Take advantage of Early Bird Registration!

Transcription

Volume 35 Issue 3 • April 2014 • Connecting the Rental Community Right Next Door and Across the State
Take advantage of
Early Bird Registration!
See page 11 for the
registration form and more
Conference details.
2014 Roster of Events
(for a full calendar of events go to: http://www.waaonline.org)
BOARD MEETING
Saturday, April 12 • 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (Lunch served at Noon)
Robbins Restaurant, 1810 Omro Rd, Oshkosh
Lunch choices are: Robbins soup, salad, and baked potato bar, a prime rib sandwich, or a chicken Caesar wrap.
Sandwich and wrap are served with either French fries or fresh fruit cup. Cost is $12 and includes coffee, tea, milk, or soda.
Please RSVP to Kristy at kristy@waaonline.org or 920-230-9221 no later than Monday, April 7th.
Mark Your Calendars
for the
2014 WAA Conference
& Tradeshow
“Catch The Rental Wave”
October 10-12 at the Three Bears Resort in Warrens
1500 Jellystone Park Dr, Warrens
Call 888-386-9644 and mention WAA to get the special room rate of $89.95/night plus tax
or a suite for $109.95/night plus tax. Room block closes on 9/10!
See page 11 for more details and a discounted early registration form!
2
April 2014 • www.waaonline.org • WISCONSIN APARTMENT ASSOCIATION NEWS
WAA Directory
WAA/RHR Executive Committee
President: Dean Ramsden
(C) 715-421-6403
dean@goclientfocus.com
Past President: Dale Hicks
(C) 608-201-3774
dandtrentals@sbcglobal.net
Vice President:
Sherrie Dorn
(C) 262-497-0516
danelady@wi.rr.com
Secretary: Adele Vogel
(H) 262-781-4044
rentproviders@wi.rr.com
Treasurer: Chris Mokler
(O) 920-235-6470
cmokler@moklerproperties.com
Regional Directors
Northeastern: Hank Dreschler
(H) 920-766-3104
drechs@hotmail.com
North Central: Kris Mueller
(H) 715-676-2353
kam1camx1@tds.net
Northwestern:
Pamela Strittmater
(C) 608-317-3678
ptstritt@aol.com
Beloit Property Mgrs Assoc.
Matt Ruch* (608) 361-6896
mjruch@charter.net
Joe Hansen (608) 365-8427
jhansen608@msn.com
Eau Claire
(Chippewa Valley A.A.)
Dale Goshaw** (715) 836-7507
goshawdr@uwec.edu
Fond du Lac Area Apt Assoc.
Vicki Garthwaite** (920) 923-4135
immystified@gmail.com
Gary Schwefel (920) 924-5746
Mary Ruplinger (920) 921-3791
Green Bay (Apt. Assoc.
of Northeastern WI)
Nancy Behnke** (920) 639-7557
eglide02@new.rr.com
Gary Heilmann (920) 499-5019
gheilmann@itol.com
Nancy Kuehn (920) 494-9556
nancy42139@aol.com
Hudson (St. Croix Valley
Apartment Association)
Allan Brown (715) 778-5809
Rob Peifer (651) 470-6679
r.peifer@comcast.net
Janesville Area Rental
Property Association
Dale Hicks** (608) 752-3104
Don Chapin (608) 755-1121
dchapinins@aol.com
Oshkosh (Winnebago
Apartment Association)
Tracy Frost (920) 233-5810
tracyf@schwabproperties.com
Donn Lord** (920) 420-0662
donnlord@sbcglobal.net
Kenosha Landlord Assoc. Inc.
Brian Hervat* (262) 652-8000
brianhervat@gmail.com
Larry Capozzo (262) 658-9000
Racine (S.Wis Landlord Assoc.)
Wendy Wade (262) 221-6627
wwade0307@gmail.com
David Pioro (262) 939-9022
dpioro@wi.rr.com
Dave Bybee** (262) 681-7233
paparentman@wi.rr.com
LCappozzo@ProvidenceCompanies.com
Liza Thober** (262) 818-0299
lthober@gmail.com
La Crosse (Apartment Assoc.
of the La Crosse Area)
Pamela Strittmater***
(608) 317-3678 ptstritt@aol.com
Duane Roesler* (608) 788-0259
kroesler@aol.com
Jessica Olson (608) 782-0808
Marshfield Area Apt. Assoc.
Chuck Virnig (715) 305-1232
cigcaa@gmail.com
Kris Mueller** (715) 676-2353
kam1camx@tds.net
Waukesha Area Apt. Assoc.
Norm Vogel** (262) 781-4044
rentproviders@wi.rr.com
Wisconsin Rapids Area Rental
Property Owners Association
Sharon Jacoby (715) 510-0000
ferkeys@yahoo.com
Harold Streekstra &
Helen Streekstra** (715) 424-2105
handh@wctc.net
* WAA Regional Director
** Education Contacts
*** Both WAA Regional Director and Education Contact
Names in Bold: Forms Rep
South Central: Matt Ruch
608-361-6896
mjruch@charter.net
Southeastern: Gus Orozco
(C) 847-668-7658
gus.orozco7@gmail.com
WAA/RHR Staff
WAA Administrative Assistant/
Newsletter Editor/Designer
Kristy Weinke
920-230-WAA1 (9221)
admin@waaonline.org
Legislative Liaison (WRHLC)
Gary Goyke
(office) 608-237-8121
Gary.goyke@gmail.com
We need YOU! Our association is only as strong as our members and member participation is critical
for our growth and success. We have established a number of standing committees (teams) to ensure
that our association continues to meet goals that are set, retains and adds members, and provides
education, leadership, and representation to ensure that YOU are able to operate your rental business
successfully, ethically, and responsibly in our state. These members have agreed to volunteer their
opinions, skills, and time to make this association the best it can be. Please consider getting involved
as well and help make a difference in YOUR association, the Wisconsin Apartment Association!
Education Committee – Julie Fay-Krivitz-Chair (Associate), Sherrie Dorn (SWLA, Racine), Dale
Hicks (JARPA, Janesville), and Pamela Strittmater (AALA, La Crosse)
Legislative Committee – Chris Mokler-Co-Chair (Winnebago, Oshkosh), Dale Hicks-Co-Chair
(JARPA, Janesville), and Jessica Olson (AALA, La Crosse)
Membership Committee – Kathy Haines-Chair (Associate), Julie Fay-Krivitz (Associate), Pamela
Strittmater (AALA, La Crosse), Jeff Pralle (AALA, La Crosse), Hank Drechsler (FVAA, Appleton), Kris
Mueller (MAAA, Marshfield), Gus Orozco (SWLA, Racine), and Paul Winans (AALA, La Crosse)
Conference Committee - Pamela Strittmater-Chair (AALA, La Crosse), Kathy Haines (Associate),
Julie Fay-Krivitz (Associate), Susan Verbeten (SWLA, Racine), Kelly Jensen (SWLA, Racine), Bill White
(Associate), Lori Thurloff (AANW, Green Bay), Dawn Powell (KLA, Kenosha), Dale Hicks (JARPA,
Janesville), and Paul Winans (AALA, La Crosse)
WISCONSIN APARTMENT ASSOCIATION NEWS • www.waaonline.org • April 2014
3
President’s Letter
Good evening WAA Members! It’s time again for me to write the President’s letter to our members! As
I’m thinking about writing this letter, my thoughts think of the future of the WAA and how we can serve
you better with more benefits, marketing materials and communications.
