The Importance of Tenant Screening for Your Salt Lake City Rental Property

Benefits for first time home buyers!!

By Dana Holton • 17 Dec, 2019

Hey everyone.. it's Dana Holton with Miller & Company. I closed on a home today!! It was so much fun to be able to help my clients buy a home for the first time! Educating them and guiding them through this process has been so rewarding for me!! Their smiles made my day and are the reason why I love my job so much! We love helping families get into their own home. This is an essential part of the American dream that conveys a number of economic benefits, such as the ability to accumulate wealth and access credit by building home equity, reduce housing costs through the mortgage interest and real estate tax deductions, and gaining long-term savings over the cost of renting. There are a lot of awesome programs for first time home buyers that qualify which offer discounts on mortgage insurance and on your interest rate as well. There are even programs that offer 100 % financing if you are short on a down payment or need help on your closing costs! There are a lot of different options to help your dreams of home ownership come true! Miller & Company truly appreciates our tenants, and works hard to help them become home owners! This cute family that I helped rented a home from Miller & Company for 10 years in West Valley City. Now they are home owners themselves. Yay!! Now it’s time to celebrate!! Give me a call to discuss any of your housing needs! Dana Holton with Miller and Company 801-259-0008 or our office number is 801-566-6600.

What is the Eviction Process in Salt Lake City, Utah?

By Appfolio Websites • 24 Oct, 2018

With a great tenant screening process, evictions are rarely necessary anymore. There are circumstances when a tenant has not been screened properly, or in rare cases, a great tenant becomes someone we have to evict. We try to do everything we can to avoid eviction, but sometimes it’s our only option. If eviction is necessary, it is very important to follow the law exactly so there are no chances of the case being dismissed or a countersuit being filed. The Eviction Process There are two different options to begin the eviction process. One option is to post a Three Day Notice to Pay and/or Comply with the Lease Terms. If the tenant does not adhere to this notice, the lease can then be terminated, and an eviction can be filed. The other option is to give a Three Day Notice to Quit, which does not give the tenant the option to correct the situation, rather allows them to either move or be evicted. Reasons for eviction may include: The tenant is running an illegal business on the property or committing a crime at the property. The tenant is damaging the property. The tenant is creating a nuisance within the property (In this instance it is crucial to have multiple police reports or corroborating witnesses to back it up). In Utah, an eviction is called an unlawful detainer. Once the three days are up and the unlawful detainer is filed, the court will schedule a hearing within 10 days. The court will deliver a summons to the tenant letting them know when and where to appear if they wish to contest. If they do show up to contest, this will add to the eviction time, however, as long as the rules are followed, Utah law allows landlords to recover attorney fees once the case is won. The Writ of Restitution Once you win your case, you can apply for a Writ of Restitution from the court which instructs the tenant to vacate the premises in three days or less. This will be served to the tenant along with a blank request for a hearing. If a hearing is not requested by the tenant or the tenant does not vacate, the Writ of Restitution allows the sheriff to remove the tenant. Removing Belongings from the Property

Salt Lake City Property Owners’ FAQs about Emotional Support Animals & Utah Housing Laws

By Appfolio Websites • 02 Oct, 2018

Service animals and companion animals are the topic of our discussion today, because you need to know what you can and cannot do when you have a tenants with service dogs or emotional support animals (ESA). First, some definitions. Service animals help people with disabilities. For example, a guide dog will help a person who is blind. Companion animals offer emotional support for people suffering from issues like anxiety and depression. Fair Housing Laws and Service/Companion Animals The Fair Housing Act is a federal law recognizing the importance of service and companion animals. It does two important things; it prevents landlords from discriminating against people with disabilities, and it requires landlords to make reasonable accommodations for people who have disabilities. Not all landlords are required to follow the Fair Housing Act. Small landlords who own fewer than four rental units and don’t use a broker or a rental agent are exempt. What are Reasonable Accommodations? A reasonable accommodation is a change in rules or services that allows someone with a disability to enjoy their home like anyone else. Examples of reasonable accommodations include: Allowing tenants to install a wheelchair ramp to their apartment. Providing a reserved parking space for someone with a disability. Allowing blind tenants to have service dogs, even if pets aren’t allowed. If a tenant’s handicap causes more than one daily life function to be limited, it’s possible that the tenant will need more than one service animal. For example, a resident may have an emotional support animal to help with anxiety and a guide dog to help with sight. It’s unlikely to be a reasonable accommodation when more than one animal is used to help with the same disability. Verifying Information with Medical Professionals You can verify certain information with a medical professional. Landlords are permitted to verify that the service animal has a connection to the tenant’s disability. You can ask how long the animal will be necessary, and confirm that the tenant meets the definition of disabled as defined by the Fair Housing Act. You can also require that documentation comes from the medical professional who is actively treating the tenant. If the medical professional who signed the accommodation request will not speak with you, provide your applicant or tenant with a no-decision letter. Service Dogs and Emotional Support Animals (ESA): What you cannot do

As a landlord, your tenant screening process will help you find qualified renters. Then, you’ll have to choose one of those tenants for your property. Today, we’re providing some tips and best practices on how to do that.

Just having a solid qualifying process will automatically weed out poor tenants or professional tenants. When people have a history of eviction or serious problems with landlords, they won’t apply through a professional property management company, or with a landlord who has a good tenant screening process.

Property Management in Salt Lake City: Minimum Requirements

We use a couple of good qualifying indicators as well as recommended minimum requirements.

First, do a renter verification and check an applicant’s rental history. This can be an indicator that’s more accurate than credit or employment. People may have bad credit but always pay rent on time and take good care of rental properties. Someone with a great job and terrific credit may have a history of trashing rentals. Talk to current and former landlords, and find out what kind of tenants these applicants have been in the past.

You’ll also want to check credit. While it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have a good or bad tenant, a credit screening will tell you if an applicant is financially responsible.

Solid employment history is a great indicator. Someone who has been in a job for a while is often a dependable renter who can afford to pay rent on time.

In Utah, you can check criminal records and ask about convictions. Check your local laws to make sure there aren’t any restrictions. Remember also that convictions are different than arrests. In the United States, we are innocent until proven guilty. Depending on the crime, denying a tenant with a record doesn’t have to be automatic. Some felonies may even be permissible if they aren’t violent or recent.

Property Management in Salt Lake City: How to Choose a Tenant

If you don’t have a property management company screening tenants for you, it’s possible to just choose your favorite applicant who is qualified. If you are working with a property management company, they will probably have a system in place. It’s important to stick with that system and be consistent. The first come, first served system is recommended because it will help you avoid lawsuits. This is a cut and dry way to choose a tenant, and you can demonstrate there is no discrimination. Some property managers also have a system where you rank tenants from most to least qualified. Just make sure the system is clear and documented.