All posts by Jeremy Raglin

One important scenario that you may encounter as a landlord is when your guest has a tenant who stays longer than expected.

As a landlord, one of the most important things you must do is enforce your lease because, if your tenants invite guests to live with them for weeks, or months at a time, they are in direct violation of the lease and should be held accountable.

If you’ve never encountered this situation before, this article will share with you five ways to know when a tenant has become a guest and how you must deal with it.

#1 – They’ve Stayed Longer Than 2 Weeks

One of the first ways to know that a guest can now be classified as a tenant is when they stay in your rental property for more than two weeks.

Two weeks is the most common length of time that anyone will go on vacation or visit family members for an extended stay. If your tenant has guests that are staying for longer than that period you must A. Contact your tenant and inform them, they are violating the lease, and B. Their guest must be added to the lease if they are going to be living there.

#2 – The Guest Is Moving Their Belongings In

Another easy way to tell if your tenant has guests that can now be classified as tenants themselves is if those guests are moving their personal belongings into the rental property.

It’s very uncommon for people to travel with anything other than just a few bags of luggage so, if you spot your tenant’s guests slowly but surely moving their personal belongings into the rental property, this is a sign that they are planning on staying for a longer period.

#3 – They Are Paying the Rent

If you’re still unsure that your tenant has guests that can now be classified as tenants, another easy way to know for certain is that the guest is now a tenant as if the guest starts paying the rent.

Paying the rent is a clear sign that the guest is planning on staying for longer than two weeks and it shows that they are more than just a guest who will be gone soon.

It’s never a good idea to accept rent payment from a guest because this implies that you’ve entered into an informal landlord-tenant agreement with them, and that guest can now enjoy the same rights and privileges as the tenant who is currently on the lease.

#4 – Your Mailing Address Is Now ‘Their’ Mailing Address

A mailing address is a very personal thing since it’s also part of a person’s identity so if your guest tenant is now using the tenant’s mailing address as their mailing address, this should also be another clear indicator that they can now be a tenant themselves who is living at that rental property full time.

#5 – You’ve Spoken with Them About Maintenance Requests

Last of all, but most important, another sign that a tenant has become a guest is when the guest is submitting maintenance requests to you.

The average guest will not contact a landlord or an owner about maintenance issues unless they are planning on living on the property for any length of time so if your tenants’ guests begin communicating with you regarding things that need to be repaired or replaced at the rental property, this is another easy to decipher sign that they are now living in that property full time.

How To Deal with Guests Who Overstay Their Welcome

There’s no denying that the rental market has changed drastically over the last two years and some people are letting their friends/family members stay with them to keep them off the streets.

Obviously, your goal is not to be the bad guy, but, your rental property is still a business, and you must enforce your lease, otherwise, your tenants will continue to walk all over you during the length of time that they’re living in your property.

Here are several things that you can do to deal with guests who have overstayed their welcome:

Communicate – If you currently have a lease with a clause regarding how long tenants can have guests, you should contact your tenant if you’ve noticed that their guest has stayed with them for more than two weeks at a time.

Talk with your them one-on-one to let them know that the guest must leave and if they informed you that they are trying to keep their friend or family member off the street, you should direct them to local social services so that their guest can find an alternative place to live.

Enforce – After you’ve taken the time to communicate with your tenant, they must be made aware that you plan on enforcing your lease, including requiring them to cure or quit.

This means that if they do not ask their guests to leave, the tenant will face eviction and since no tenant wants to be evicted, especially since COVID, it’s highly likely that they will take the steps to ask guests to leave the rental property before their landlord moves forward with the eviction process.

Keep in mind that someone who’s living in your rental property illegally in some cases may enjoy the same rights and privileges as the tenant, so it’s important to consult with your attorney before you take the steps to move forward with the eviction process.

Contact Rent Portland Homes – Professionals

At Rent Portland Home – Professionals, we save owners the time, money, and hassle of managing their rental properties themselves.

In 2022, it’s more important than ever before to have a property manager managing your Portland, or Beaverton area investment properties.

A property management company will provide you with professional management so that you can have Peace of Mind in knowing that your investment property is earning excellent ROI.