As we move forward for 2014, the Executive Committee has set in motion a fresh direction for our four
(4) committees (Membership, Education, Legislation, and Conference) to help guide the WAA into the
future. I am asking you to come forward and help us build these committees to share your ideas and
help build more strength and leadership into our organization. We cannot do this without your help!
The more we work together, the stronger voice we will have in Madison and throughout Wisconsin!
I want to set the stage by discussing some of our goals of the WAA and how each committee can help us achieve these goals.
1. Membership – Our 2014 goal is to grow our membership to 600 members by the end of the year. Membership
also includes marketing WAA. We need to create new marketing materials, assist with ideas for our “new” website,
and create new locals in different parts of Wisconsin.
2. Education – Education is so important to our members! With the changing landscape of our industry, we need to
stay educated on how “laws of the land” affect our business, our responsibility to our tenants, and how education is
delivered to you. We need to discuss how you are going to receive this education. Some options include online via
our website, seminars, YouTube videos, books, CDs, and our Annual Conference.
3. Legislation – We need to continue our lobbying efforts in Madison. Not only are we faced with constant changes
in Madison, but we are faced with decisions that are made against landlords on local levels. We need to stay abreast
of these changes and band together to help our fellow landlords. More involved, means more voices!
4. Annual Conference – Conference is the time of year where we can all get together and share our failures
and successes with one another, learn new ideas from our vendors, get motivated by speakers, and enjoy some
camaraderie.
Besides these important committees, we will also be exploring new benefits to our members. We are currently exploring a
legal benefit that could be purchased separately. We also are exploring other ideas that will help WAA grow, be more cost
conscience on spending your membership dollars, and providing platforms where communications between our members and
locals are enhanced.
Since we are talking about important issues, I hope many of you were able to join Gary, Dale, and Chris for Legislative Day on
March 19th. It is always a great day to spread the word that WAA is the voice of the rental housing industry!
Please also plan to join us Saturday, April 12th in Oshkosh for our next WAA Board Meeting. Be ready for some round table
discussions, as we want to hear your ideas in helping the committees give direction to the Executive Committee.
I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible on April 12th!
Best wishes,
Dean Ramsden
Dean Ramsden, WAA President
4
Finance Tips
Money on the Table?
How much money are you costing yourself? I don’t mean in
lost rent or vacant units. I’m talking about on your taxes. Most
residential investment property owners divide the cost of their
real estate between land and building, then depreciate the
building over 27.5 years in equal installments. If that’s all you
do, you are most likely leaving a big wad of money on the
table.
Not every part of your rental property is real estate. You have
a host of other property that isn’t real estate and that can be
depreciated over a much shorter period of time. Plus, there is
a provision of the tax law that allows you to deduct a huge
portion and possibly the entire income from one or more of
your properties.
Look at the depreciation schedule below from Internal Revenue
Service instructions.
• Refrigerators, ranges, dishwashers, carpeting, furniture –
5 years
• Land improvements (sidewalks, fences, landscaping
shrubbery, septic systems, water pipes) – 15 years
• Computers and peripherals – 5 years
• Typewriters, adding machines, copiers – 5 years
• Automobiles and trucks under 13,000 lbs. – 5 years
• Carpeting – 5 years
• Office furniture (desks, chairs, file cabinets, etc.) – 7 years
• Residential rental property building – 27.5 years
• Non-residential rental property – 39 years
In addition, there are numerous other items that you can find
at irs.gov
You are allowed by law to separate all of these pieces of
property from the value of the building and depreciate them
individually on IRS Form 4562. That can make or save you
thousands of dollars a year on your taxes.
But there is one more deduction that could even mean a free
vehicle for your rental property business. It is the Section 179
deduction
The total amount you can elect to deduct under Section 179
for most property placed in service in 2013 generally cannot
be more than $500,000. If you acquire and place in service
more than one item of qualifying property during the year, you
can allocate the Section 179 deduction among the items in
any way you want, as long as the total deduction is not more
than $500,000. You do not have to claim the full $500,000.
Qualified real property that you chose to treat as section 179
real property is limited to $250,000 of the maximum deduction
of $500,000 for 2013.
A likely Section 179 deduction for rental owners might be a
new vehicle. The IRS explains it as follows:
Many vehicles that by their nature are not likely to be used
for personal purposes qualify for full Section 179 deduction
including the following vehicles:
1. Heavy “non-SUV” vehicles with a cargo area at least six feet
in interior length (this area must not be easily accessible from
the passenger area.) To give an example, many pickups with
full-sized cargo beds will qualify (although some “extended
cab” pickups may have beds that are too small to qualify).
2. Vehicles that can seat nine-plus passengers behind the
driver’s seat (i.e.: Hotel / Airport shuttle vans, etc.).
3. Vehicles with: (1) a fully-enclosed driver’s compartment /
cargo area, (2) no seating at all behind the driver’s seat, and
(3) no body section protruding more than 30 inches ahead of
the leading edge of the windshield. In other words, a classic
cargo van.
So how does that work? I would not begin to try to explain
it. That’s a job for tax experts. So don’t take my word for this
because I am not an accountant, and I know there probably is
some fine print that we need to pay attention to. Section 179,
though, can and has offset thousands of dollar in rental income
for many rental property owners. So if you bought a $40,000
pickup for your rental business, that has the potential to offset
$40,000 in net rental income. Don’t have that much rental
income? Ask your accountant how to spread it out over the
five years that you are entitled to depreciate it along with the
Section 179 deduction.
Think about the things you bought for your rental properties
in 2013. How many of them can be depreciated? How much
money is just sitting there on the table waiting for you to snatch
it up? Ask your accountant or expert tax preparer. It’s our right
to take as many deductions as the law allows.
By: Bob Cain, Nationally recognized author and speaker on perperty management •
www.rentalpropertyreporter.com
5
Screening Tips
Tenant Screening: Three Tips
for Finding Better Renters
By Tracey March • www.rentalpropertyreporter.com
Tenants who have poor credit or an otherwise bad rental history
often seek out the smaller landlords, in the hopes that these
rental owners won’t delve too deeply into their sordid details.
Experienced rental owners understand that finding good tenants
is critical to their success, which is why they often hire property
management companies or screening companies to help them
find reliable and considerate renters. If you do your own tenant
screening, here are three tips to help you identify the pernicious
tenants who will try to slide in under your radar:
1. Check the rental application
Typically we think checking the application means following up
later on references and verifying credit report information – and
those are important, so do them. But here we mean check the
rental application as soon as the applicant gives it to you.
Focus on three things:
• Look for empty spaces that should have been filled out. For
example, make sure there is a birth date and social security
number, or you won’t be able to run a credit report.
• Look for language that indicates the application was not
properly filled out, such as “don’t remember” under the previous
landlord’s name.
• Make sure the responses are legible.
person is using the same social security number – a sign that the
applicant is either the victim or perpetrator of an identity theft.
Also, cross-reference the applicant’s prior addresses with county
tax records and you’ll be able to find the landlord’s name and
address so you can verify that the landlord contact information
given to you is correct. If the prior addresses were for apartment
buildings, look them up in the phone book or do an Internet
search to verify the property manager’s phone number.
