New Website Launched

This new RentNewTampa.com website includes many features and makes it easier for tenants to find information on the Featured Properties being professionally managed by First in Property Management. Last year, Rent New Tampa, Inc. partnered with First in Property Management to give landlords the best option for property management in the New Tampa and Wesley Chapel area.

Check out more on the best Tampa Property Management

Evicting a New Tampa Tenant

Not all tenants work out as landlords hope and when a tenant stops paying a landlord must follow the provisions provided in the lease, and Florida law, to evict a tenant. This may or may not have been something the landlord in New Tampa was thinking about when just trying to find a willing tenant to fill a vacancy. Many just grabbed a "fill in the blanks" lease for the state of Florida from a Realtor. Others used another lease and perhaps even wrote their own or included some specific provisions they wrote themselves. So long as both parties adhere to the contract, it really does not matter, but once one party no longer honors the contract, the law and judicial system will dictate the remedy.

In most cases, the tenant stops paying the rent on time, or stops paying the rent completely. Most landlords would like to avoid an eviction, so they contact the tenant and ask for the money, listen to the tenants unfortunate circumstances that has led to the rent being unpaid or the promises that it will be paid soon. Unfortunately for the landlord, this stall technique from the tenant does not impact the speed at which a tenant can be evicted once the process is started. So, if a typical eviction takes 30 days, the eviction will take 30 days no matter if the process starts on the 5th of the month, the 25th of the month, or if the tenant is 3 months past due. The longer the landlord waits to begin the process, the longer the tenant gets to live "rent free". Any unwritten promise a tenant makes during this time is quite irrelevant, verbal promises to pay next week or to pay extra rent are the type of items that make a landlord hesitate at filing an eviction. Typically, a landlord will wait far too long to start an eviction, hoping the tenant will just start paying or make up back pay.

Sometimes a landlord will be willing to give up on the tenant, ask the tenant to leave and cancel the lease. Even if the tenant agrees to this verbally, the eviction process is still necessary unless the tenant surrenders in writing and leaves the property. So, even if a tenant promises to leave in 2 weeks, if the tenant does not leave, the landlord may still need to file an eviction.

So, what should a landlords do if there is cause for an eviction? First, do not hesitate to act. Hesitation causes back rent to increase and this back rent is likely going to be hard to collect even if the landlord files for a judgment and wins the case. Once it is obvious that the tenant is going to be a problem, which should be the day after the grace period for the rent to be paid, the eviction process should be started. At this point, the landlord should be attempting to minimize the damage of an nonpaying tenant, which will increase every day.

The other important item for a landlord is to ensure a proper eviction process is followed. There are many options at the landlords disposal, including hiring a lawyer. Hiring a lawyer is likely the most costly option for out of pocket expenses, but it could save the landlord considerable time and money in the long haul. What many landlords learn the hard way during an eviction, if something is not done properly during the eviction process, the whole process must be started over. So, after sending a notice, filing for an eviction and scheduling a hearing - which could easily be 3 to 4 weeks, the court could find a problem with something the landlord submitted which would result in the whole process needing to start at step one again and another 3-4 week for an eviction hearing.

One of the biggest problems facing New Tampa Landlords is the fact that many of the leases being used could have problems when presented by a landlord to a court of law. Unfortunately, many that have filled out leases do not understand what is permitted in a lease that is not drafted by an attorney. A common mistake is to sign a lease for longer then one year. Many make a simple mistake of having a lease that runs from May 1st of year one and end on May 1st of year two, which is an invalid lease that is for one year and one day. This could cause the court to rule the lease is invalid and the filing for eviction could be dismissed. Then the landlord would have to file for an eviction of a tenant that does not have a lease, starting again from square one and having to pay again all of the filing and court fees.

Of course, the best way to handle an eviction is to be prepared for an eviction before the tenant even takes possession of the property. The best way to prepare is to have a complete process, from application, through the signing of the lease and including the rent collection process. Using a proven method ensures a repeatable result can be attained if an eviction is required.

Tenant Evictions Offered to Landlords With No Lawyer Fees

Rent New Tampa, Inc. now provides evictions for all customers that sign up for the Tenant Placement plus Rent Collection or Property Management services. With these services, the landlord will receive a lawyer drawn lease and will not have to pay for lawyer fees in the event of an eviction. Also, the eviction process will start as soon as the tenant is late, meaning the nonpaying tenant will be removed from the property as quickly as legally possible, minimizing the risk of future expenses.

In the end, it is important to be prepared for the worst case scenario. If dealing with a problem tenant and unsure about how to handle an eviction, consult a professional. The rental home is worth far to much to risk having the process drag out any longer then it needs to.

What do you look for in a New Tampa Property Manager?