To learn more about the property management services we can offer, contact us today by calling (503) 447-7735 or clicking here to connect with us online.

Are you searching for information on how to find the best property management company? If so, you’ve come to the right place.

Searching for the most experienced property manager is understandable simply because a property management company will save you the time, money, and hassle of managing your rental property yourself.

In today’s world, there are a wide variety of property management companies out there, but few are experienced or could be classified as a great property management company.

Thankfully, finding the most experienced property manager is easier than you think, especially when you follow these tips.

How To Choose The Best Property Management Company

Even though some property management companies have a nationwide footprint, the reality is that few of those companies know the local area where they have offices.

Choosing a property manager that has local market experience is important because, they will know the rental market better than anyone, and have a tight vendor matrix of maintenance professionals, contractors, and service companies that they can turn to at a moment’s notice.

Tip #2 – Look for Experience

Another thing to be on the lookout for while searching for the property management company is a property manager with verifiable experience.

The property management company that you decide to work with should have been in business for at least five years and have verifiable references that can easily be found on websites like Google My Business, Facebook, Yelp, and other local business directories.

If the company cannot be found online, or if no customer reviews exist, this should lead to you questioning the legitimacy of this company and wondering if they truly have the experience that they had claimed to have.

Every service-based company currently should have reviews online, regardless of if they are good or bad, simply because this is one common trait that comes from doing business in the computer age.

By reading management reviews, you’ll be able to get a good understanding of the services that the company has to offer and you’re going to have Peace of Mind in knowing that they are the most qualified company to provide you with the services that you need.

Tip #3 – Make Sure They Have a Team

As the old saying goes, teamwork makes the dream work, and the same can be said about hiring a property management company.

One of your top goals during your search for the property management company should be to hire a company that has an actual team that manages their clients’ rental properties.

Yes, having a team does mean that they should have at least one person who specializes in each of the individual services that you need for your rental property including customer service, rent collection, maintenance, accounting and marketing.

Choosing to work with one person who does everything will only lead to failure because, that one individual may have property management experience but, once they get busy, the quality of their work, and the time that they’re able to invest in managing your rental property will only begin to fail.

It’s best to thoroughly analyze the property management company before you hire them and to confirm that they do have a team that manages their rental properties so that you could have confidence that your investment property will be professionally managed by caring professionals who will offer your tenants the best service possible.

#4 – Verify Their Licenses

You may have thought that you found the property management company but, one more thing to look for during your search is to verify that they are licensed in the State of Oregon.

Every property management company in the State of Oregon should have a license to manage rental properties, if a property management company is not licensed, this should make you think twice about hiring them to manage your rental property.

Choosing to work with a licensed property manager shows you that they are fully committed to their business and willing to go the extra mile to ensure that they get the training and skills that they need to professionally manage their clients’ rental properties.

#5 – How Mane Properties Do They Manage?

While searching for a property management company in Portland Oregon, or elsewhere in the United States, you should also be willing to ask the company how many rental properties they currently manage.

A professional property management company should be willing to tell you upfront how many properties they currently manage in their portfolio and where those properties are located.

Yes, you won’t be able to inspect those properties in person but, you should be able to drive by each property to get a bird’s eye view of how that property looks on the outside.

If the property looks well maintained, clean, and has tenants, this should be able to provide you with confidence and Peace of Mind and knowing that you’re going to be working with a property management company that will apply the same standards when managing your rental property.

#6 – What Is Their Vacancy Rate?

Last of all, another key question to ask during your search for a property management company is what is their vacancy rate?

In 2022, the state of Oregon currently has one of the lowest vacancy rates in the United States, especially in the Portland area, where vacancy rates have dropped to record lows in recent years.

An experienced property management company should be able to quickly and efficiently rent their client’s properties so that there are no more than 30 days between the vacant property and its next tenant.

#7 – Thoroughly Analyze Every Company

Since the start of the real estate market boom, there are more property management companies out there than ever before but there are also many companies out there who lack the experience that they need to professionally manage their clients’ rental properties.

The Internet can also make it more difficult when comes to finding the property management company because it’s easy for any company to establish an online presence so they look legitimate when the truth about that company could be far different.

Before you take the last step and choose to work with a property manager, you should also thoroughly analyze that company and use your best instincts before choosing them.