3. Meet and get a completed application and
picture ID from all adults planning to live in the
rental property.
Insist on actually meeting all adults who plan to live in your
rental home. You need to know who you are renting to and that
your renters are who they say they are. Make an exception for
spouses deployed in the military. In that case, get evidence of
the spouse’s military service.
Be sure to get copies of picture identification, which typically
will be a driver’s license. With the license you can verify the
applicant is the person in the picture, and you can verify the
address.
One final note: when it comes to tenant screening, always
comply with federal and state fair housing laws.
Tenant screening is one of the most important things you do as
a landlord. Having good tenants means rental income and a
well-maintained rental property.
If an application isn’t filled out correctly, completely, or legibly,
hand it back and let the rental applicant know you can’t process
it until it is.
2. Verify the application information.
Do a “Social Search” on the applicant’s social security
number using a tenant screening service such as Transunion’s
MySmartMove web-based service. Results will show you
addresses associated with a social security number, so it’s
a great way of verifying your applicant’s rental history. In
addition, sometimes social searches reveal that more than one
6
Marketing Tips
How to Get a Good Tenant in a
“Bad” Neighborhood
What do you do if you live in a bad area but you have a nice
townhouse to be rented out? I have a 3 bedroom, 1½ bath,
central air, alarm system, six foot privacy fence, 1½ car garage
but when I tell people the address it deters them from even
looking at the property.
Good tenants live in every area, as do bad ones. Obviously
many prospective tenants are turned off by an address in an
area that has a reputation for being an undesirable place to
live. But lots of people still live there, not all of them career
criminals, gang members, or drug addicts. That’s why the most
effective way to market a property in a less-than-desirable
neighborhood is to make it look exponentially better than the
properties competing with it.
How do you that? All it takes is a bit of attention and elbow
grease, and very little money.
People buy the package, before they buy the product. First
impressions are everything. You have to get them to stop their
car. They have to say to themselves “I wouldn’t mind living
there.” The front of the townhouse needs to shine with fresh
paint, trimmed shrubbery and defined edges. Defined edges
means the grass next to the walkways is edged so it is sharp
and crisp looking. The flower beds have to be nicely edged. If
the management isn’t doing a good enough job, you have to
do it yourself.
If the CC&Rs permit it, paint the front door a different, bright
color. Polish the brass hardware. Wash the windows. Put larger
watt light bulbs in each socket–where there was a 60 watt bulb,
put in a 75; where there was a 75 watt bulb, put in a 100.
Make sure the interior is spotless and bright, especially in the
front room, the first thing people see when they walk in.
to attract the people who want to live in the area, and there are
plenty. People who have family and friends there, for example,
think it is, if not a terrific neighborhood, then is one that fits their
needs.
How you get their attention is by using advertising methods that
really don’t cost much money, but that zoom in on that area of
town.
One method is flyers. Create an advertising flyer that you can
put in front of the townhouse that tells all about the property.
You can get complete information about how to create and use
flyers in our report “How to Use Flyers to Attract Prospective
Tenants,” available on the Rental Property Reporter web site.
These are extremely inexpensive and will give a prospective
tenant lots of information, or a prospective tenant’s family or
friend something to take to give the prospective tenant regarding
properties for rent in the area.
One free method for getting the word out is bulletin boards.
You would be surprised how many bulletin boards there are in
grocery and other types of stores in the area, as well as libraries
and other public buildings. Use an abbreviated version of the
flyer you place in front of the property to attach to the bulletin
boards. Tack up either several flyers or one with phone-number
tabs.
You can attract prospective tenants to a property in a “lessthan-desirable” neighborhood, and in fact you can do it far
less expensively than you think by simply running ads in the
newspaper. Best of all, put a “magic” sentence at the bottom of
your flyer that will keep the bad tenants from even calling you. It
is one you could never afford to put in a newspaper ad: So that
our properties remain great places to live, we check references
carefully.
By: Bob Cain • www.rentalpropertyreporter.com
What you have to persuade them of, is that if they are going to
live anywhere, it’s going to be in your rental property.
Newspaper ads to attract tenants to the property are just a
waste of money. Mostly you will get the “don’t want to live in
that neighborhood” response you are already getting. You have
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Associate Member Directory
CREDIT CHECKS
Landlord Services, LLC
Kathy Haines
1264 Cass St.
Green Bay, WI 54301
Ph: (920) 436-9855
Fax: (920) 436-9856
www.wicreditreports.com
ENVIRONMENTAL/ENERGY
CONSERVATION - cont’d
Focus on Energy
Brody Vance
Multifamily Sr. Program Manager
15770 W. Cleveland Avenue
New Berlin, WI 53151
Ph: (866) 486-0832
Fax: (262) 786-1487
FORMS
Wisconsin Legal Blank Printing
and Forms
Rick Russell
749 N 37th St
Milwaukee, WI 53208
Ph: (414) 344-5155
Fax: (414) 344-0577
rick@wilegalblank.com
multifamilyprograms@franklinenergy.com
COMMUNICATION
ACSI-Automated
Communication Services
Samuel Handziak
13120 County Rd 6, Ste 100
Plymouth, MN 55441
Ph: (763) 253-2321
Cell: (262) 689-8780
shandziak@weareacsi.com
www.weareacsi.com
ENVIRONMENTAL/ENERGY
CONSERVATION
Milwaukee Lead/Asbestos
Information Center, Inc.
Debra Everly PhD
Milwaukee 2217 South Kinnickinnic Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53207
Sun Prairie 741 Lois Drive
Sun Prairie, WI 53590
Ph: (414) 481-9070
Fax: (414) 481-1859
debra@mlaic.com
www.mlaic.com
Connor
Patrick Connor
1421 Clarkview Rd., Ste 100
Baltimore, MD 21209-2188
Ph: (410) 296-7971
pconnor@connorsolutions.com
8
www.focusonenergy.com/multifamily
Testudo LLC
Samantha Dalsing
PO Box 3280
Madison, WI 53704
Ph: (608) 205-8025
Samantha@TestudoOnline.com
www.TestudoOnline.com
FINANCIAL
Independent Insurance Services, Inc.
2960 Triverton Pike Drive
Fitchburg, WI 53711
Ph: (608) 273-3325
Toll-Free: (888) 695-5889
Fax: (608) 273-4474
Potter Realty Capital
Jeff Potter
6365 Crossland Blvd
Gurnee, IL 60031
Ph: (847) 226-0095
Jeff.potter@comcast.net
WaterStone Bank
Julie Fay-Krivitz
21505 E Moreland Blvd
Waukesha, WI 53186
Ph: (414) 459-4568
Fax: (414) 918-0933
juliefaykrivitz@wsbonline.com
www.wsbonline.com
HEALTH
Health First Wisconsin
Ph: (608) 268-2620
www.healthfirstwi.org
INSURANCE
Independant Insurance Services, Inc.
2960 Triverton Pike Drive
Fitchburg, WI 53711
Ph: (608) 273-3325
Toll-Free: (888) 695-5889
Fax: (608) 273-4474
david@indep-insurance.com
www.indep-insurance.com
LAUNDRY EQUIPMENT
Coin Appliances, Inc
Bob Day
Geoff Erdman
6580 N 40th St
Milwaukee, WI 53209
Ph: (800) 242-5453
Ph: (608) 271-3880
Fax: (414) 353-2214
coinappliances@bizwi.rr.com
www.coinappliances.com
Associate Member Directory
LAUNDRY EQUIPMENT - cont’d
Great Lakes Commercial Sales, Inc.