With so many home for rent and sale in the New Tampa area, many homeowners are holding vacant houses as the surplus inventory of homes is easily much greater then the demand. With more would be sellers turning to the rental market, an important question becomes "How should a homeowner evaluate a local property management company?" Well, there are many "How to hire a property manager" guides out there, so I will not try to rehash all of that material. What I will focus on are some of the key elements that to me are critical items in New Tampa for 2008.

First, we must look at the current housing market, which is still showing no signs of improvement in New Tampa. Prices continue to drop and more and more "short sale" listings appear at the bottom end of the market every day. Why is this important to note? Well, with houses not moving and prices falling, there are many Real Estate agents that are finding it really hard to make any money and looking toward other sources of income. While this is sometimes needed to "thin out the herd", in New Tampa there are so many homes available that many are deciding to try property management as an alternate source of income. While there is nothing inherently wrong with this, it is important to note that there will be some agents out there that really do not know what they are doing or are learning on the job while earning a fee. Because of some of the real risks a landlord faces, it will be important to find out if this is the case prior to signing on with someone "giving you a great deal" for property management or tenant placement services.

In any market, a vacant rental unit is the first problem a landlord wants and needs to be filled. This is no different in New Tampa, but the over supply in the current rental market makes filling the rental a real challenge. An experienced and realistic property manager will make sure your property is listed at a market price that will get the unit rented within 60 days. This is a big statement in a market that has 4-6 months worth of rental inventory. Many just have the unit listed at what the unit rented for a few years ago, not realizing the prices have fallen and the rent needs to be adjusted to the current market. Unfortunately, many landlords get "stuck" in a rental listing contract with an agent at a rental price that is higher and a commission that is lower then they were quoted by a respected property manager. While on paper this seems like the best way to optimize profit (higher rent, lower commission), when the unit sits vacant because it can not be rented at that price, the potential profit disappears and in fact the landlord will probably lose more money this way.

To address a vacancy, the property manager must provide a few critical items. First, proper guidance to the real market rent of the property. It really does not matter what the landlords expenses are, the market rent is the market rent. A tenant does not care that a landlord pays $2,000/month in mortgage, taxes and HOA fees on a 3 bedroom house in Heritage Isle. What a tenant cares about is that there are 4 houses that fit the same description that are in the $1,300/month range. Listing with the rent higher then $1,300/month on a comparable home will not help the landlord be less negative, it will only ensure the property is vacant as tenants move into more cost effective rental solutions.

The next important item a property manager must do to address a vacancy is to properly advertise a rental property. In New Tampa, there is no local newspaper that tenant prospects pick up to look for a rental home. Nearly all tenants looking for a home for rent in New Tampa do so using the internet. So, internet advertising is important, but proper internet advertising is the key. Many people use sources that has helped them find a place before, such as Craigslist and Rentals.com (formerly RentClicks). Anyone not using these resources at a bare minimum should be discredited as they are two of the top providers of real rental leads. The MLS is also a very important source for advertisement. As agents look for ways to earn a little money during this difficult time, many are taking on would be tenants to earn a little money. Exposure to these agents will also produce some tenants.

Most agents and New Tampa property managers will also list your New Tampa home for rent on their website. To figure out if this adds ANY value to your marketing needs, check to see if a tenant searching for a New Tampa Rental Home will find the agent or property management companies website. They will probably find the Rentals.com website with various searches on Google and the other search engines. However, if your rental agent or property management company does not show up on the first page of searches a tenant will use, the fact that the rental listing is on their site is of little or no value.

While placing a tenant is critical in New Tampa, screening tenants properly and removing a tenant that does not pay is equally as important. Find out who the agent or property manager screens and what they screen for. Any adult that occupies the property over the age of 18 should be screened, unless they are the child of the tenants in which case any child 21 or older should be screened. All tenants should have criminal background checked, including a sex offender search and an OFAC terrorist search. They should also have previous residences verified for proper on time payment and no damages, income verified to be what is stated on the application and a credit check. Any tenant that is not screened in a way that verifies all of these things is a potential liability.

Removing a tenant that does not pay is also critical, I will address this and other issues in part 2...

Lease to Own in New Tampa

I have had a few inquiries about doing a lease to own on several of the rentals I currently have listed. Through several discussions, I have formed an opinion that a rent to own option has many risks to both the landlord and the tenant. This does not mean a lease purchase is not a good idea, but it is important to understand the risk.

