed about not getting past Step 2, I was able to do so successfully that very evening. Although it was late in the day, I was able to check an applicant’s credit report and made the decision to accept his application. We made a deal that very night (10:00 pm) and I now have a tenant!Thanks to Mr.Landlord.com for coming through for me.” — by Nguyen A. [CA] |
| “The reason the tenant screening service requires certain documentation from landlords is because the rules for running reports have tightened up. Some companies are requiring an onsite inspection before they set you up.You need to prove to them that you are a landlord….The company behind the MrLandlord credit checks is actually the largest credit service for landlords in the US. Nothing to worry about there.” — by Sean[CA] |
| “After faxing the needed info I was setup and ready to go. The service is needed and greatly appreciated. Another winner for MrLandlord.com.” — by Malcolm[MI] |
| “Well I ran my first credit report, very easily I might add through the help of MrLandlord. And………….false address AND false DOB, in addition to numerous charge-offs, past-dues, and bankruptcy filling.Thank you to all for the advice you have posted throughout the years. All my research on this site paid off!!!!!” — by Erin[RI] |
“I had a lady apply for my apartment yesterday. She seemed like a perfect tenant. I thought she would be perfect for my nice two bedroom duplex. She and her daughter really loved my apartment and seemed so nice. So, I came home all excited to get the apartment rented and ran her credit report…….boy what eye opener I got!!!! 24 collections, 4 evictions. 5 public records…..She lied about her current address. Gee, she’s in the process of being evicted!!!! So, never ever ever let someone move in without that one little report that can save your butt!!!! Thank you Mr. Landlord again. Kim  ” — by Kim[MI] |
| “For credit screening I have to say this site is one of the best. You can get a basic report for only $9.95 and the report is available online immediately. There are some services on the net that require you to send them the credit check info and then they fax you back the report a day or two later. That is a hassle especially when you have a good tenant waiting for an answer.”– by Roy[IL] |
| “Wow!!! Besides the fact that I promptly received the critical tenant info I needed… I was even more impressed with the level of customer service!!! I was assisted by jamil in the AOA compliance department and he gave me top shelf customer assistance and satisfaction. He walked me thru everything via emails!! I am about to become a Mrlandlord junkie. thanks jamil!!!!!” — by gena [GA] |
| “Although I signed up for the credit checks on this site a long time ago, I hadn’t actually used it until today. It was nice to get an instant report in electronic form.I usually run reports through my local landlord’s association, which also gives good service – but I wanted to try out the one from this site since it is available outside of normal business hours.”– by Carolyn[MO] |
| “I have used the service on this site for some time now. I too like the fact it is ready when I am 24/7. I have found them easy to read and they also come with the credit score. Beats anything else I had available.” — by David[FL] |
| “Credit Reporting on this site works great and does provide a FICO score. There is paperwork they need from you to get started, but your first one is free.After that it’s only $10 each time.” — by Dejay[TX] |
| “To be honest, I don’t get why any landlord would NOT fully check out applicants since:1) You can charge an application fee2) Technology makes it so much easier now than it used to be. Also…You need to be careful and never “not” check one but yet DO check another who might be in a protected class…Again…Why on earth would anyone NOT run checks when they are so easy to do? GUT is VERY important as ONE piece of the screening process and sometimes it can be the tie breaker but I would NEVER rely on gut alone!” — by Terry[CA] |
| “This site is great for credit checks! I registered and was able to pull credit in one day. By the description of the process I thought it would take at least 3 days, but the process was really fast.” — by Neill[CA] |
| “I find them very easy to understand. I’ve used others but find this site’s reports to be very easy to read and understand compared to the “other” company our landlord associations have been using. In fact, I always had to rely on their telephone summary before receiving the hard copy to be able to know if the applicant was okay. Not so with reports from this site – they are instant and no confusing codes to ponder over.” — by CTLL [CT] |