Jim Dalebroux
12705 Robin Lane
Brookfield, WI 53005
Ph: (262) 790-5885
Ph: (800) 236-5599
Fax: (262) 790-5886
www.greatlakeslaundry.com
info@greatlakeslaundry.com
Wash Multifamily Laundry Systems
Bill White
District Sales Manager
WASH Multifamily Laundry Systems,
LLC Milwaukee Office
N30 W22383 Green Rd., Unit G,
Waukesha, WI 53186
Ph: (800) 421-6897 ext. 5340
bwhite@washlaundry.com
Painting
Diamond Vogel
Appleton & Green Bay
- Mark Severson (920) 470-0052
Sheboygan & Milwaukee-Butler
- Gary Paul (920) 207-5271
Madison - Paul Schneider
(608) 219-0453
Milwaukee, Oak Creek, Racine,
Kenosha - Frederic Ryan
(414) 550-3241
Minnesota - www.diamonvogel.com
/Minnesota.html
Professional Services
Newmark Grubb Pfefferle
Tom Scheuerman
200 E Washington St, Suite 2A
Appleton, WI 54911
Ph: (920) 540-5068
Fax: (920) 968-4300
toms@ngpwi.com
SOFTWARE
Connor
Patrick Connor
1421 Clarkview Rd., Ste 100
Baltimore, MD 21209-2188
Ph: (410) 296-7971
pconnor@connorsolutions.com
TENANT ASSISTANCE/MIGRANT
UMOS Corporate Headquarters
Robert Forster - Administrator/
Management Analyst
300 S. Koeller St. Ste E
Oshkosh, WI 54902-5590
Ph: (920) 232-9611
Cell: (414) 791-0301
Fax: (920) 232-8129
Robert.Forster@umos.org
www.umos.org
Utility Billing/
Submetering Service
NWP Services Corporation
Annette VanDuren
Ph: (949) 529-8324
eFax: (630) 282-4771
avanduren@nwpsc.com
www.nwpsc.com
Utilities
Dean’s Satellite Service, Inc.
Sonya Pennel
2350 Commercial Dr
Sparta, WI 54656
Ph: ( 608) 269-2897
Fax: (608) 269-5241
sales@deansdish.com
9
Energy Tips / Tax Tips
New Year, New Ways To Save
Landlord Tax Tips 2014
The deadline is approaching to file your income taxes.
As a business owner, this time of year can be full of challenges
and frustrations. Let’s face it, we all want the same thing: To
maximize deductions and not to get audited. Of, and of course
to file on time.
Here are a few tips to make things slightly less confusing and
difficult this time of year:
1. Hire a professional. If anyone can help you maximize
deductions, it’s someone who files taxes for a living. Also, it will
save you considerable time. It’s not easy paying estimated taxes
quarterly, so having someone help you along the way all year will
be worth it. Then, you can focus on taking care of your tenants.
10
2. Keep your accounts separate. Instead of waiting
until this time of year to pour over credit card receipts, keep a
separate account just for your rental property expenses. Again,
time is of the essence and most landlords don’t have enough
of time for such an arduous task of reviewing every purchase
they’ve made over the last 365 days. If you use one account for
all purchases pertaining to your landlord business, it will be that
much easier for your account to itemize at tax time.
3. Things just got easier for the WFH landlord If you
have a home office, you can now deduct $5 for every square foot
of space used to run your business. Previously, the home office
deduction was calculated by using a formula for percentage of
space and utilities used.
http://www.alwaysscreenblog.com
11
Local Member Updates
Wisconsin Rapids Area Rental Property Owners
Info submitted by Helen Streekstra
Meetings are held four times a year: Next meeting is Monday, June 9th • Pizza at 5:30 p.m. • Meeting at 6:00 p.m.
Apartment Association of Northeast Wisconsin
(AANW), Green Bay
Info submitted by Kathy Haines
On April 2nd, AANW will present a Seminar/Membership Drive:
2014 Legal Update, Presented by John Fischer
6:00 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn, 1015 Lombardi Ave, Green Bay
Free to all WAA members; $20 non-members
In the last few years, the world of landlord tenant law in Wisconsin has been changing very quickly. In 2011
Act 143 changed over 30 different aspects of the laws that landlords must comply with on a daily basis. More
recently, 2013 Act 76 changed over 60 more aspects of landlord tenant law. These changes include how security
deposits are handled, what can be done with property left behind by the tenant, eviction procedure and what
must be in a lease and what cannot be. This seminar covers it all.
Meetings are held the second Wednesday of each month at the Hilton Garden Inn, 1015 Lombardi Ave, Green Bay
Janesville Area Rental Property Association
Info submitted by Dale & Trudy Hicks
Thursday, April 10th is our big time for all our associate vendors. This year it will be held at Marling Home
Works from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. JARPA will provide a meal for the vendors and refreshments for our members.
Our associate vendors have donated $50-$100 dollars toward a large item door prize. Our efforts are to be able
to bring more public, as well as members, to the show.
Meetings are the third Thursday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at Commercial Bank, 1400 Blackbridge Road.
Waukesha Area Apartment Association
Info submitted by President Adele Vogel
Meetings are held on the 3rd Wednesday of each month
at the Waukesha Eagles Club • Grandview Ave, Waukesha
12
Marshfield Area Apartment Association
Info submitted by President Kris Mueller
We are hosting the Landlord Tenant Laws in WI class offered by RHR and taught by John Fischer on Saturday,
April 5th at the Belvedere Supper Club, on Hwy 97 north of Marshfield. Registration starts at 7:30 a.m. with the
class running 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The cost of the class is $25 for WAA members and $50 for non-members,
which includes lunch. We obtained a list of landlord from the assessors office, took out duplicate landlords, and
end up with over 400 contacts. We sent postcards about one month before the class and will again the week of
the class. We also have sponsors for the class. Our hope is to educate landlords and get more members. We also
advertised the class on the Community Calendar on radio and TV. For our April meeting, we will have someone
from WRHLC and at the May meeting we will be showing members how to put their vacancies on our web page.
• The Marshfield Area Apartment Association meets every third Thursday of each month
• Educational Seminars are on the third Tuesday of every month at the Belvedere Supper Club.
- 6:00 p.m. networking and dinner (at your own expense) - Seminar starts at 7:00 p.m.
• Board meetings are on the first Thursday of every month at the Sunrise Restaurant. Everyone is welcome.
Kenosha Landlord Association (KLA), Kenosha
Info submitted by President Mark Nausieda
Our February meeting was a success even though it was rescheduled due to inclement weather. KLA had City
Council candidates come and introduce themselves and share their vision for Kenosha. The Kenosha Police
Department with the KLA held Crime Free Multi-Housing Rental Seminar on Tuesday, March 11th and
Wednesday, March 12th.
For April, KLA is inviting the Kenosha Police to give an update on the Crime Free Lease. Also, Brain Hervat
will give a full update on Legislative issues. The floor will also be open to any other members who attended
Legislative Day.
Meetings held the third Wednesday of each month at the Kenosha VFW, 6618 39th Ave, Kenosha.
Networking with refreshments at 6:30 p.m. & meeting at 7:00 p.m.
We’re waiting to hear from you ...
