Finally one day I’d had enough. I started researching on-line to try to find a solution for that problem. I decided to find a database that would help us to organize the information for our business.

There are two basic types of databases. There are web based database system. The other database systems are software installed on your computer which are used by just a single user.

We decided that we wanted to use a web-based system so that we could have the multiple users. We found a product called Buildium. I’m not trying to sell anything in this article here. If you want to check out Buildium, Google it and go there web site.

I’m just trying to tell you about the experience that we’ve had using a little bit about the difference, but it’s made a big difference.

There are 7 reasons that you should consider using a database for your rental business.

1) All the information is in one place.
The database can store all of your telephone numbers, your finances for the for your properties, information about the properties, property photographs, documents you scan (e.g., leases), and many other types of data. They’re all in one place with the in your database. This is a tremendous advantage.

No more looking through stacks and stacks of papers to find telephone numbers (as long as you save that information in the database).

2) Everybody is on the same page.
If you have an office in which you have staff like me, it makes a big difference to have everyone on the same page. What that means is that everyone is working off the same plan; everyone is marching to the same tune. A database can help get everybody marching in to the same tune.

3) It has a good way of handling work workers.
Once you get past managing about 100 properties, you’re really start to run into issues with staying on top of things like work orders. You need to follow up and make sure that that those small items are being taken care of.

What if you get 10 to 20 small projects going? It’s very easy to forget to follow up and check and make sure that work got done. But if you have a computerized system of handling and tracking work orders it becomes much easier because every every day we’ll verify that the work orders are getting completed.

4) It saves time.
It saves you time because you don’t have to go through stacks and stacks of paper to find that information that you’re missing.

5) It’s inexpensive.
The cost for having the database ranges from about $20 to $150 per month based on the number of units that you have in the database. If you look at different types of databases that are available for a property management, you’ll see the some are quite expensive. Compared to most web-based systems, Buildium was quite inexpensive, especially given the gains in productivity that we’ve realized.

6) It automatically does Craigslist ads.
It has a feature that will generate attractive looking craigslist ads for you. Because the database is able to save four photographs of each unit that you have, it’s able to put that information together with other information in the database to create a really nice looking craigslist at. The other nice thing is that you don’t have to keep retyping the same information over and over again when you want to put up a craigslist ad.

7) It’s web based.
It a web-based application, and that’s a big advantage because it allows you to have multiple users all of whom have access to the database. That means everyone in your office can see the information and put more information into the database as needed.

You can also log onto the database wherever you have an internet connection. That means if you go out of town on vacation, you have access to the database if you need it. If you are just away from your office and you need to get some type of information from that database, you can do so as long as you have an internet connection.

So again, I’m not trying to get you to buy Buildium. I’m just saying that we’ve had positive experiences with that system. And if you’re having trouble organizing your information, I wouldn’t hurt you to check out and start using some type of database system.

The question she had for me was what she needed to do in order to lease the property again. My advice to her was that you needed to get legal possession of the property.

It’s important that you play this by the book because if you cut corners and get caught, the punishment may be way worse than the little bit of convenience you gained by cutting corners.

What that means is that she needs to file for eviction with the court even though the tenant was already gone. This is especially important when the tenant has left a bunch of stuff in the house.

The reason she needed to go through the court is because there is always a chance that the tenant could come back and claim that they had some hardship that took them out of town.

Now let’s suppose that my client had gotten rid of all of the items in the house. In that case, the tenant could make a ridiculous claim against the landlord for throwing away their their “valuable” items. If the landlord did not have legal possession of the property when those items were removed, they could be liable for damages. Who knows what the tenant might claim was left in the property.

The nature of the items in the property is also important. Let’s suppose that the landlord gets legal possession of the property. In Oklahoma, if the items in the property can truly be considered trash, they may simply be disposed of. If, however, some of the items have value, the landlord is required to store those items for a period of time before disposing of them so the tenant has an opportunity to settle their debt with the landlord in order to get their property back.

In this article, I’m going to share with you three tips to improve the customer service of any rental company.

You think your business is different, right? You don’t have to worry about customer service. Sorry, you do. In fact, good customer service is the secret sauce for keeping your rental customer long term.

You have to keep in mind that your customers expect to be treated with courtesy and dignity. Those first few moments they meet you are critical.

When they come into your place of business and they feel like they’re not welcome, they are going to leave you fast. If you don’t show them how much you care about them as a customer they’ll go somewhere else. That means you won’t get their money.

When they call you to get information about a property, give it to them cheerfully. Here are three tips to improve your customer service skills.

1) Don’t be rude when they’re calling to schedule an appointment.

2) Be professional and helpful when they ask you questions. That’s courteous and shows that you’re and outstanding business person.

3) Remember the golden rule. Treat them just like the way you would want to be treated if you were walking into a business the first time.

When you do these things you’ll be better than most of your competition, and that can help set you apart from other property management companies or landlords in your city.

