Guide to online tools for landlords
Being a landlord isn’t just about collecting rents every month. If you have any landlord friends, ask them how much time they spend on their landlord duties each month. You’ll be surprised. A landlord with several dozen units can entrust their management to a property management company. For those who do the management work on their own, it’s a great way to maintain control and reduce operating costs. Here is a guide to online tools for landlords.
Tools to help landlords set rents
There are several ways to set a rent. Analyzing comparables, which involves comparing the dwelling to be rented with similar dwellings (in terms of location, size, service, age, etc.) is one good method. There is an online tool that collects and presents this kind of information for the greater Montreal area and also includes average rental times: Zipplex. There is also a rent calculator (in French only) developed by the Régie du logement du Québec, which can help you set a fair and reasonable rent increase.
Conduct a pre-rental inquiry
A pre-rental inquiry provides you with information on potential tenants. You will learn about their credit, current and previous landlords, whether they have a file at the Régie du logement, whether they have a criminal record, employment references, and so on. It’s a way to keep the fox out of the hen house. Here are two pre-rental inquiry services:
Get a lease signed electronically
Once the right tenant is found, signing the lease is an important step. Landlords don’t always live close to their rental properties. Services such as BlocSolution can be used to electronically and legally sign leases remotely. These services really simplify things. No more lease-signing meetings are necessary. Everything can be done online.