| “Had a golden boy tenant apply for renting my duplex at the beach for $1200/month plus 1200 deposit. It was a very nice husband and wife, very nice with a 1 year old daughter and loved the place and wanted to call it their home. I verified employment and called their current landlord. The landlord raved about them and was not happy they were moving but they wanted to be closer to the beach. I thought I struck gold and almost considered not running a credit report.However, the taunts, nightmares, and I told you so’s from all the vets on this site (especially Radar) told me I had to do more checks. Me, the 28-year-old know-it-all did the credit check just to prove everyone wrong. Found out, 5 delinguent accounts and 3 collections. Did more research and goldenboy has been arrested 4x and been to prison once for burglary. Needless to say, I called them and told them based on the information collected on their application and discussion with partners, they do not meet our policy standards (even though I own it myself).This site saves a lot of money if you listen and not be stubborn like me or used to be. I have been brought down to reality after this week. Thanks for everything you do!” — by DMS [FL] |
| “I got my first rental application yesterday. The gentleman looks very nice and he works for the city with a senior position and has high income. After reading many bad stories here, I felt so lucky that the first time I am looking for tenants I got a good one. After I verified his job, I even thought credit check might not be necessary. Since landlords on this forum always say the check is a must, I still did it. The score is less than 600 and there are many late payments and collections. There is also a court judgment for credit card debt. I am so disappointed. I had thought a government employee needs to have good records.” — by Maggie[MA] |
| “The screening site here gives you a free form that you just print out after screening your applicant. You then check the little boxes that pertain to your rejection and then mail it to them. Way easy. There are four categories with 4-5 boxes in each category. Falsifying information is one of them. I’ve never had a single person call me for an explanation after checking that box. A liar knows he/she is a liar.” — by Priscilla[TX] |
| “Landlords MUST check the credit histories and backgrounds of their applicants and tenants. Why should a landlord bear the burden of a tenant’s fiscal and moral irresponsibility? I can’t afford NOT to check and screen for honest, financially-responsible tenants.” — by Ashley[KS] |
| “Once you get setup with the service (from this site), it is smooth sailing. This site has never let me down for INSTANT reports for eviction and credit for the low price of $14.95. I’ve probably run 200+ reports here. With any service you sign up for, you will have to setup your account by proving you own the properties you are renting.” — by Steve[CA] |
| “I have used other services. None are as efficient, quick, reliable, cost-efficient, and easy to use as this one. I ONLY use the MrLandlord Credit Checks services now and I would wholeheartedly recommend them.” — by Dixie[KS] |
| “I had been using another credit check agency up until today. Don’t ask me why it took me so long to switch my business to MrLandlord.com, since I’ve been registered to use the credit check service here since 2004! Anyway, better late than never – the people I dealt with, price and product are leagues over what I was using, and I highly recommend this excellent service.I have a lot of gratitude for this place, and don’t stop often enough to say ‘thank you, Jeffrey’.”– by Jessica[CA] ) |
| “Who provides your credit checks? Do you have access 24/7/365?I am fighting a bit of vacancy at the 48 unit, and it can be a tough market.. Surrounded by similar units, all with vacancies.PM was holding an open house today / this evening. She calls at 6:39pm. “I have a good one, can you run credit for me?” Sure, gimme two seconds here.. OK, “Name, DOB, SS#, Last address”. OK.. This should only take a few… “Tell Barbara welcome to her new home.” That fast, I was able to approve a new resident. I’ll do a bit more checking before signing the rental agreement, but this unit is 99.9% filled just on the info contained in the credit report.When I think about all the tools I use daily in this business, the one tool that always stands out is the INSTANT credit reports. I used to have to FAX in an application to our local credit agency, then wait, sometimes for up to three days (if submitted after hours on Friday) for a response.Tenants DO NOT wait 3 days to find out if they are approved. They either move on to the next complex that can give them an answer right now, or to the un-suspecting landlord who doesn’t even check.I would STRONGLY suggest to any newbies out