Locals that did not provide a submission by the publishing deadline are:
Southern WI Landlord Association (Racine), Beloit Property Managers Association,
Fond du Lac Area Apartment Association, and Chippewa Valley Apartment Association (Eau Claire).
13
Winnebago Apartment Association, Oshkosh
Info submitted by President Donn Lord
Our April 14th speaker will be Nick Malesevich, a new associate member of our local. Nick is a certified
public accountant, real estate investor, and also co-owns a property management company called Blue Frog
Property Management. Nick will be giving a presentation on the proper way to analyze investment property.
Nick designed and copyrighted software to help in the analysis that will be given to all our members for free
at this meeting.
Oshkosh Landlordology, a new educational series for new and existing landlords, which the Winnebago
Apartment Association is co-sponsoring, kicks off Saturday, April 12th. The location is the James P. Coughlin
Center, 625 E. County Road Y, Oshkosh, from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Registration is at 8:30 a.m. The cost is
15.00 per person and includes resource guide, lunch, and breaks. Enrollment is limited to the first 75 people
so please sign up early if you wish to attend. For more information check the UW Oshkosh extension website:
winnebago.uwex.edu.
If you have a landlord issue you would like presented at a meeting then contact Donn Lord at donnlord@
sbcglobal.net or 920-420-0662. If you have something [anything of interest to landlords, even a story] which
could be in the Newsletter contact Ed Wilcox 920-231-0166.
The Winnebago Apartment Association meets every second Monday at Benvenuto’s Grill, 300 S. Koeller St., Oshkosh
• Board Meeting is at 5:30 PM
• Social (in bar area) is at 6:30 PM
• Business Meeting is at 7:00 PM in the
meeting room in the back of the restaurant.
Apartment Association of the La Crosse Area
Info submitted by President Pamela Strittmater
On Saturday, March 8th, the Apartment Association of the La Crosse Area (AALA) in cooperation with the
La Crosse County Health Department, La Crosse County Mediator, City of La Crosse Police Department,
City of La Crosse Departments of Public Works, Inspections, and Planning, and Couleecap hosted a training
class for approximately 50 area rental property owners and citizens. The day included information on adopting a
Smoke-Free Rental program, the city’s nuisance ordinance, the new garbage and recycling program with the toter
system, an overview of the multi-family design standards for new construction, information from the inspection
department on orders to correct and housing code violations, and an introduction to some programs offered by
Couleecap for weatherization and assisting at risk tenants. The La Crosse County Mediator outlined the changes
in the law with Wisconsin Acts 143 and 76 and Pamela Strittmater finished off the day with a RHR overview
class on Landlord Tenant Law. It was a great accomplishment that took a few years to materialize. We have a
potential of about 5-10 new members from those that were in attendance. We are hoping to do another class
at the end of October. Here’s a link to the news media article: http://www.news8000.com/news/local-officialsand-landlords-come-together-to-better-la-crosse-housing/24881560.
Meetings held on the 3rd Thursday of each month at the Moose Lodge.
14
Legal Beat
How to Tell That Your Lease
is Working
Likewise, a lease with too much legal mumbo jumbo is like having no
lease at all. If the tenant can’t understand it, they are more likely to
ignore it.
Many of us think of a lease agreement as the ultimate weapon, wielded
only when there’s a legal dispute. The rest of the time it sits dormant
in a file drawer.
View the lease less as a legal document, and more as a road map for
the relationship with the tenant. It will be a more effective tool if you
hold your tenants to the rules, but also meet your own responsibilities,
like quick response to a repair request or noise complaint.
But a lease needs to do more than that.
Fortunately, few of us will have to put our lease to the ultimate test. Yet
all of us need it as a day-to-day guide to managing the rental property.
Tenants need it, too, as a daily reminder of what is expected of them.
Be prepared to enforce any policy stated in the lease. Don’t use tough
language if you don’t plan to enforce it — like threatening to evict a
tenant for getting a pet, then turning away when it happens. Otherwise,
the tenant will soon call your bluff, and problems will spiral.
If you are having problems with your tenants, than your lease may not
be working.
Similarly, don’t accuse tenants of breaking the lease when they do
something that’s not in there.
That’s why it’s important to be finicky about how your lease agreement
reads. The more specific the lease is to your rental property, the more
credibility it has with your tenants.
Stay in your tenant’s mind during the term of the lease. Something as
simple as a rent receipt or email can remind tenants they are under a
lease agreement.
Using generic lease forms that set out the rent requirements and barely
more than that leaves everyone in the dark. That can generate conflicts.
Make sure your lease agreement is something you can live with — and
it will be much easier for your tenants to live with it, too.
www.http://www.american-apartment-owners-association.org
WAA Newsletter
Dates & Procedures
1. Items for newsletter should be forwarded
to kristy@waaonline.org, electronically
whenever possible.
2. Please submit news articles in the following
formats: MS Word, Html copy, PDF, MS
Works, eps, jpeg, tiff or text format.
3. Your articles, either by email, fax, or
US mail must be received by the 3rd of the
preceding month.
Please send your articles to:
Kristy Weincke
PO Box 2922
Oshkosh, WI 54903
15
Technology
How Online Property Software
Can Help You
If you have been a successful landlord in the past, you may be
wondering exactly how online property software can help you
run your business. If things have been going relatively smoothly
up until now, why bother to make any changes? As they say,
don’t fix what isn’t broken. But here, you just might want to
make an exception. The reason is quite simple – utilizing online
property management software will make your life easier
than ever before. Plus it has quantifiable benefits. Outside of
saving you from countless but somewhat intangible irritations
and headaches, it can save you all sorts of time and money.
So if you’re willing to take the plunge and try out using some
software, or are at least considering expanding your business
to include these solutions, you will be able to see all kinds
of benefits for yourself. Here’s some more information about
just how much property management software can make a
difference in running your business.
Save Yourself Time
Collecting rent is one of the painful necessities of landlording.
Although you may be lucky and have wonderful tenants who
always pay their rent on time, you will likely have to deal with
some difficulties with collecting rent at some point during your
career. You can spend hours trying to track down your tenants
to pay their rent, organizing your bills, and driving over to the
bank to deposit all of the month’s checks. Online rental software
helps to get rid of some of the hassle associated with this.
With online rental software, tenants submit their rent online,
the ease of which makes them more likely to do so on time.
They are reminded to pay their rent every month by the system
automatically, and you are able to quickly get in touch with
them over the internet should you have any difficulties getting
the rent when you need it. Plus, you don’t have to bother even
going to the bank, because the money will be directly deposited
in your account. On top of that, you’ll save the time it takes to
get to the bank, plus the money it would cost to drive there. It
doesn’t get much easier than that.
Additionally, you can save a lot of time when it comes to drafting
a lease and getting it signed. With most rental software, you
can quickly create a customized lease for your apartment unit
that has already been lawyer reviewed. No need to scour
16
the internet for a free, but simultaneously somewhat sketchy
downloadable lease, or take the time to find a lawyer who will
draft a lease for you. Afterwards, getting your tenants to sign
the lease is easiest of all. Instead of having to meet with them
multiple times to drop off the lease, let them review it, and then
meet with them again, you will simply email them the lease and
let them know that they should contact you if they have any
questions. You may or may not have to meet with them, and
they will have time to review the lease they are signing, too.
Save Yourself Money
You can also save yourself money by using rental software.