There is risk to the tenant - or potential investor - looking to capitalize on the soft New Tampa Real Estate by locking up a low price on a home now without having to purchase it. A lease or rent to own contract generally includes some amount of money to be deposited with the seller toward the purchase price, with additional principal paydown coming with each rent payment. At the end of the option period, typically 1-3 years, the tenant / buyer will have paid a significant amount toward the purchase price that will be "equity" once they exercise the option and close on the home. However, with so many landlords being upside down on the mortgage, the chances of the landlord profiting from a lease to own much lower, specially if the purchase price is close to the market value today. Why would a landlord agree to such an option then? Well, the dishonest ones could let their home fall into foreclosure and keep the extra deposit and equity deposited by the tenant.

This to me is the single biggest risk for someone looking to rent/buy using a lease purchase option today. What do you do if the owner stops making payments and falls into foreclosure? I am not a lawyer and I am sure plenty of lawyers will explain how to legally handle this situation, but the bottom line is a option to purchase a property at some point in time in the future does not prevent a lender from foreclosing on a homeowner that stops making mortgage payments. So, if you get a lease purchase contract from someone desperate to get out of their home with a 3 year option to purchase at a great price, the deal still could be too good to be true. In fact, even if they honor the contract, if the purchase price leaves the seller needing to bring money to the closing table and they do not have the funds, the deal could still fall through and the money given to the seller toward the purchase price could prove to be hard to cover. It is hard to get money from someone that does not have any and in this market there are many landlords that made a bad investment that have used up all of their assets.

For landlords, there is also risk. Giving an option to a tenant prevents the owner from being able to sell the home on the open market until the option expires. With home values in New Tampa dropping to levels last seen in 2004-2005, giving an option at these prices may not be the best investment decision to landlords. If the prices go up, the tenant can exercise the option and the landlord will lose the equity gained. The owner could be upside down on the mortgage and want to sell quickly if prices go up, but will not be able to. If the prices go down, the tenant will not exercise the option and the landlord will still be stuck with a home worth less. Then the owner will be looking at possibly offering another option at a lower price in order to attract another buyer/tenant. So, the question is why would an owner want to give an option? The only real answer is to "lock up a tenant" and minimize losses on a rental home. There is a better way to accomplish this by hiring a property management company that can find and place tenants quickly.

There is also another risk of a lease to own tenant. The tenant buyer could never be able to exercise their option due to credit issues or debt that prevents them from qualifying for a loan. When this realization occurs, the tenant will change from one living in a home to one they will eventually own, to one that feels they "lost" the equity they put into the home. This tenant could start to treat the home much differently and cause significant damage. The tenant could also stop paying and force the owner to evict them.

In the New Tampa market, the surplus of inventory has caused both rent and sale prices to decline since last year. Gambling on one or the other moving in a direction that will make this something to profit from, is more of the same speculative behavior that has hurt the New Tampa Real Estate market to begin with. It is something I will personally discourage for all owners and tenants in 2008.

Rent New Tampa passes 300 Visits in a day

The Rent New Tampa website, www.rentnewtampa.com, has reached a milestone by surpassing 300 visitors in one day yesterday. While we do realize 300 visits is not considered to be a large number in the website world, for this particular business it is a very significant accomplishment.

Rent New Tampa provides property management services and rental listings to New Tampa, which comprises about a 24 square mile area and a population of 25,000 or so. With this population as the target audience, plus the others wishing to move into the area, 300 visitors in a single day is a very big deal.

The tenant prospects for New Tampa homes for rent use the web to find their next home. The newspaper ad days are long gone. Rent New Tampa is the local resource New Tampa tenant sources can turn to, with over 7500 visits in the last 30 days. These visits have resulted in more then 3000 page views of our Featured New Tampa Homes for Rent - that is over 100 times a day each of our customers properties are seen by a tenant prospect looking specifically for a New Tampa Rental Home!

Rent New Tampa has long held the opinion that search engine optimization for "New Tampa rentals" was essential for any property management company to serve this market. Our dominance in this regard, out pacing powerhouses such as rentals.com and craigslist.org has helped us establish a loyal base that grows each day someone else searches Google, Yahoo or MSN for any type of New Tampa rental home. Other property management companies in the area do not even appear in the first 4 pages of a Google for New Tampa rentals - it could be further, after there was nothing on the first four pages I stopped looking as any tenant prospect would have long before.

New Tampa Property Management Blog Hits Page 2 on Google

The website for Rent New Tampa, Inc. - http://www.rentnewtampa.com - has long been #1 on Google for a search for New Tampa Property Management. When I checked this morning, this blog had moved into the 8th spot on page two of the search for New Tampa Property Management.

It is our intention to continue to provide current and relevant Property Management information about the New Tampa area specifically and hope Google will continue to smile upon this blog and get us onto the first page.

New Tampa Property Management: Who is looking for a New Tampa Home for Rent?

New Tampa Property Management: Who is looking for a New Tampa Home for Rent?