there that are not already signed up for this service to do so NOW. It looks daunting and intimidating at first, but the requirements are quite simple, and all the “inspection” stuff is easy to comply with. IMHO, this is a MUST HAVE tool.My personal Thanks again, Mr. Taylor. You just enabled me to fill another vacancy that might have gotten away from me were it not for the blistering fast credit reports offered here.I also just wanted to pass on a note about the MrLL Credit Check Service, since from time to time we see posts from folks having trouble getting set up.I can confirm that the application process is both SIMPLE and VERY FAST. IF you follow the instructions!!At 10:50 this morning I faxed over 1 deed, 1 closing statement, 2 applications, 2 trade references, and the agreement. At 12:17PM I was completely set up with an account. If you ask me, that is BLISTERING fast customer service.We will still have to be “inspected”, but we just passed an Experian inspection 3 months ago, and it was no problem at all.If you need instant credit reports, you should absolutely sign up RIGHT HERE!! I no longer have to fax in info to the local agency and wait by the fax machine.. sometimes for hours.. For a response.Thanks Jeffrey, for the excellent service!!Sean” — by Sean[CA] |
| “I have been using MrLandlord for 4 years now and wouldn’t have the quality of tenants I have without it. I can get results on an application within minutes and it is the best tool I have to screen applicants.” — by Cathy B.[GA] |
| “By supporting the credit check service which sponsors the MrLandlord.com forum you also help to maintain a really great venue for all of us to discuss LL issues by signing up for credit checks here…Initial price is offset by two free initial credit report requests.” — by Irish[MD] |
| “Yes, use the service here! I have been extremely satisfied with the results.” — by djbutler[MD] |
| “I have used the service often and highly recommend it. Only had one problem in the last three years after a long period of inactivity. They resolved it in a couple of hours.” — by Matt [MD] |
“I too use the service and any time I’ve needed assistance I have found the office to be more than helpful.” — by RonD[CA] |
| “For those of you using other tenant screening services that do not allow you to see the actual credit reports of your applicants, I’d say that you need to switch to a company that gives REAL credit reports so that you can actually make an informed decision based on the data as opposed to based on someone else’s automated calculation of “poor” or “good”.I use and recommend the one associated here with this MrLandlord.com. Just click on the yellow “Credit Checks” box above. It takes a little work to get set up — but it really is fairly easy and quick and, after the initial inspection fee, is only $10 to run reports ($15 with state eviction checks).” — by John…[MI] |
“We had our first credit check inspection today…piece of cake! The inspector looked for a locking file cabinet, paper shredder and desk. She took photos of the above items and the front of the house, filled out a checklist, asked a few questions about the business, took my business card and then left. Took 10 minutes max. and she was polite and pleasant.” — by Alan [CA]
“One more success story..and one more story about how to not make a mountain out of a molehill of the unknown. Often unknown procedures scare people into a frightful state…causing them to fear the unknown process…until they follow the process to find like you did…the process is not something to be afraid of after you have followed the process…and afterwards find out that is was an easy and simple process…” — by Irish [MD]
“Alan,
How long did it take to schedule the inspection? Do they give you an appointment for a specific time or a window of a couple of hours? I need to have one done here shortly and inquiring minds want to know.” — by Abbas [GA]
“I got a call to schedule an inspection within an hour of requesting one. Time was specific. Inspection took 10 minutes.” — by Ed [CO]
“Abbas,
Ditto with me. Called call returned within an hour or two. Guy wanted to do inspection in 2 hours. I said WHAT! No I was hoping for Friday…It was wed. Ended up having it on Thursday. I was over prepared.” — by Josh [CA]
“Just had it done a month ago. Inspector just looked for locking door on office, shredder, locking file cabinet, computer in office and must have password access code to log on. Nothing fancy, very easy…” — by George [NJ]
“The process to get approved isn’t as bad as it sounds. Took me like 15 minutes and I’m a small-time LL (I have 10 units, but I signed up when I only had 4 — and I’d do it even if I only had 1, I think). My “office” is just a room in my house where my computer is.