Property managers usually charge 10% of the monthly rent as
a fee, whereas rental software is typically a low fixed monthly
amount. At the end of the year, you will have saved 95% of your
property manager costs. It’s hard to turn down a 95% discount
on something that will give you the same service. Keep more of
the money coming into your pocket and less money going into
someone else’s.
If you don’t have a property manger, however, it can be harder
to justify spending the money on online rental software. After
all, how can you be saving money if you’re spending it? First
of all, it’s important to note that many software has pricing for
do-it-yourself landlord, oftentimes with plans starting at $5 a
month. For the price of one Starbucks coffee per month, you can
have online rent collection for your tenants. Plus, you may make
it up still with savings from the materials you would have to buy
to do it by hand every month.
Finally, with tenant screening software, you’ll be more likely to
find a high-quality tenant to live in your unit. Eviction battles are
costly and timely. Landlords lose thousands of dollars on these
legal battles all the time, not only from lawyer or other legal
fees, but from lack of payment of rent. Check out some tenant
horror stories to see what kinds of problems undergone and
the types of losses taken by landlords from all over the United
States. Avoid this completely by using online tenant software. By
using online screening solutions, you will be more equipped to
find the right tenant for your unit, and therefore be less likely to
have some sort of legal issue (or even minor annoyance) with
your tenant.
cont’d on page 17
Technology - cont’d/Marketing
cont’d from page 16
Save Yourself Headaches
Speaking of annoyances, even with really wonderful tenants you
can sometimes have difficulties with rent collection (among other
things). Why not try and make your life as easy as possible by
making their lives as easy as possible? Online rental payment
is one way to do that. At this point in time, 53% of all bills are
paid online. Many people, in particular young people, have
become accustomed to the convince offered by paying their
bills online. Why shouldn’t rent be one of them? Plus, online
rent payments can save you lots of headache associated with
spending so much time on landlording tasks. Why not be a
5-minute landlord and decrease the amount of difficulties you
have with dealing with collecting rent? It simply makes sense to
make the most of your time in this way.
You can also make it easy on yourself with online lease
agreements. It can be difficult to find a reliable lease that is
legally binding. Why not ensure yourself in advance that you
will have a high-quality document that will definitely hold up in
court? Hopefully your situation never comes to this, but it never
hurts to try and avoid any issues before they arise. Truly, an
ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Keeping in line
with this philosophy will definitely help you out in the long run.
Can You Target Senior Citizen
Tenants?
You’ve heard about the demographic projections in the
media. Every day for the next 18 years, 10,000 people
a day will turn 65. They didn’t call this group the Baby
Boomer Generation for nothing. Given their numbers,
education and wealth, this group will be more golden than
grey for property owners as they age. They’ll downsize
their households and many will move into rentals. But
unless you own a senior community development, don’t
run out and create a marketing plan that explicitly targets
seniors. If you do, you could find yourself accidentally
running afoul of the Fair Housing Act.
Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (Fair Housing Act),
as amended, prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental,
and financing of dwellings, and in other housing-related
transactions, based on race, color, national origin,
religion, sex, familial status (including children under the
age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant
women, and people securing custody of children under
the age of 18), and disability.
To prevent discrimination in housing, the Fair Housing
Act places restrictions on how property owners advertise,
and even show rental units to prospective tenants. For
example, the act would prevent you from running an
ad that said something like, “Perfect for Senior Citizens”
or “Great Place for Grand Parents.” The Act would also
prevent a landlord from only showing certain units to
older people, such as those located on the first floor, even
if the landlord felt they’d be more comfortable in an easily
accessible unit vs. one on a higher floor.
So, you may want to add features to your rental that
are attractive to seniors. And, you may want to create a
marketing plan that reaches out to them. But make sure
your messaging is open to all potential tenants.
By: Henry Hall
17
Marketing
Being Interested - Not
Interesting - Rents Properties
He wasn’t the worst salesman I have ever talked to, but he certainly
was clueless. A couple of weeks ago, I turned down a special offer
from a company that could triple or quadruple my Linkedin contacts
with people who fit the demographic I am looking to do business with.
Maybe this is a good company that could help my business, but I would
never know it from the sales presentation.
I suppose I should thank this salesman for giving me the topic for this
column, though. You see, he missed some obvious techniques to make
his offer irresistible. These are techniques that we can use when we are
speaking to prospective tenants.
First and most important, people buy for their reasons, not ours. If they
bought for ours, think how easy it would be. All we would need do is
explain why we believe our rental property is a perfect fit for that person and hand him or her a pen to sign the rental agreement. Wouldn’t
that be simple? But they buy for their reasons. And what are they? We
don’t know until we ask.
Where this salesman got stuck in the snow, spinning his wheels, was
he kept telling me what his company could do for me, increase the
number of contacts I have on Linkedin. He had no clue what my company does.
He talked about me getting more business in Tucson. I do almost no
business locally. Certainly, I have consulting and coaching clients, but I
get them by referral from other consulting and coaching clients, and I
can only do so much of that part of my business. He thought I could do
better locally by connecting with some local people, getting “face-toface” time. Well, maybe, but without knowing my business model, he
couldn’t guarantee that. Besides, if I want “face-to-face” time, I can join
any number of business groups without paying these “Linkedin” guys.
My point is, he never once asked how my company makes money,
so how could he know if getting more local business was something I
wanted or needed.
The lesson here is that we need to ask our prospective tenants about
themselves and their needs. Yes, we have a great place to live to offer,
but why is it great for them? Is it close to their work, their families, the
shopping they prefer, public transportation? Our job is to find out what
our prospective tenants want and need then help them get it. We absolutely can’t find that out unless they tell us; and they most likely won’t
tell us unless we ask the right questions.
Second, this salesman was a broken record. Every time I asked a question, he came back with the same answer. It didn’t really matter what
the question was; his answer always had to do with getting more connections on Linkedin. I asked how that might get me more business and
he said that more connections with demographics I chose would result
in more business. How do I know that? Answer. they were going to get
me more connections on Linkedin. What kind of evidence could they
provide I would get more business? Same answer, they were going to
get me more connections on Linkedin. Why would that make me more
money? Once again, they were going to get me more connections on
Linkedin.
A broken record simply doesn’t work except to drive off our prospective tenants. If a prospective tenant asks a question, we need to find
out exactly what motivated that question. People ask questions for a
reason. The trouble is, we have no way of knowing for sure what that
reason is unless we find out. We might think we do and occasionally
we will guess right. But sometimes we guess completely the opposite.
For example, if a prospective tenant asks if the apartment is near the
apartment complex’s playground and we answer with excitement,
“yes, it’s right across the parking lot,” we could well have killed the
sale. Our prospective tenant might answer, “I hate screaming kids, so I
don’t want to be anywhere near a playground.” Dead deal.
The best answer to the question would be something to the effect of,
“most apartments are relatively close because this is a fairly compact
complex. Did you want to be near the playground?”
When the prospective tenant responds with the screaming kids answer,
our response is simple. “This apartment is clear across the parking lot
from it and out of sight. You will be able so see that when you look at
the apartment.”
Third, the more I asked this salesman questions, the faster he talked
and the more desperate he sounded. That never leaves a good impression, even with people like me who normally talk fast. Consciously slow
down your speech when you answer questions. No, you most likely
won’t sound like a halfwit. In fact, you may still seem to be talking too
fast to your listener but not nearly as fast as you would if you turned
your impulses loose.