One of the recent threads, “The Top Five Landlord Mistakes”, generated a lively discussion (http://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/52/topics/23212-the-top-5-landlord-mistakes?page=1).

There are some really good “top mistakes” listed in these posts. But I also found a great many of what I’d consider myths listed among the mistakes.

1) The idea that you have to be totally ruthless when it comes to managing your properties. Throughout the threads, you read language like “never do a tenant a favor”, “never accept a late or partial payment”, and “evict immediately for non-payment of rent”. Do I sense a bit of a Nepolian complex here guys?

Being a landlord is not all that much different than running a hotel, a restaurant, or a plumbing business. Try being a plumber who is always rude to his customers. How much business will this plumber actually do? Will the plumber get referrals?

You get nothing out of being a total jerk to your tenants, accept perhaps a momentary ego boost. I’m not saying that you should let your tenants walk over you. However, you also need to be courteous to your tenants, even when they give you a good reason not to.

2) Doing a straight rental versus doing only lease options. A trend among some real estate gurus is to teach that one should only do lease options, and never do straight rentals.

I do lease options. And I also do straight rentals. Why? Well, the simple answer is that some houses just don’t make good lease option prospects.

I’ll give you a perfect example. I’ve got several homes in one neighborhood that easily rent for $500 to $600 per month. I have $20K to $25K invested in these properties. The market value is right around $50K for these houses. However, the people in this neighborhood just do NOT have money for down payments.

The culture of that neighborhood is to rent, and preferably have your rent paid by the government. Plain and simple. Why fight an obvious market trend.

Also, there is nothing that makes higher priced homes in nicer neighborhoods inherently a better investment. My friend Robert Elder has built his business around buying properties in low income areas, and renting to tenants who get rental assistance through the Section 8 program. At this point, he has more than 250 houses that yield more than $1,000,000 each year in rent just from the government, not to mention the rent that his tenants pay.

Here is the email he got as a reply to his craiglist add for house he has for rent:

Thanks for your mail,Yes i appreciate your wanting to help us in oursituation.I am a
chemist by profession and i am currently working with NORTH WICK PARK &ST.MARK’S HOSPITAL,17WATFORD ROAD,HARROW,MIDDLESEX, LONDON . I will be in the states for the next one year with my wife and nine year old daughter and during my stay i will be working with the United States Environmental Protection Agency on a private research work…..We have a financier that is based in the states and he will be handling the rent deposit payment on our behalf,we will instruct him to send you the check for this as soon as you give us the go ahead to make payment to you. Due to the limited time that we have before our arrival,we are making arrangements with a furniture company to supply the home with furniture,so we will need you to provide us with the measurements of the living room and bedroom so that we can send it to the furniture company so that they can supply the unit with furniture that will fit in well. As regards the lease agreement,i want you to send it to me for my review,i will eventually have it filled and signed on my arrival in your place as i am of the opinion that such documents are best filled and signed physically.We can start the lease by 10th of November and we will be doing a one year lease although we will not be arriving until 1st of December…or even before then.You can prepare the lease in my name Mr Richard H and my wife’s name Mrs. Susan H..Please call my cell phone+44 7024055555 Let us know how to move ahead as we intend to complete this deal before we move in by the end of the month,we will let you know the exact date as soon as we get a booking on a flight to the states….
As regards the rent and deposit required to be paid by me in order to secure this rental
prior to our arrival,i will need you to provide me with your full name in which the check will be issued and your complete physical contact address to which it will be sent to by
my financier,as soon as you provide these,i will forward it to my financier with an instruction to issue and send you the check.Please i need you to also reconfirm the total move in costs,that is the rent and deposit to be paid….

I will look forward to your e mail with the required information..
Thank you,
Mr Richard H

Answer: “Somewhere in Nigeria this “Richard H” or whoever it is – is probably replying to several hundred rental advertisements across the US. I’m not certain how he bilks his marks – but rest assured, he has something something up his sleave that involves separating you from your money. What he’s probably fishing for is your bank account information so he can attempt to clean in out from overseas. Nice try, Richard H.”

• The single biggest problems facing landlords in FED court are improper service to tenants, and not having the evidence in court to support the claims they are making. Be sure to understand what the requirements of good service are. 

• Be very careful in regard to your treatment of personal property left behind after a tenant has been locked out following a lawful eviction. Be sure to send a letter by certified mail to the last known address of the tenant (i.e., the house you rented to them) letting them know you will dispose of the remaining items 30 days after the eviction. You as landlord must decide if items left behind have any tangible value.  If they do not, you can dispose of them. 

• Once a tenant has been locked out, do not give the former tenant a key to the property. This should be an obvious one, but if they left a bunch of stuff behind, it may be a pain for you to have to stay at the property while they remove theire things, but don’t give them a key because if they decide to stay, you just won the privilege of starting the eviction over again.

• You must keep tenant deposits in a separate account. No other money shall be kept in that account other than just deposits. Keep a detailed record of the amount of the deposits kept in this account.