Fears of Unpaid Rent? Top 5 Proactive Strategies Every Landlord Needs

By Frank Jachetta

In recent times, the rental landscape has seen a surge in evictions, posing challenges for landlords in collecting judgments from previous tenants. According to the Eviction Lab at Princeton University, eviction rates have risen steadily, with over 2.3 million evictions filed in 2023. Below are five useful strategies to reduce rental losses.

Strategy #1: Require a Thorough Application and Documentation

Collecting proper documentation and a thorough application first will help you reduce fraud, assess a renter’s financial capability to meet rental obligations, and streamline the process of
collecting rent debt. At a minimum, your application should collect name, date of birth, previous addresses, landlord references, employment information, all income sources, and in states where it’s allowed, a social security number. Check with your legal counsel to best
implement a screening policy that complies with your local and federal laws.

Also, consider collecting the following documents from all adults listed on the lease agreement:
✓ Government-issued identification
✓ Proof of income
✓ Recent bank statement
✓ Tax returns

Strategy #2: Check References and Run a Credit and Background Check

Next, review the applicant’s credit report, particularly their total debt, payment history, and collections. Ideally you want to ensure their debt will not stand in the way of paying rent
and that they have not recently fallen behind on payments. Note that nearly all evictions, tax liens, and civil judgments were removed from credit reports in 2017. Make sure you partner with a tenant screening provider that can provide these types of records in addition to a credit report. Lastly, call the applicant’s previous landlords to find out if they failed to make timely rental payments. If your applicant is employed, you can also call their employer’s HR department to verify their status and salary, which can help you further verify the applicant’s ability to pay rent.

Strategy #3: Utilize Lease and Deposit Protection

Lease and deposit protection from TheGuarantors can reduce bad debt up to 70%. Their Rent and Deposit Coverage can help you open doors to more renters – those who might be harder to qualify based on their income or credit history – without the same risk. All at no cost to the landlord, the products help you recover losses due to rent defaults, lease breaks, damages, vacancies, unpaid utilities, and more. In each case, the renter pays for the coverage that gives them access to the home of their choice and minimizes the landlord’s rental income loss.
While this coverage isn’t a substitute for fraud prevention measures, TheGuarantors offers
financial protection should renter fraud occur. According to TheGuarantors, Landlords who
use their suite of insurance services can see up to a 25% increase in lease conversions, because they can help you lease more confidently to non-U.S. citizens, students, recent graduates, freelancers, and thin-credit or thin-income applicants.

Pricing is determined by several factors such as the renter’s risk profile and the gross monthly
rent. It’s free for landlords to sign up and begin referring renters to get coverage. Renters who purchase a policy with TheGuarantors report a 95% satisfaction rate. Take Romey, for instance, a Vice President of Public Relations, who, despite making good money and always paying rent on time, has faced challenges renting due to past student loan issues. He emphasizes that TheGuarantors was instrumental in helping him get a rental, because they recognize individuals beyond mere credit scores, stating: While tenant screening remains crucial, being prepared for worst-case scenarios with a policy from TheGuarantors offers greater reassurance. Their landlord partners have the option of covering up to the entire term and cost of the lease, including missed rent, vacancy loss, utilities, and fees.

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TenantAlert provides the ONLY instant tenant screening service with LeaseGuarantee. The credit screening company with options and guarantees.

▪️ Select from a number of reports including credit background check, nationwide criminal, and nationwide eviction.

▪️ Add up to 4 applicants in one order to screen multiple roommates.

▪️ Use your application or send off the TenantAlert application when vetting tenants.  

▪️ You can pay for the credit screening or send a link to your tenants for them to pay for the service.

▪️ TenantAlert has easy to read reports with summaries to help you determine if the applicant meets your qualifications or not. 

▪️ They rate the applicant on a scale of 100 and offer a lease guarantee for up to $10,0000 of protection against damages, lost rent, or legal fees that you OR the tenant can pay (starting at $199/year).

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Strategy #4: Report Your Renters’ Payments to the Credit Bureaus

Reporting positive and negative payments to the credit bureaus is now possible. You can
help your renters build their credit with every timely payment, and if they miss a month, it will
be reported on their credit as well, incentivizing them to keep paying on time. According to The Credit Builder’s Alliance, “Among residents of one pilot group with a history of regularly paying late, those who agreed to have their rent payments reported were more likely than other residents to substantially increase their rate of on-time payment.” In this pilot study, 79% of participants saw an average credit score increase of 23 points, showing that both landlords and renters can benefit from these programs. Note, California’s Senate Bill 1157, has special
requirements for operators of subsidized multifamily units. Check with your legal counsel
to best implement a rent reporting policy that complies with your local laws.

Strategy #5: Implement Late Fees and Online Rental Payments

Late fees deter renters from paying rent late, but it’s important to ensure your policies are clearly written in the lease and that they comply with these local laws. There are several states that limit late fees to 4-10.5% of the rent due and or a dollar maximum. Although most states don’t require a grace period before you can charge a late fee, a 5-day grace period can offer your renters some flexibility which can foster a better relationship. You can also use property management software to accept automated online rental payments to make it as easy as
possible for renters to pay on time. Software can send renters automated reminder emails when rent is late and a bill for any late fees as well.

CONCLUSION

Although you can’t predict the future, you can take proactive steps to prevent or eliminate
rental losses. Before the lease is signed, implement a comprehensive application and screening process to lay the foundation for reliable rent payments. Then, leverage TheGuarantors’ now so that you’re able to recover rental income loss if it does occur. After your renter has moved in,
strategies like reporting rental payment to credit bureaus, enforcing late fees, and offering online rental payments can provide the right incentives to keep rent payments timely for years to come.

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