The important lessons here are those we can easily use in dealing with
prospective tenants. Find out what your customer is looking for and
help him or her get it. Answer the question your prospect asked, not
the one you assume he or she asked. And third, have a conversation,
not a fast-talking contest. Be interested in your prospective tenant. Your
occupancy rate will reflect those efforts positively.
18
Maintenance
6 Property Maintenance Tips
That Can Save Landlords
Money
How to Prevent Problems by
Performing Regular Property
Maintenance
3. Examine Shower Caulking and Grout Between
Tiles. Over time, the grout between tiles can crack and the caulk
surrounding the tub can loosen. When this happens, you no longer
have a waterproof seal and water can leak through and damage the
surrounding walls or floor below. As soon as you notice any cracks or
holes, you should replace the caulking or grout to prevent potential
water damage.
As a landlord, it is easy to overlook minor issues. Performing regular
maintenance on your property can help you catch a small problem
before it turns into a large expense. Here are some property
maintenance tips that can help save you money in the long run.
4. Test All Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Regularly. Check these devices monthly to make sure they are in
working order. Both battery operated and hard wired devices should
be tested. Set a schedule to test them when you collect rent or at another
time that is convenient for you. These devices save lives. If there is a fire
or carbon monoxide leak in your building and these devices are not
in working order, you could face legal action. Also, be aware that the
average lifespan of a carbon monoxide detector is 5 years, so replace
as necessary. Smoke alarms have a useful life of about 10 years.
1. Exterminate Monthly
Even if you do not currently have a rodent or insect problem, you
should exterminate monthly or bi-monthly to prevent such problems
from occurring. Do not limit the extermination to one apartment, as
critters will simply travel to another part of the property. While it is
possible to purchase exterminating supplies yourself, this task is usually
best left to a professional.
5. Change the Filters in Your Forced Air Systems.
You should change the filters in your heating or air conditioning unit at
least twice a year. Consult the manufacturer of your heating or cooling
system to determine the highest efficiency filter for your system. Dirty
filters can increase your utility bill by causing the system to work harder
or can lead to malfunctions in the systems, such as causing the cooling
system to freeze-up.
Monthly exterminations will cost you money, but this preventative
property maintenance is a much cheaper option than the cost of losing
current and prospective tenants due to a pest problem. Shop around
for the best price.
Routinely changing the filter can help prevent the air duct from
becoming contaminated. If clogged, the ducts will usually need to be
professionally cleaned, and that is an expense you do not want. Even if
your tenants pay their own utilities, pay proper attention to this matter
because excessively high utility bills will cause you to lose tenants.
By Erin Eberlin
© Peter Dazeley/Getty Images
As an example, you can see that spending $25 a unit for a monthly
extermination is a much better option than losing $1000 in rent
because of a tenant vacancy. A complete infestation will also cost much
more money because current tenants may have to temporarily leave
the building and walls and ceilings will have to be opened up.
2. Check for Water Damage and Leaks.
The best time to check for leaks is after a heavy rain storm, after ice
and snow have begun to melt, or on very hot and humid days when
pipes tend to sweat. Check for soft spots on the roofs, ceilings, and
walls. Look for signs of water around windows, showers, and toilets.
Check under sinks, boilers, and water heaters. It is imperative to
identify a water leak early. Ongoing leaks can completely damage
walls, ceilings, and a tenant’s possessions. Dangerous mold can also
form, which can be a large expense, especially if it is over 10 square
feet, which would have to be remedied according to the Environmental
Protection Agency’s (EPA) Guidelines.
6. Flush Your Water Heater
Once or twice a year you should drain your water heaters. This is
done to remove the sediment that can build up in your unit from the
municipal water supply that enters your property. If too much sediment
builds up, it can reduce the efficiency of your water heater or clog the
drain valve. Replacing a water heater is expensive! Be cautious and
follow the specific procedures for draining your water heater. If you’re
not comfortable doing it yourself, hire someone who is.
By sacrificing a little time and money now to perform property
maintenance, you can save yourself a lot of time and money in the
future. Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
19
Legal Beat
Wisconsin Rental Housing
Legislative Council (WRHLC)
REPORT
As I am sure you have heard, SB 179 has been signed by
Governor Walker. Several of us attended the bill signing in
Madison on December 12th. Look to Gary’s Goyke’s Legislative
Report for dates of implementation for the different sections of
the legislation. You will need to make plans now to ensure the
new and renewed leases that you sign are now up to date with
the new laws.
Despite what the local and statewide press is saying, as you
know they won’t spend the time to get the story right, I believe
this Legislation is good for landlords and tenants as it spells out
immediately what is going to happen to a tenant’s personal
property when they leave it behind or are evicted. Now,
evictions are less costly for the property owner, Statutes have
been clarified, and responsibilities for all parties are defined.
Please take the time to read the bill and understand the changes.
Talk about it at your local meetings and spread the word to your
fellow property owners so everyone is aware!
The political process is a confusing, frustrating, difficult, and
amazing process. Often times while legislation is working its
way through the Legislature, I hear comments stating those
exact words I used; confusing, frustrating, difficult, and amazing
by people who have little working knowledge or faith in the
“system.” While the “system” seems relatively simple to fix or
make better….often times it is not that easy without creating
more problems.
We are one of several groups who worked on this bill. Some
organized groups of landlords and other groups of people
represented other interests. Of course, there are groups out
there opposing the legislation. This results in a tug of war on
99 Elected Assembly representatives, 32 Elected Senators,
and one Governor. At any given point in time, these Public
Representatives may have similar or different opinions which
can drastically impact the outcome of parts of or the entire bill.
Don’t forget that no matter what party is in charge (now the
Republicans) it does not mean that all the folks in one party
(even if that party is in complete charge) are going to agree on
the same thing. Our ability to effectively represent and advocate
for our industry’s best interests is of the utmost importance and
can prove to be successful in the end.
What am I trying to say?
20
It is a process that we have to see all the way through, no matter
the difficulties. We have to work together and have a strong
association to accomplish our goals. We have to work with
Legislators on both sides, Republican or Democrat. If we do
not work together or we are not strong, other groups will be
stronger and they will be more successful, perhaps resulting in
negative Legislation.
While I feel all of the Legislation that WAA/WRHLC have
worked on through years has been fair Legislation, fair to
our Industry, and by that I mean fair to property owners and
fair to tenants, I am not sure Legislation proposed by Tenant
Rights Groups would be fair to us. I form this belief as they
oppose everything we do. They do not like some things in our
Legislation and not oth-ers, they oppose it all. I am not opposed
to open dialogue with any involved group, but some-times we
have to push forward with what we believe is right.
Many things, politically, are going to be happening in the
coming months for the Wisconsin Apartment Association and
the Wisconsin Rental Housing Legislative Council. Soon a bill
to address tenant’s unpaid utility bills will be brought forward
and WAA & WRHLC expect to support this bill. Look to next
month’s Report for more information on this. Other things are
being discussed in the halls of the State Capitol that Gary, Dale
and I need to be on top of. There will be elections coming up
(No groaning!) that we as landlords need to be involved with to
help friendly legislators get elected or re-elected. We have other
priorities that we need to continue to move forward on. Things
are going on in La Crosse that could impact other areas of the
State that we are involved with. It never ends!