You must realize that if a property management company excels in one area, but you find them lacking in other areas, ultimately, it’s going to be the areas that they are lacking in which could ultimately hurt your ability to continue earning passive income from that property.

Contact Us

At Rent Portland Homes Professionals, we specialize in property management for Beaverton and surrounding areas.

Our team will save you the time and hassle of DIY property management so that you can focus on enjoying the passive income that comes from your rental property.

To learn more about the services that we can offer you, contact us today by calling (503) 646-9664 or clicking here to connect with us online.

Vacancy is something that every landlord must be ready for sooner rather than later because is comes with owning rental properties in Beaverton Oregon, and elsewhere in the United States.

Thankfully, landlords can lower vacancy rates while increasing renewals by following these tips.

Tips For Lowering Vacancy Rates

One of the best things that every landlord can do to reduce vacancies at their rental properties while increasing renewals is to build a relationship with their tenant.

The relationship starts from day one; they should let that tenant know they’re welcome to live in their rental property by providing them with a gift basket containing the essentials that a tenant might need to get started in a new home.

Some of the most common essentials that every tenant is going to need when moving into a new home include:

• Cleaning supplies
• Toilet caddy
• Broom with dustpan
• Vacuum cleaner
• Trash bags

Once the gift basket is given, the landlord should next show the tenant that there are multiple ways for them to connect with the landlord including calls, texts, or emails.

The tenant must know that anytime they need to reach out to the landlord, the landlord is going to be accessible to assist them with any problems that they may be experiencing at their rental property instead of having their issues left unanswered.

As a landlord invests in more rental properties in Beaverton Oregon, the calls that they receive from their tenants are only going to increase. Therefore, every landlord should consider outsourcing those calls to a live answering service so that they could keep their cell phone out of the contact loop and avoid after-hours calls.

What’s even more ideal is for a landlord to outsource the management of their rental properties to a qualified property manager like Rent Portland Homes – Professionals. Our team offers live customer service that’s available to assist tenants with all their questions, problems, or concerns that they might have.

Tip #2 – Be willing To Accept Feedback

Another simple thing that landlords can do to lower vacancies at their rental properties is to be willing to listen to feedback from their tenants.

Even though not every recommendation is going to be a good idea, if the tenant’s feedback is simple, cost-effective, and easy to implement, the landlord should be willing to act upon that feedback because this will show the tenant that the landlord is taking their feedback into consideration and values their input.

Landlords should provide their tenants with a simple method for submitting feedback either via text message, contact form on their website or by submitting written feedback to the landlord at their office.

Tip #3 – Approach Tenants Early About Lease Renewals

Another effective thing that landlords can do to reduce vacancy rates while increasing renewals is to approach their tenants early about lease renewals.

This means that instead of waiting until 30 days before their tenants are due to renew their leases, landlords should approach their tenants at least 90 days in advance to get their feedback on renewing for another 12 months.

This is a smart thing to do because a tenant may be hesitant to renew their lease because they feel that their feedback or maintenance requests have gone unanswered by the landlord.

Approaching the tenant early about lease renewals gives the landlord time to address the tenant’s concerns, resolve issues, and show that them they’re willing to go the extra mile to continue earning that business for another year.

Tip #4 – Offer Incentives for Lease Renewals

In cases where the landlord can still not get the tenant to renew their lease for another year, the landlord should consider offering them incentives or perks for renewing.

Depending upon if it’s a single-family or multifamily unit in a rental property, landlords should consider offering their tenants incentives like:

• Cash incentives
• Gift cards
• Unit upgrades or enhancements
• Free wi-fi
• Free gym membership
• Amazon Prime subscription

Incentives are always something that every landlord should use to increase lease renewals while lowering vacancy rates at their rental properties.

Besides offering incentives, landlords should also consider allowing their tenants in their rental properties as well.

Even though a tenant may not currently have a pet right now, it’s possible that they could be thinking about buying one soon and are in the process of looking for a pet-friendly rental property.

Seventy percent of U.S. households, or about 90.5 million families, own a pet, according to the 2021-2022 National Pet Owners Survey conducted by the American Pet Products Association (APPA). This is up from 56 percent of U.S. households in 1988, the first year the survey was conducted, and 67 percent in 2019.