If you do the right one (TransUnion, I think?), then it is just a one-time thing. So, you pay once and then all your reports are $10 each or $15 with an eviction search for your state. Worth it even if you only do it once a year, IMO. (Note that I am talking about the service here — in the yellow “Credit Checks” box above — just to be clear.)” — by John…[MI]
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“They sell direct, not through independent agents. They seem very personable and helpful so far. I have already asked a thousand questions. I think I’m going to give them a shot. I checked some of their other plans (ACV/basic form) and if I am willing to give up a little coverage, they will be saving me over $13,000/year! Not too shabby.” — by Jake [TN]
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“Have been using MrLandlordInsurance.com (Affinity) for the past 2 1/2 years. The experience has been positive. They are very flexible in coverage and payment methods. You can pay monthly or yearly using a credit card or checking account. I have multiple LLC’s and I am able to make separate automatic payments for each LLC. You can buy coverage for occupied and non-occupied properties getting rehabbed. You can buy full replacement or ACV policies on a per property basis. You can call and get immediate coverage for new properties that have been purchased. Having past claims wasn’t a problem. I was unable to find better rates with any other company. My rates have not been increased in the 2 1/2 years I’ve been with them.” — AJ [KY]
“They sell direct, not through independent agents. They seem very personable and helpful so far. I have already asked a thousand questions. I think I’m going to give them a shot. I checked some of their other plans (ACV/basic form) and if I am willing to give up a little coverage, they will be saving me over $13,000/year! Not too shabby.” — by Jake [TN]
“National Real Estate Insurance Group is Amazing!! If you are doing Flips, Holds, or Commerical Real Estate check them out RIGHT NOW!! We use them for ALL our projects and Today the AGAIN showed why we use them!!! Love these guys! Get your quote now!” — by Pete A., CoasttoCoast REIA
“Spoke with the insurance sponsor of this site – wow, saved me over $1,200 per year. I’ve only got 13 properties (16 units), so not a huge portfolio. Everything on one policy (my wife was soooo happy), $3k deductible, $1M liability, ACV coverage (which I had before). Pump it up people!” — Bodybuilder [SC]
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One of the most effective methods to get your rents on time is to encourage your residents to participate/enroll in the direct rent deposit program. One of the biggest advantages for the rental resident to participate in the direct rent deposit program is because their on-time payments will be reported to a major credit bureau, and thereby improve their credit. ClearNow is one of the select companies that has teamed up with Experian to make this possible. Check out this video.
“I see so many late and no rent issues on the MrLandlord.com forum that would have been avoided if landlords would just institute an auto rent debit collection process (as offered by Clearnow). I know the usual response is that you have residents that don’t have checking accounts.
It is one of our requirements that residents have a checking account. Since we implemented the Clearnow system, I never have to talk to residents about late payments or have to go to the Post office to get the checks, or have any failed payments or bounced checks. Works like magic.
We rent to all level of income types. The thing about auto debit is that it really helps the late payers stay on track, because they get an email a week away and there is always that threat that there will be a unfunded fee, like a bounced check.
If you have any residents that are on the edge, this really helps them pay on time. Those that can’t pay don’t qualify in the 1st place. If a payment were to fail, they have to pay my constable plus a service charge so as soon as I get a failed payment email from Clearnow, the 14 day notice gets served with payment instructions to pay the constable the owed rent. There is no dialogue between us. I think the whole system changes the mentality around ‘paying the rent’. Become a COMPANY, not a person that money is owed too.” — Bet [MA]
“FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION: Why should I spend the monthly transaction fee with Clearnow (which takes from my cash flow), when I can set up autodrafts on my own or with my bank for less?
ANSWER: There is at least one real BIG advantage of using Clearnow that you can NOT accomplish by doing the drafts on your own or with your bank. When you and your resident’s are participating with Clearnow’s service, each month the resident’s on-time payment is also automatically reported to a major credit bureau. That will help to improve your resident’s credit (and be sure to let your residents know this). Residents like that, plus they think twice about not paying on time because late payments are also reported to the credit bureaus. Again this is a BIG advantage of using Clearnow’s service, which reports payments to the credit bureau . Because of this, it is well worth the few extra bucks each month, since Clearnow greatly increases the chances that you will get your rent on time each month, in a way that you can’t do without such a service.”
