When putting your home on the rental market, follow these seven tips to help protect your property and yourself.

1. Find a good tenant.

You can find tenants by advertising in the print and online versions of local newspapers. Also consider online ads, which often are less expensive and more effective than newspapers,  If you advertise for tenants on Craigslist.org, use caution. Also spread the word through friends, relatives and co-workers. Ask potential tenants to fill out an application, listing their basic information: name, employer, salary, previous landlords and references. You’ll also need their Social Security number and signed authorization to check their credit reports and criminal history. If a prospective renter refuses to give you his or her Social Security number, you can still run a credit check based on name and previous address. If you hire an agency to provide background checks, make sure it is accredited by the Better Business Bureau. Keep in mind you can do your own background checks. With the applicant’s authorization, you can pull credit reports from one of the credit reporting agencies — Equifax, Experian or TransUnion — as long as you follow the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Check for any criminal history by searching state and local records online, or hire an agency. Landlord.com offers tips on conducting tenant screening. Be sure you know the law. In some states, if prospective renters have served time for certain nonviolent offenses, you still must rent to them if they meet your criteria. It is important not to give into your emotions when screening tenants. Beware of potential renters who give you a sob story, hoping you’ll skip the credit check or overlook a bad report. If a renter asks to make a partial payment on the deposit before moving in and “pay the rest on Friday,” stick by your requirements. Check references, contact employers and talk to previous landlords. However, some previous landlords will not give references because of liability concerns.

2. Determine how much rent to charge.

Get an idea of area rental rates by checking newspaper ads, online resources and other neighborhood homes advertising for tenants. Be realistic: What you charge may be lower than your mortgage payment, but if you want to find a tenant, the rent must be comparable to other properties on the market.

3. Protect your rights with a lease.

“Have a written lease so that each party understands their rights and obligations”.  A good lease complies with fair housing, rental, health and safety, and tenant and insurance laws of your region. These laws differ across states, counties and cities, so we advises working with a local lawyer. Avoid using blank leases from the Internet, because they may not comply with the laws in your area. A lease should spell out the following: Lease term. A month-to-month lease offers more flexibility if you’re still trying to sell, while an annual lease provides more stability if you plan to hold on to the property. Security deposit. This is usually one month’s rent or more. Don’t agree to take partial payments, as this could indicate trouble ahead with your prospective renter. Due date for rent. Spell out penalties if the payment is late. Repairs. Detail who is responsible for what. Routine upkeep and maintenance responsibilities. Lawn care is one example. List of tenants. Know who is living in your property. Rules of behavior. Lay out the acceptable noise level, proper neighborly conduct and whether smoking is allowed. Pet policies. If you allow them, specify the deposits. Homeowner association dues and rules. Explain whether these affect your tenants. Arrangements for showing. If you plan to keep your home on the market while it’s being rented, spell out how this will be handled. Eviction terms. Let your tenants know that not paying the rent or damaging the property won’t be tolerated.

4. Get the appropriate coverage.

Protecting your property with the appropriate insurance policy is extremely important. You need a different policy if you’re renting a property to a tenant versus using it as your primary residence.  While you live in the house, you need a homeowner’s policy, which covers the structure of the home, personal liability, medical expenses and your belongings in the house. As a landlord, you’ll need rental property insurance. In addition to covering the home’s structure, personal liability and medical expenses, this policy includes loss of rental income in the event of a covered loss. However, it provides very limited coverage for any personal belongings you leave in the rental property.

5. Encourage tenants to get renters insurance.

Since you are not responsible for their belongings, encourage tenants to buy renters insurance. This will benefit you should something happen to the home that damages or destroys the tenant’s belongings. Tenants are also less likely to file lawsuits against landlords if their belongings are protected through insurance of their own.

6. Hire a management company.

If you move from the area or just lack the time or flexibility to deal with tenants, consider hiring a property management company. These companies primarily charge fees for two services: finding a tenant, which includes advertising and background checks, and managing the property. According to ManageMyProperty.com, the fee for filling a house varies from about 25% to 100% of one month’s rent, depending on the area. Then, for typically around 4% to 12% of the monthly rent, the company collects rent, charges late fees, handles repairs, and deals with early vacancies and evictions.
If you hire a property manager, find a licensed professional. To locate a manager in your area, go to NARPM’s website and type in your ZIP code. Your real estate agent also may offer property management. One big advantage of using property managers is emotional distance. Often, the owner will get involved with the tenant emotionally. Even though (property managers) take good care of tenants and they’re sympathetic, their job is to make sure that owners get the rent.