Source – https://www.iii.org/

Allowing pets will keep good tenants living in the rental property while also providing them with the convenience of being able to have a pet versus them moving out of a property that they might enjoy, in favor of searching for a pet-friendly rental in the area.

Remember, incentives that may work for tenants in other cities or states may not work for tenants in the Beaverton area so owners should also take the time to research incentives/concessions that other local landlords are offering their vacancy tenants before they decide on what they should offer.

Contact Us

At Rent Portland Homes – Professionals, our team specializes in local property management for Beaverton, Portland, and the surrounding area.

We save owners the time, money, and hassle of managing rental properties so they can continue enjoying passive income from their properties without having to get bogged down with day-to-day property management.

Besides helping owners’ lower vacancies while increasing their renewals, some of our other services include rental property marketing, evictions, customer service, maintenance, accounting, and more.

To learn more about the property management services that we can offer you, contact us today by calling (503) 646-9664 or by clicking here to connect with us online.

Since the end of the pandemic, evictions have been on the rise in Portland, and across the entire state of Oregon.

Even though eviction is something that every landlord must deal with at some point, the reality is that it’s entirely possible for landlords to avoid evicting tenants if they use the right strategies to help avoid eviction.

In this article, we will share with you several strategies that landlords can use to help the costly eviction process.

Steps For Avoiding Eviction

One of the best ways you can avoid the eviction process with a tenant is to make sure that your lease is very clear about rent, and the consequences for paying rent late.

Some key points that your lease should include area:

• When rent is due
• What your grace period is
• When rent is considered late
• Late fees
• When the eviction process starts

Having clear language in the lease regarding rent is not enough, you must also be willing to enforce the rules because, if you let your tenant get by with paying the rent late, that tenant will take advantage of your generosity and be willing to do that again anytime in the future.

Worse yet, tenants who pay their rent late won’t hesitate to tell their friends, family members, or other renters that they’ve paid rent late and that those tenants can do the same should they encounter similar circumstances where they must pay late in the future if they are renting from you.

Encourage Communication When If Your Tenant Has Financial Problems

Another important thing that you can do to help avoid the eviction process with your tenant is to be willing to communicate with them when they experience financial problems.

Since the start of the pandemic, it’s not uncommon for many tenants to have lost jobs, changed jobs, or industries, so it’s best to encourage your tenants to be very upfront and communicate with you if they are experiencing financial problems.

It’s always best to be willing to work out payment arrangements with tenants, especially if you know the money is coming because good tenants are worth their weight in gold.

It’s better to work with them rather than just take that tenant through the eviction process and start all over again with finding a new tenant for your property.

Connect Tenants with Local Social Support Services

Another important thing to do once your tenant reaches out to you regarding a job loss that will cause them to be late paying their rent is for you to connect them with local social support services.

Tenants must be made aware that help is available to them if they’re unable to pay their rent on time or if there’s faced with not being able to buy food for the month, they should know that support programs are out there that they can tap into to help cover the gaps until they get back on track financially.

Offer Them Cash for Keys

Let’s be clear, the absolute last thing that a tenant wants is to have been an eviction on their rental record, the same is true for the landlord, every landlord wants to avoid eviction with their tenant, therefore offering them an arrangement like cash for keys is ideal.

Cash for keys is one of the most time-tested ways to avoid eviction because, instead of taking the delinquent tenant through the eviction process, the landlord offers them a viable cash payment for them to move out within a set period.

Even though cash for keys is an ideal way to avoid eviction, this agreement must also be in writing and the tenant must be made aware that if they violate the agreement, they will immediately face eviction.

Inform Your Tenants That You Will Report the Eviction to The Credit Bureaus

Last of all, but most important, if an eviction with a tenant is moving forward, you should also inform the tenant that you will be reporting the eviction to the credit bureaus.

This is important to mention because, in today’s world a credit score is priceless, and nobody wants to have an eviction on their Portland credit report which could hinder their ability to successfully apply for a mortgage loan.

It’s best to lay out all the consequences of the eviction to the tenant right from the very beginning so that they’re aware that there’s more than one consequence that could affect them financially in the years to come.