“If you are looking for automatic rent deposits into the landlords’s checking account, ClearNow, Inc. provides the service that you are looking for. ClearNow makes it very easy for landlords to collect rent via an automatic withdrawal. And here’s the great thing, ClearNow is promoted on this Website as “Direct Rent Deposits” (look for it on the Mr. LL homepage to learn more about the details of their service). Mention to ClearNow that you learned about their service through Mr. LL and you can get your first two months free.” — by Jerry [MA]
“I second the person above who recommended ClearNow. Their service automatically e-mails my tenants 5 days ahead of time of exact amount and date when rent will be collected. This made my tenants a lot more comfortable in using this service. And, yes, definitely tell them that you learned about ClearNow through Mr. Landlord and get two months free.” — by George [CA]
“I do EFT without the need for software, by using “Direct Rent Deposits” (a service called ClearNow) that’s advertised on this site. I control electronic rent collection using my account on ClearNow’s Website. Been good so far.” — by Jerry [MA]
“I have all of my tenants on Clearnow. I highly recommend. Clearnow Debits rent on the same day every month from the tenant, and then credits it to the landlord 3 or 4 days later. A report is then emailed to me listing property address, tenant name, and amount credited. Also very easy to manage and change rent amounts etc. I have flashbacks of being a paperboy, and having to go collecting. This system prevents me from having to be the paperboy again. The tenants like it too. They know that I am not going to sit on a check. They know that the same amount will be taken out on the same day every month.” — by Paul [NY]
“I have one tenant set up on Clearnow direct rent deposit. It works great. Got 3 months free service. Save me a lot of headaches.” — by Donna [OH]
“I use Clearnow as well. It is also a condition of application approval for me as well. Clearnow is a great service and it is very inexpensive considering the hassle it saves. Auto withdrawl hits the tenants account before they have a chance to bounce a check to you.” — by Jason [ND]
“For those who are considering trying to avoid a third party and set up direct deposit with their own bank,… my bank, even though I give them quite a lot of business, wanted to charge me more than ClearNow. Also, ClearNow’s web site, information, reminders, etc. make the service even more valuable.” — by JL [NJ]
“All of my tenants are using ClearNow. And I absolutely love it. It’s good to konw that by the end of the month, all of the rent are collected directly into my checking account. Most of my qualified tenants have a checking account with good credit. Here are how I get them registered: For new tenants – I advertise the rent I want, say $780. After they applied and qualified, I said, “That is ‘discounted’ rent if you pay via ClearNow. Otherwise, your actual rent is $880 if you pay by check.” I have had a few people who didn’t like to have the rent drafted, but they can’t refuse $100 rent discount either. 😉 So they all sign up. For existing tenants – I offer $50 one time discount if they sign up. They all did. Thank God! Life with tenants is good so far.” — by Jean [MD]
“I just started using ClearNow. I like it very well. It works just like they say it does. My tenants who signed up for it like it too. I only wish I could get EVERYBODY to use it. With one holdout, you still have to go to the post office and the bank.” — by Dave [AL]
“I use ClearNow and LOVE IT!
