Here’s an excerpt from a column that appeared in the Concord Monitor News recently. For the complete story, visit our website at www.landlordconnection.com
Friday, July 14, 2000
By AMY McCONNELL
Monitor staff
Renters in central New Hampshire often seek out housing advocate Lea Key's advice when they're struggling to find an apartment.
Part of their problem, she informs them, is a little-known list of supposedly risky tenants circulated among landlords statewide. In fact, all but one of her 160 clients is listed on the Landlord Connection, a burgeoning database of information on nearly 60,000 New Hampshire renters.
Names. Past addresses. Birth dates. Social Security numbers. Some license plate numbers. Evictions and any other legal disputes with past landlords. A treasure-trove of data is there for the asking on all her clients, save one woman.
That woman, Key said, was looking for an apartment where she could use her federal rent voucher, the so-called Section 8 subsidy. But managers at the apartment complex told her they denied her application because she was on the "landlord list."
"She called up the Landlord Connection and she was, in fact, not on the list," said Key, who volunteers for The Way Home, a Manchester counseling center. "Her feeling was they didn't want the Section 8 - somebody else came along with money, and they used the Landlord Connection as an excuse to keep her out."
Landlords, including nearly 75 individuals and complexes in Merrimack and Belknap counties, call the database a godsend that helps screen out irresponsible tenants and saves money in lost rent….
Five years ago
In September 1995, LLC began accepting requests for tenant reports from 20 landlords. Today, LLC serves over 1,200 landlords, property management companies, rental agencies and housing authorities throughout NH. Our members range from owner-occupied duplex owners to 1,000 unit apartment complexes.
One thing that landlords often forget is that they are operating a business and as a business person the art of renting apartments needs to be taken seriously; playing detective is part of the process. Here are some proven tips - take this advice from people who learned the hard way.
NEVER RENT AN APARTMENT WITHOUT ASKING FOR A PICTURE ID FROM ALL ADULTS WHO WILL OCCUPY THE
APARTMENT. - You need to know who will be there....... This will also provide you with more information about the applicants, such as previous addresses, full names, etc.NEVER RENT AN APARTMENT TO SOMEONE WHO NEEDS TO MOVE IN RIGHT AWAY. Chances are they are running away from something and will probably vanish in the night from your apartment, too!
NEVER RENT TO SOMEONE WHO FLASHES THE FULL SECURITY AND FIRST MONTHS’ RENT. Chances are they’ve got that much money because they haven’t paid the current landlord for several
weeks.NEVER ACCEPT LESS THAN THE FULL SECURITY DEPOSIT BEFORE HANDING OVER THE KEYS. If you do, the chances of getting the full amount owed to you will lessen as each week passes
.NEVER BELIEVE THAT THEY JUST MOVED HERE FROM OUT OF STATE BEFORE CHECKING WITH LLC. This is a new trick - we have found several applicants who used this story. When the landlord checked with us, he discovered
that they had been locked out of a local residence less than a week before.CHECK SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS - Another trick. Some applicants "mix up" the number combination thinking that LLC won’t have them on file.
BE PATIENT - IT WILL PAY OFF IN THE END. If you wait long enough for a good tenant, they will come.
Share your stories with other members.
Let us know if being an LLC member has changed the way that you do business. Has your turnover rate been lower? higher? about the same? Has your eviction rate changed? Tell us about your successes or losses. What have you learned?
Contacting LLC
Mail all Correspondence to:
Landlord Connection, Inc.
PO Box 6056
Nashua, NH 03063
Email:
llc@tiac.netWebsite:
landlordconnection.comPrice Increase - October 1, 2000
We’ve kept our prices in check since October 1998, however our sources for reports increased their fees several months ago. We have no choice but to pass on some of the increase to our customers.
NOTE:
Customers who request over 30 reports per month will receive a 10% discount for each report over the first 30. No additional discounts will be given.Thank you for your continued support!
Prices
Annual membership fee
Less than 50 apartments $ 50.00
Over 50 apartments $100.00
Individual tenant report $8.00
Married couples $14.00
Retail Credit Report (one bureau) $10.00
Married couples $18.00
Combined retail and tenant report $15.00
Married couples $25.00
Multi-Bureau Reports
(Equifax & Experian) $16.00
Married couples $28.00
Multi-Bureau & Tenant Report $25.00
Married couples $30.00
Skip locate $10.00
Collection Letter $10.00
Collection Letter Plus $50.00
Annual membership fee: $ 35.00
Individual tenant report $ 10.00
Married couples $ 18.00
Retail Credit Report (one bureau) $ 12.00
Married couples $ 22.00
Combined Tenant and Retail Report $ 20.00
Married couples $ 30.00
Multi-Bureau Reports
(Equifax & Experian) $18.00
Married couples $30.00
Multi-Bureau & Tenant Report $25.00
Married couples $30.00
Skip Locate $10.00
Collection Letter $10.00
Collection Letter Plus $50.00