Contact Rent Portland Homes – Professionals

At 4RentLocal.com/Rent Portland Homes – Professionals, we specialize in local property management services for the Portland Oregon area.

Our property management team saves owners the time, money, and hassle of managing their rental properties themselves so that they could focus on earning passive income and passive cash flow from those rental properties.

If you need help with property management services, including evictions, contact us today by calling (503) 447-7735 or clicking here to connect with us online.

Are you searching for the latest Oregon landlord-tenant information for 2022-2023? If so, you’ve come to the right place!

In this article, we will share with you the most up-to-date landlord-tenant information that you can use for growing your rental property business in all the local cities and neighborhoods in the Portland Metro area.

Oregon Landlord Tenant  – Rights and Duties of Landlords

From the moment that you rent your property to a tenant; you enter a landlord-tenant relationship with them. This means that the tenant has a variety of rights that are recognized under the law, and they must be respected.

One of the most common rights that every tenant in Oregon landlord-tenant has is the right to be notified at least 24 hours in advance that the landlord is going to enter their rental property.

This notice should be placed on the door of the rental property so that the tenant knows that they have ample time to prepare for the landlord’s arrival. If the tenant is not notified, failure to comply with this rule is one of the most common reasons why landlords and tenants end up in court.

Habitability:

It is your responsibility to provide a home that is habitable and to make repairs when needed.

You must equip the residence with a properly working smoke and carbon monoxide detector and provide the initial set of batteries if it is battery operated.

By renting your property to the tenant, you give that tenant the right to possess and use your property, free from interference.

You may not enter frequently, at odd hours or without a legitimate reason or without notice

You cannot lock a tenant out:

The only exception to the no lockout rule is when a tenant who can demonstrate they have been the victim of domestic violence, stalking, or sexual assault asks to have the perpetrator tenant locked out of the unit where the victim of the crime continues to live.

As a Oregon landlord tenant, you are also responsible for observing federal, state, and local fair housing laws.

Discrimination:

You cannot discriminate against a tenant for having children, because of their disability, or because of their religion, race, sex, ethnic background, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

When a tenant is applying to rent, you also cannot consider a tenant’s past eviction case that they successfully defended.

You cannot discriminate against a tenant because they were a victim of a domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking crime.

For more information about your fair housing duties, visit the Fair Housing Council of Oregon.

It is also illegal to retaliate against a tenant by raising the rent, shutting off utilities, or trying to evict the tenant because they complained to you or a public agency about habitability conditions, discrimination, or other violations of the law, or because the tenant joined or formed a tenant’s organization.

Security Deposit Return:

You must account for or refund to the tenant any security deposits after the tenant moves out. You must give the tenant a written accounting that states specifically why you kept a portion or all the deposit within 31 days of the rental agreement. If you do not comply with this requirement, the tenant can sue you for twice the amount of the deposit.

Notices to Terminate the Tenancy

To end a month-to-month tenancy during the first year of the tenancy, you must give your tenant a 30-day written notice, unless the rental unit is in the city of Portland, where 90 days’ notice and payment of relocation costs is required for no-cause terminations. The tenant may also terminate the tenancy with a 30-day written notice. A week-to-week rental period requires a 10-day notice.

If your tenant has lived in the dwelling for more than a year, you cannot terminate the tenancy for no cause unless you have a “qualifying landlord reason.” Qualifying landlord reasons are:

• You intend to demolish the dwelling unit or convert it to non-residential use, or
• You intend to do repairs or renovations which would render the unit unsafe, or
• You intend to move yourself or a close family member into the unit, or
• You have accepted an offer to purchase the dwelling unit from a person who intends to occupy it.

A fixed-term tenancy of less than one year will automatically convert to a month-to-month tenancy after the expiration of the fixed term unless the landlord has given a notice of termination at least 30 days prior to the end date stated in the rental agreement.

In Portland, Oregon landlord tenant must still give at least 90 days’ notice of intent not to renew a fixed-term tenancy. You cannot end a fixed-term tenancy early unless you have cause to end it, such as a violation of the lease by the tenant.

