Author: Kay Cleaves

The RentConfident Roadmap for 2016: “Pay What You Can” and More!

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Happy new year! 2015 was probably the most risky and rewarding year of my life so far. As we enter a new calendar year RentConfident is still only 10 months old. We've been open for business for just 7 months. Even so, this time of year is when we focus on long term planning. I wanted to share with you some of the exciting things that we'll be doing to reach more renters and shake up the apartment hunting process over the next year.

A new product that puts you in control.

Those of you who subscribe to our mailing list will already know that this is coming. Starting in March 2016, we will be adding a quick, single-address report to our product line. In contrast to our current reports, which are intended for renters who are very close to the end of their apartment hunts, the new report will be designed for renters who are just starting their search.

More importantly, it will be offered with a "pay what you can" price tag. Continue reading The RentConfident Roadmap for 2016: “Pay What You Can” and More!

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Kay Cleaves

10 Great New Year’s Resolutions To Make Apartment Life Easier

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We're coming up on the start of a new year! For many of you, this means it's time to make some changes and improvements in your life in the form of New Year's Resolutions. We know first hand from our reports that some landlords can be really awful, but we also know that some renters unwittingly make their living situations worse without realizing it. Here are some suggestions for how to make your apartment life run more smoothly in 2016.

1. Pay your rent on time.

You'd think this would be a no-brainer, but a lot of you out there are paying your rent late. When we were working for a local property manager we saw anywhere from 5 to 10% of our rent checks come in late.

Late rent payments can prevent renters from getting approved for future apartments, cause subsidized renters to lose their housing vouchers, or even keep first time buyers from getting loans.

2. Keep proof of every rent payment.

While some big-league landlords are using modern technology to process rent, many small private landlords are way behind the times when it comes to their accounting. Mistakes happen. Rent payments get lost. They get mis-entered. They get deposited to the wrong account. Continue reading 10 Great New Year’s Resolutions To Make Apartment Life Easier

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Kay Cleaves

The Naughtiest and Nicest Landlords of 2015

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Do you think your landlord should be getting coal in their stocking? Or do they deserve some baked goods and a quality bottle of scotch? Lest you think your landlord is the best or the worst in the world, check out our list of 5 landlords who went to extremes to secure their places on Santa's list, be they naughty or nice.

The Naughty:

Landlord: Davin Gartley, Mt. Lebanon, PA
Crime: Failing to pay fines on numerous outstanding health and housing code violations at his rental properties. Running a drug and prostitution operation out of one of his Pittsburgh rental properties. Learn More.
Status: Briefly jailed. Fined $14400 for the multiple violations. Prostitution case is ongoing with the next hearing scheduled for February. Continue reading The Naughtiest and Nicest Landlords of 2015

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Kay Cleaves

Wishful Thinking: 10 Things That Would Make Chicago Apartment Life More Convenient

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I've got a bit of a mad scientist thing going on. I don't get brainstorms so much as I get microbursts of small ideas in quick succession. RentConfident was one of these small ideas that I've built into something much bigger, but I've been coming up with ideas for small space living since I first started renting in the late 90's.

My friends and family think it somewhat odd how much time I spend thinking about apartment living, but for me it's a point of both curiosity and convenience. I come by it organically. While I don't currently rent, I do still live on the upper floor of a multi-unit walkup building. And I do still live in Chicago. And I did rent in Chicago for a very long time.

Welcome to the inside of my head. Today I wanted to share with you a few flights of fancy. This is a list of non-existent or very-difficult-to-find things that would make Chicago apartment life so much more convenient.

1. Cargo Lifts for Exterior Porches.

You know you want one too. (Image via legacylifts.com)
You know you want one too. (Image via legacylifts.com)

These actually exist - check out Legacy Lifts and EasyLift. They're marketed for vacation homes beach homes - the ones on stilts - or lumped in with those stairway lifts for senior citizens with limited mobility. I don't live in a beach house, I'm not a senior citizen and I can walk quite well. I still want one in my back stairwell for groceries and luggage post-haste. Continue reading Wishful Thinking: 10 Things That Would Make Chicago Apartment Life More Convenient

Published by

Kay Cleaves

Questions to ask your next Landlord about Applications and Fees

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When I used to show apartments I would have a loose script and staging that I would fall back to. At the end of every showing (and frequently after showing each room) I would pause and ask if the clients had any questions. Most of the time they would say nothing, so I'd move on.

In many cases when I was representing the landlord I would have had any number of questions in the back of my head that they really should have asked. I would gloss over things and fail to point out glaring weaknesses. They would not say anything. (I'm ashamed to admit one particular showing where I spent the entire time rooted in one place in the kitchen to "let the client explore and get a feel for the place." My foot was hiding a dead mouse that I had spotted on the way in and there was no way I was moving from that spot.) Continue reading Questions to ask your next Landlord about Applications and Fees

Published by

Kay Cleaves