Biggest problem I had was keeping financially borderline tenants enrolled. They can drop out of it themselves. I’ve found it to be cut and dry, the good tenants will stay in and you’ll have the money in your account automatically. The annoying tenants will drop themselves out and you can count on not renewing their leases and working on collection every single month til the very end. Bottom line; It will force you to accept only financially stable tenants with checking accounts. Almost forgot, some banks want you to have a business account to set-up direct deposits. You don’t have to worry if you don’t have a “business checking account”. I don’t with my bank, never did – BIG TIME RIP OFF IN COST. My “business account” is a standard personal checking account with my name on the first line and the property name on the second line of the checks. Works fine with ClearNow.” — by J. A. [PA]
“We have used Clearnow for a couple of years and it’s great. It is in our lease that if they have more than two failed Clearnow drafts they are in violation of the lease and we can boot them out. Clearnow starts to penalize them after the first insufficient funds incident and there is no point in mandating they pay via auto draft if they’re not going to routinely have the funds available anyway. So far we’ve not had any problems with any tenants except for 1 and that’s when we put the details in the lease. I highly recommend them.” — by Lisa-Beth [FL]
“No late rent payments since 2003 from any of the tenants. (We became landlords in year 2000). Almost all have enrolled ClearNow. Most have done superb job of cleaning as they vacant hence no lost time of finding potential tenants. Little complaints or repair requests from tenants. Almost all tenants are/were good tenants! Have I developed a good “Camelot”?” — by Kaosproperties [IL]
“Our business has become so much more efficient since we REQUIRE all residents to pay by automatic rent payment through Clearnow. We explain this to prospective residents even before we show an apartment. We tell them that our rent’s are collected electronically and if this is ok with them. Many are so happy and want to pay this way. Remember many people are paying their other bills online anyway so why not rent. We even had an incident where one of our residents got into a little bit of trouble and was in jail for the weekend and of course it was the 1st of the month. Guess what…we still got our rent paid on time. Her boss bailed her out and her rent was paid on time.” — by Natasha [MD]
“Changing over to Clear Now was the best move I ever made. I write in the lease that they must pay by Clear Now. I was amazed how the tenants wanted to pay by auto debit also. The fees low and interface is easy. No more waiting for the mail and making multiple trips to the bank. I know this sounds like a commercial for auto debit but it has made this thing land lording so much simpler. Hope you get to use it.” — by Ray [NJ]
“My suggestion for New Year’s resolutions for landlords includes direct rent deposits through ClearNow. Definitely forces you to become more efficient.” — by GY [MA]
“I’ve been using ClearNow for 5 years now and require tenants to participate as part of lease agreement. Love it!!!” — by Mark [VA]
“I go thru a company found here on MrLandlord.com called Clearnow. They automatically withdraw the rent from tenants account. I thought I would get a lot of opposition from tenants, but most appreciate the hassle free way to pay rent. Company sends them an email 8 days before rent is due to remind them. No partial rent accepted. They do charge them a fee if money is not there to be deducted. I love it. Seems to be the only real good way to get the rent. Sorry to sound like an ad but come on this is the best way to get the rent. Cable, phone, utility co, and everyone is doing it.” — by bet [MA]
“Top of this page, click the green EASY RENT COLLECTION button and sign up for ClearNow. Sign up, have res sign the form. Submit. Sit back and watch the rent flow! Literally. With the resident’s permission, they legally go to the resident’s account and TAKE the rent every month, then put it into YOUR account. No sweat. Eezy-peezy. Done. Next.
Brad’s Rule #1: Landlord is in control. Think about it – who REALLY controls the rent flow? You or resident?
Hire someone to do the most important part of your business: bring in the rent. ClearNow is the cheapest employee you could get!
20 somethings expect it! It’s the older LLs who question it!
Don’t ease into it – put ALL residents on it right now so July 1 will flow smoothly.
Jeffrey has put this right in front of us and included it on many newsletters!
I liked the approach Jeffrey taught in StLouis: “this is the rent with automatic computer payments. If you must write a check, it’s $25 higher.” Or “Rather than raise your rent, we’re reducing handling costs by switching you over to computer payments. Sign here.”
Warning Warning: you’ll have nothing to do. Late forms will gather dust. Your phone will sit idle. Bank tellers will think you’ve quit the biz. Your rental account will swell up and the accountant will tell you to buy something to reduce your taxes! Tur-ible!.
You’ll have to play golf, or fish, or polish your new convertible!
More on the concept of “TAKING” rent.
We TAKE their money on the first, not sit and HOPE they pay.