As always, feel free to let us know what is going on in your
local groups or your concerns, we want to know! Just because
we have SB179 done, we have more to do; it is not time to let
your guard down now!
Remember, POLITICS IS NOT A SPECTATOR SPORT!
Respectfully,
Chris Mokler
WRHLC President and Legislative Co-Chair
cmokler@gmail.com
Dale Hicks
WAA Past President and Legislative Co-Chair
Landlord Tips
Supplying Appliances for
Rentals: Tips to Make
Your Life Easier
Let’s just be honest: appliances are a pain in the butt. They are
one of the costliest parts of my business. I am constantly buying
new ones, getting them repaired, moving them in and moving
them out. It does not seem like there is a week that goes by that
some appliance doesn’t require my attention.
If I could get out of the appliance business, I would. But for the
most part, my rental market will not let me. In my part of the
world, almost all of my competitors supply appliances. Meaning
at least a stove and refrigerator along with a dishwasher and
a washer and dryer, if the connections exist, are a part of the
rental package. If I did not supply appliances, I would lose most
of the good tenants to my competitors or my rents would have
to be significantly lower.
The Reality of Supplying Appliances
It isn’t always standard to supply appliances. It is extremely
localized and dependent on your specific market. For example,
here within the City of Memphis the provision of appliances
differs depending on the area of town you are in. In some of the
lower-end parts of town, appliances are never supplied due to
issues with theft. Sometimes, only a stove may be supplied and
the unit is advertised as having hookups for other appliances.
The provision of appliances may also depend on the type of unit
you are renting. Apartment units usually provide appliances as
opposed to single family home rentals. It often seems to be the
case with single family home rentals that the tenants are moving
from another single family home and tend to have their own
appliances. So, even if you did supply them, you like would
need to move them out and store them.
• Find a good used appliance shop. Prices will be significantly
less and most items will work just as well.
• However, always buy refrigerators and dishwashers new.
I have tried used refrigerators and dishwashers and find that
they just do not last. For a few dollars more, it is worth it to buy
these items new. Just look through the sales at your local big
box stores for the best price.
• Make sure the used appliance store thoroughly cleans their
inventory. The last thing you need is bugs brought to your
property by dirty appliances.
• Find a used appliance store that delivers. Not all of them
do. Believe me, you do not want to waste your time moving
appliances around. You have better and more important things
to do. You may have to pay a little more but it is so worth it.
• Find a used appliance store that will also make repairs.
Many do not and you may have to search for a while but that
repair person will be worth their weight in gold.
• Finally, wheel and deal. Everything is negotiable in the
used appliance business. Haggle a bit on the price. Ask for
discounts. Trade in your broken appliances for “new” ones
(they want them for the parts).
I hope you can avoid getting into the appliance business all
together. But if you are like me and cannot really avoid it, use
these tips help you out.
Kevin Perk is co-founder of Kevron Properties, LLC with his wife Terron and has been
involved in real estate investing for 10 years. Kevin invests in and manages rental
properties in Memphis, TN and is a past president and vice-president of the local REIA
group, the Memphis Investors Group.
Check out the classified ads both in your local paper and on
websites such as backpage and Craigslist.
What are other landlords doing?
follow their leads.
Find out and
If you do find that appliances are generally provided in your
market, here are some tips to help you out:
21
WAA Contact Information
Wisconsin Apartment Association
PO Box 2922, Oshkosh, WI 54903
(920) 230-WAA1 • www.waaonline.org
Extra WAA News Subscription (12 months)
WAA Regular Members
Associate Members
General Public
$40.00
$55.00
$80.00
WAA MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS
WAA RENTAL HOUSING CERTIFICATION CLASSES
Rental Housing Certification 100 Series
The Basics, is devoted to keeping rental property owners informed and education on new laws. Comprised of seminars on basic property
management aimed at the new rental property owner, property manager, leasing agent; it is also suggested as a refresher series for those
who have been in the business a number of years. Classes in this module are:
* 101 The Law and the Landlord I:
Wisconsin Statute Chapter 704
* 102 The Law and the Landlord II:
Consumer Protection (ATCP) Chapter 134
* 103 Fair Housing Laws
* 104 Lead Paint Awareness
* 105 Credit Reports
* 106 Basic Recordkeeping
* 107 Screening Your Applicants
* 108 Screening Workshop
* 109 Nuts and Bolts of Eviction
* 110 Bonding and Garnishment
NEW for 2014: “Landlord & Tenant Law in Wisconsin” by John H. Fischer – This is a 8-hour educational session that takes an in-depth
look at Wisconsin-specific landlord-tenant regulations and also covers some of the most important federal regulations that deal with
rental housing.
Why Join WAA?
The WAA is your portal to the rental housing business in Wisconsin. Membership gives you access to what you
need to know and what you need to do to run your rental properties successfully, ethically, and responsibly.
10 things every successful landlord needs to know. Do you?
• Fair housing information
• Applicant screening and processing
• Eviction procedures
• Rental forms specific to Wisconsin
• Lead based paint requirements
• Rental disclosures required by law
22
• Bills and rental housing policies under
discussion at the Capitol.
• Best rental housing management practices
• Document storage, security, and disposal
• Property marketing techniques
Book Review
The Real Estate Wholesaling Bible:
The Fastest, Easiest Way to Get Started
in Real Estate Investing
by Than Merrill
Overview
Wholesaling is by far the quickest and easiest way to make a killing in the world of real estate investing.
Think of it as the “day trading” of real estate, except it is far simpler and less risky. In fact, when you learn
how to do it the right way, you won’t take on any risk at all. The Real Estate Wholesaling Bible teaches
you everything you need to know to profit from real estate wholesaling, without any money, credit, or
experience to get started. This rapidly expanding business is simple, profitable, and perfect for today’s
real estate market. Plus, it’s an ideal system for making money even in the toughest of real estate markets.
All you will need to get started is a computer, an Internet connection, this book, some passion, and a lot
of curiosity.
* Information in these articles should be used as a guide only and should not be relied upon as the sole source of information relating to its content. Additional
sources of information may be listed herein. No warranty, either express or implied, is made with respect to the information contained herein. Neither WAA
nor RHR is responsible for any loss, inconvenience, damage (whether special or consequential) or claims arising out of the use of the information contained.
You should always seek advice from your attorney regarding any legal matters.
23
Register by
May 15
to receive
Early Bird rates!
See page 11 for the registration form.
Introducing this year’s Keynote Speaker The WAA Conference Committee is pleased to announce that Toni Blake will be our keynote
speaker and also presenting an additional general session at the 2014 WAA Conference &
Tradeshow. Toni is one of the few industry speakers who is gifted as a professional comedienne
and motivational speaker in addition to being a leading expert on market conditions with highly
successful ideas. Toni’s keynote presentations have been featured at large industry conferences
in the US, and internationally. She has performed on stage at Catch a Rising Star, Evening at the
Improve and Comic Relief. “Catch the Rental Wave” to spend a morning learning new ideas to
boost your rental business, how to retain and attract better residents, and tools to elevate effective
communication with this nationally recognized rental industry speaker!
PRSRT STD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Permit No. 34
Brillion, WI
PO Box 2922
Oshkosh, WI 54903
(920) 230-WAA1
www.waaonline.org

Take advantage of Early Bird Registration!

Transcription

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