If a tenant (or someone in the tenant’s control) threatens to or inflicts substantial personal injury to a person on the property or neighbor, intentionally inflicts substantial damage to the property, or commits an act that is outrageous in the extreme, you may give the tenant a 24-hour notice to leave

The notice must be in writing in a special legal form.

The notice must explain the reason for termination, and it must be delivered personally to the tenant or mailed to the tenant by first class mail only. If a notice is mailed, you must add three days to the notice time. (The additional three days does not include the date of mailing.)

The legal form of the notice must be correct in all details to be enforced in court.

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Oregon Landlord Tenant – Rights And Duties of Tenants

When you rent a house or an apartment, you enter a legal contract with someone. With this contract begins what is known as a landlord-tenant relationship. As a tenant, you have certain rights and responsibilities. First, you have the right of exclusive possession, which means that even though the landlord owns the property, you generally have the right to your privacy. No one may invade your “home” without legal authority. As such, your landlord must give you at least 24 hours notice before entering the property unless there is an emergency, unless you have requested repairs or maintenance (without designating certain dates and times), or unless the contract permits the landlord to enter the grounds (but not the dwelling unit) for yard maintenance.

Your landlord may enter the property after advance notice to make inspections, make necessary repairs, supply necessary services, or to show the property to prospective buyers or work people. If reasonable, you may deny your oregon landlord tenant permission to enter; however, you must act reasonably. Just as the landlord cannot abuse the right of access to harass you or enter at unreasonable times, you cannot withhold your permission to enter to hinder or interfere with the landlord’s exercise of his or her rights and responsibilities.’

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Contact Rent Portland Homes – Professionals

At 4RentLocal.com/Rent Portland Homes – Professionals, we specialize in managing single-family and multifamily properties across the entire Portland Metro Area.

Owning local rental properties has only gotten more complicated since COVID-19. Thankfully, having an experienced property manager managing your investment property will save you the time and hassle of DIY management while ensuring that your property is rented for top dollar.

To learn more about the property management services we can offer you, or for a property management quote, contact us today by clicking here or calling (503) 447-7735.

Welcome to 4RentLocal.com, your source for rental market news and information for Portland Oregon landlords, and tenants in the Portland metro area.

Our team has over 10 years of local property management experience and we will provide you with the best news information regardless of if you’re a local landlord who is looking for tips on how to get the best return on investment from their rental property or a tenant who is looking for their next rental property in the Portland area.

The rental market has changed over the last two years and more renters are moving out of Portland to surrounding communities like Beaverton, Hillsboro, and other local areas so that they could still be close to Portland, but not live in the big city.

Investors know this, and along with out-of-state investors, they are now searching for investment properties in the greater Portland metro area because they know that tenants want more flexibility regarding where they live, and they want to have a lifestyle instead of just having a life.

As the rental market has changed in Portland, you can count on our property management team to provide you with the most useful news information that you can use to get the best return on investment from your local rental property.

4rentlocal Helps You Stay Up To Date With Local Rental Market News And Information 

In the 2020s, it’s more critical than ever before for investors, and landlords, to be up to date with what’s happening in the local rental market because, not being up to speed with the latest laws, rules, and regulations affecting Portland landlords can cost the landlord thousands of dollars.

The same is true for tenants, tenants now have more rights in the state of Oregon than ever but, they must be aware of those rights to have stability and Peace of Mind at their rental properties.

This blog will share with you the most useful information that you can use as a tenant which will help you to find the right rental property and start a great relationship with a landlord that will last for 12 months or longer.

Regardless of if you rent or own a rental property in Portland, you need an excellent resource of local knowledge, fed by property managers who understand the market including the latest trends, changes, and news that affects the Portland rental market on a day-to-day basis.

We Know The Portland Oregon Rental Market 

Our team is based in Beaverton OR, and for more than 10 years, we’ve provided excellent property management service to local landlords regardless of if they own single-family or multifamily properties in Portland, or surrounding areas. 

As the rental market has changed, our property management company has only continued to grow because more landlords are choosing our services than ever before instead of continuing to manage the rental properties themselves.

If you like the articles that you find on this blog, we invite you to comment and share them with your social media networks, friends, and followers.

We invite you to explore our site, connect with us on Facebook by clicking here or call us at (503) 447-7735 to learn more about the services and solutions that we can offer you.