It’s a totally different mindset that traditional LLs have trouble grasping. No waiting, wishing, hoping, calling, stopping by…because WE TOOK IT! My residents LOVE IT!!! It saves THEM time and they are already paying their other bills online.
I like deposit only etc, but it’s still WAITING.
Think about it – WHO is in charge of the rent? WAITING makes the resident in charge. THEY are in control.
Autodraft puts ME in control.
Cheap help AND pays for itself by bringing in more money than the old fashioned way.
We have more confusion and waste more time/energy on our few money order/check folks. Lost, torn, “I mailed it”, “it’s in my wife’s purse and she went to a funeral”…
I love it when they call and say “YOU TOOK MY INSURANCE MONEY! I was going to pay it today and pay rent NEXT week.”
Sorry. :)” — by Brad 20,000 [IN]
“Thank you, Jeffrey Taylor, aka Mr. Landlord for your promotion of ClearNow. This saves me time, energy and aggrivation.” — by Darlene [NH]
“I use ClearNow and have done so for several years. One of the best decisions I have made as far as freedom goes. No chasing rent, no I forgot, no I was traveling. I get paid first. The tenants don’t get to decide (well they do but it is automatic so my guess is that it is higher priority for them). I also have been pleased with their service as well.” — by Bill S [CO]
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“We’ve used My Landlord Helper for over two years and it’s the best money I spend. Using them gives us degree of separation and a degree of anonymity. They act as the middle man between us and our tenants. Only contact info our tenants have for any issue is My Landlord Helper. We are spared the drama of dealing with tenants while maintaining direct control of properties and tenants. This is a vast improvement over the inefficient and careless property management people we used in the past; also a lot less expensive than property managers. We’re out of state owners and using the LL helper, we’ve developed a team that works efficiently. With My Landlord Helper’s assistance, managing our properties has been a lot less stressful and more profitable.” — EJ [GA]
“I signed on with My Landlord Helper on Jan. 1, 2015. This is the 3rd company I’ve worked with–with the best results by far.
I currently have a total of 5 rentable units in two bldgs so I’m not a high-volume investor–but I plan to be. I hired My Landlord Helper to set up a structure to grow. Their friendly professional staff and the excellent software’s ability to update resident accounts have given a huge boost to my efforts to move to the next level.
Depending on your goals, your lifestyle and whether or not you rent to difficult residents, $50/unit is a bargain.” – Erica [IL]
“I’m another that’s on board with My Landlord Helper. They are indeed a nice hybrid between using a PM and doing it yourself. I have daily responsibilities as a sales rep and I was looking for a vehicle to allow me to focus on my job and run my business more as a business. I remember hearing Jeffery speak about delegating tasks at a convention. That is exactly what My Landlord Helper has allowed me to do. In addition, they provide a solution based approach to situations that arise. So when the calls come in, there is a filter to allow me to process case by case. I have my residents pay at the bank, I have a maintenance crew and an assistant. My Landlord Helper ties all of these pieces together….In other words, they manage the communication, documentation, and support that I really needed in order to be able to manage the business instead of being immersed in it. I would definitely recommend the service.” — OTC [TN]
” I own and manage 150+ homes/units and we use My Landlord Helper for all of them. I can’t run my business without them. Our office is within 10 minutes of all of our property, yet I would still not want to handle all of the tenant contact, payment matters, maintenance and all without My Landlord Helper. They give us a $5 discount per site for handling 150 units, so we only pay $45 per unit. Very reasonable for PM services. We are full time property developers and don’t want to deal with the tenant issues. My Landlord Helper handles all that for us.” — Bill Powers [IL]
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“Cool, I didn’t realize CybrCollect was now a service offered by MrLandlord.com. I suggested to Jeffrey a couple of years ago to pursue them as a sponsor, I wonder if my post had any affect. They work pretty well. I use them every month… When a check bounces it slows things down considerably, because there seems to be a float (5-7 day) on their part. They are very helpful when you call though and they will tell you exactly what is going on. So if a tenant claims the money is now there, then a quick phone call to them will confirm it.” — Red [GA]
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