7. Prepare properly for evictions.

In most cases, you’ll need an attorney to lawfully evict a tenant. If the tenant doesn’t leave willingly,  you can’t just go and move their personal property and kick them out. You have to go to court, and the sheriff needs to come out and physically remove the person. Legal fees alone in such a case can run from $300 to $1,000. But when all other costs are added, “you could end up spending easily a month’s rent.”

8. Secure your home with Home Security.

A good rule of thumb when renting your home is “tie your camel”. Although we hope that others will respect our property the way we do, this isn’t always the case. Getting a home “security system” installed that you can monitor, from anywhere, is key to providing you with the PEACE OF MIND that you need to rent your home to the right tentant.

This article has been brought to you by  My B & D Security where you will find Peace of Mind when using our systems, to protect your families and businesses! Contact us to get a free consultation today! Bring You Peace of Mind up and down the California Coast!

Secure your space by identifying hazards and securing moveable items.

Earthquake shaking can move almost anything, even large or heavy items. Imagine your home or workplace being picked up and shaken sideways – what would be thrown around? How can you prevent it?

START NOW by moving furniture such as bookcases away from beds, sofas, or other places where people sit, sleep, or spend a lot of time. Move heavy objects to lower shelves.

Then continue your “hazard hunt” to help identify and fix things such as unsecured televisions, computers,bookcases, furniture, unstrapped water heaters, etc. A comprehensive list of typical items at home or in commercial buildings, with recommendations for how to secure each, is on the menu at right.

Why is this important? Several people died and thousands were injured in the 1994 Northridge earthquake because of unsecured items such as toppling bookcases. According to a study from the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA), 55% of the injuries during this earthquake were caused by falling furniture or objects. Only one percent of injuries were caused by building damage. Other injuries were due to people falling or behaving dangerously. In addition, many billions of dollars were lost due to this type of damage (yes, Billions). Much of this damage and injury could have been prevented in advance through simple actions to secure these contents. This is why we recommend starting this step first.

Securing Your Space may also reduce injury or damage in other situations. For example, an NBC Today Showreport showed that unsecured TVs that fall are injuring children across the country every day! So even if earthquakes are not common where you live or work, these suggestions are worthwhile to consider.

Basic “Get Started” List

Try securing at least one item every weekend until you get everything done. Start with what you can do for free. You may need to ask others for help or to borrow tools. Perhaps you might help them in return, or help others in your community. We’re all in this together!

No cost:

• Move heavy or large items to the floor or low shelves.
• Move things that can fall on you away from where you spend a lot of time.
• Move heavy or unstable objects away from doors and escape routes.

Low cost:

Animation showing how to secure your space, courtesy FLASH

• Secure a water heater to wall studs with two metal straps.
• Secure top-heavy furniture and appliances to wall studs.
• Hang mirrors and pictures on closed hooks
• Secure computers and TVs with special straps.
• Prevent small objects from falling by using museum putty or wax.
• Install latches on kitchen cabinets.

Many of these items may be available at your local hardware store, or from ShakeOut partner ReadyAmerica.

A bit more work or cost:

• Use flexible connections where gas lines meet appliances (such as water heaters, ovens, and clothes dryers).
• Secure overhead light fixtures.
• Secure free-standing wood stoves or fireplace inserts.

Now take the quiz and see if your prepared: http://www.dropcoverholdon.org/beatthequake/game/

This article has been brought to you by  My B & D Security where you will find Peace of Mind when using our systems, to protect your families and businesses! Contact us to get a free consultation today! Bring You Peace of Mind up and down the California Coast!

Here are some better ideas where to hide your spare house key…

The WORST possible place to hide your spare key is ANYWHERE NEAR THE FRONT DOOR!

DO NOT hide the key under the mat.
DO NOT hide the key under a flower-pot near the front door.

I hope you realize that every burglar knows to look on the top door-sill, anywhere in the porch light, in the mailbox, under the doormat, in the potted plant, in the plastic fake rock near the entrance, in the magnetic key holder attached to anything metal, etc.

You get the idea… anywhere near the front door will be obvious places for a potential burglar to quickly look. Just don’t do it.

Here are a few better(?) ideas…

Keep a spare key with your BBQ grill sitting in the back yard… find an inconspicuous spot on it and stash your spare there. It should be tucked away somewhere that isn’t obviously visible from someone’s standing viewpoint and shouldn’t be anywhere within easy finger-swiping reach.

Use a dot of super glue to affix a neodymium magnet to your spare key and hang it from an interior surface or the inside of your BBQ grill leg.

If you have vinyl siding, you might find a lip where you can tuck a spare key. Just find a spot that’s not near the front of the house.

