Rentec Direct

It pays to stay on top of our game this year, every year really, but the IRS is really putting the petal to the metal on fines for late and non-filers.  It's time to start thinking about this now and make sure you have the proper TIN (Taxpayer Identification Number) on file.  The TIN is an indivi...

We all know tenant screening is plays a vital role in placing a tenant, but why is that?  Without properly screening a new tenant a landlord can end up losing far more time and money than they gain.  A lot of landlords might assume this would never happen to them, or they are a good judge of char...

Ya know, those "dummies" books always get me.  Doesn't it seem like the author calling his readers "dummies" wouldn't go over very well.  Yet, I imagine the publisher(s) are bazillionaires many times over by now.  Hence, my experiment in a title.I downloaded a trial of Camtasia last weekend and d...

Anybody who reads my blogs knows I've been very happy with Google Voice ever since it's launch a few years back.  Just see any of these articles:How Google Voice Can Help LandlordsFollowup and Detailed Review of Google VoiceGoogle Voice Opens the Flood Gates TodayGoogle has done a TREMENDOUS job ...

I read the following the other day..In response to complaints from tenants that more and more landlords are requiring rental payments be made only online, California lawmakers are considering a bill that may dictate how landlords collect rent. “A growing number of landlords are no longer acceptin...

My home state of Oregon recently passed requirements stating that carbon monoxide detectors are required in buildings that either: Has an attached garage, OR Has a fuel burning appliances (furnace, etc) California and many other states have also passed similar regulation requiring property owners...

The IRS recently did an audit of previous years tax returns and found out that landlords are cheating their taxes, whether they know it or not.  This audit was conducted because in August 2008, the Government Accountability Office stated that “at least 53 percent of individual taxpayers with rent...

I have numerous friends and family in the area that I regularly have property management conversations with.  The most popular recurring topics are usually around how long X property has been vacant, or how bad X person’s last tenant was.  The bad stories are always far more fun to tell, or at le...

California has passed a bill (SB 150) now disallows HOA's from changing the rules mid-game on a landlord by restricting rentals within the HOA.  This bill took effect January 1st.An association which previously has no restrictions on rentals, that attempts to amend the HOA to then restrict the am...

More tax increases for property investors. =(  If only our reps would focus on tax reducing measures rather than tax increasing measures. That would make me happy. The Internal Revenue Service has issued a 255-page guide in the Federal Register. The new rules, which went into effect on January 1,...