A fake rock would work, but be sure to put it in an area with other rocks, in the side-yard or backyard, so it doesn’t stand out.

Place a spare key in a small ziplock bag (to protect from the elements and corrosion) and hide it under a larger rock or pavers stone, step stone, etc. somewhere in the back yard.

If you have an out-building or shed, there will be a multitude of hiding places inside. Maybe under a gas can, or under a stack of scrap wood, etc.

If you implicitly trust your neighbor, you might consider leaving a spare with them (be wary though, especially if there are other family members there who might be a risk).

The point is, there are lots of possibilities of where to hide your spare key. Just don’t do anything obvious, and do not hide it anywhere near the doors themselves (front or back).

The key is (pun intended), pick a clever place and just be aware that no-one is watching you when you initially hide your key.

This article has been brought to you by  My B & D Security where you will find Peace of Mind when using our systems, to protect your families and businesses! Contact us to get a free consultation today! Bring You Peace of Mind up and down the California Coast!

Protecting your home from the people you actually know, can most times be overlocked. A homeowner discovers his realtor is making his home that is listed with him, his personal property to put it nicely. You’ll never believe what your about to watch.
 

Curated from: Huffington Post

This article has been brought to you by Calabasas Broker, and My B & D Security where you will find Peace of Mind when using our systems, to protect your families and businesses! Contact us to get a free consultation today! Bring You Peace of Mind up and down the California Coast!

Things that work well in conjunction home security systems that also help delay and, ideally, deter thieves is standard window or patio door latches. Because you may need to exit through locked windows and doors yourself in an emergency, if you use a window lock, keep the key near it, but hidden from outside view. When possible, buy all latches from the same manufacturer so that the keys will be interchangeable.

If local fire code permits it, further improve security by replacing single glazing with polycarbonate or wire-embedded glass. In some cases, you may even want to install security shutters, a grill, or a security gate.

This article has been brought to you by My B & D Security where you will find Peace of Mind when using our systems, to protect your families and businesses! Contact us to get a free consultation today! Bring You Peace of Mind up and down the California Coast!

• Make it difficult for someone to conceal themselves while breaking in. Avoid tall/thick shrubs around your windows and doors. Avoid privacy fences.
• Having good exterior lighting on a timer helps, but the best thing is a motion sensor floodlight. When a motion light kicks on, it says “Hey, something’s going on over here.”
• Avoid having stuff in plain sight that says “We have lots of $$$.” If you have an expensive car, keep it in a garage. If you have nice stuff in your house, keep your blinds closed. If you just bought a flatscreen, trash and conceal the box.
• Burglars case a neighborhood before they rob it. They know when you leave for work. They know when your neighbors leave for work. If you have neighbors that are home during the day, it will make your house a riskier break-in.
• If you have a security system, don’t put one of those “Protected by ADT” stickers on your door. Knowing which brand of security system can provide enough info on how to disable it. Get a generic sticker.
• Get a dog. The bark is more important than the bite. A little yappy dog can be more of a deterrent than a German Shepard.
• Remember, the goal isn’t to make your house completely break-in proof. It is simply to make your house a less attractive target than the other houses in your neighborhood. Look at the surrounding houses and adjust accordingly. Don’t be the lowest-hanging fruit!

Steps 1-18 do a great job of arming us with useful tips:

The following news report will detail the features consumers should look for in a home security system and which shortcomings they should avoid.

Possible Concerns:

The home security system market is not without its flaws. There are three possible downfalls of any given security system that consumers would do well to avoid.

• Outdated equipment and procedures: home security systems worth considering will operate 100% wirelessly and offer easily accessible communication between user and monitoring center. In the 21st century, anything less in unacceptable, especially as high tech systems are readily available.

• Overpriced: a quality home security system does not necessarily have to be the most expensive system. While fear mongering is common in marketing security systems, consumers must look at this purchase rationally, by choosing the system that both meets their needs and comes with a reasonable price tag.

• Lack of non-security options: today’s security system does not just offer home security, it also offers options such as energy saving capabilities and non-emergency alerts. These options are helpful to the majority of consumers and should not be overlooked when choosing a security system.

Research and Information:

In 2010, the Federal Bureau of Investigation reported annual home invasions of over 2 million. Victims of these invasions collectively lost $4.6 billion in property, or an average of $2,119 per home invasion.

What this all means:

It means YOU will benefit from securing your property with a home security system. To do otherwise can be very expensive and even possibly dangerous!

This article has been brought to you by My B & D Security where you will find Peace of Mind when using our systems, to protect your families and businesses! Contact us to get a free consultation today! Bring You Peace of Mind up and down the California Coast!