ATS Inc. = Best Background Check for Landlords

This year American Tenant Screen, or ATS Inc., celebrates our 25^th year in business as the best background check service provider on the web! We are proud that we've been around this long, and boast that we were the first tenant screening service provider with an internet presence in the late 1990’s.

ATS Inc.’s website  is extremely user-friendly because we offer reports for landlords 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year .We are also extremely proud of our rating A+ with the Better Business bureau.

http://www.alwaysscreen.com

In addition to tenant credit checks, we offer free lease forms, tons of landlord advice, and a several choices to help you get the most comprehensive renters background check. You can decide if you want your tenant screening to include eviction checks, sex offender reports and much more!

Thanks again for making us the best choice for new landlords, property managers, real estate investors and agents!!!

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Landlords: Easy Updates For the Kitchen

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Last month, we talked about cheap and easy ways to freshen up the bathroom in your rental unit. This month, we offer landlords and property owners advice to making their kitchen look good for less.

Freshen Up Cabinets If you are a new landlord, costly cabinet replacement or refacing is likely not in your budget for 2013. The good news is that you can improve their look without breaking the bank. Cabinets can be given new life with a good cleaning, and the addition of new hardware. If you are feeling really ambitious, sanding and painting the doors can change the look entirely.

Put in an island A kitchen island is functional in so many ways. They can provide extra counter-space for eating, food prepping, and most importantly more kitchen storage. Tenants love having more storage. The best part is, sometimes you can find really nice second-hand islands on Craigslist or in consignment stores.

Improve the backsplash If you are not a handy landlord, the good news is you can have new, inexpensive backsplash installed for about $10 a square foot. If that isn’t in the budget for this year, than consider re-caulking the area behind the countertop and wall to freshen up any unsightly areas.

Replace lights or ceiling fans Replacing outdated light fixtures or a ceiling fan can make a room feel brand new. If your kitchen has decades-old brass fixtures consider replacing with more modern, sleek options. It will immediately appeal to prospective tenants and make your rental instantly more desirable.

The kitchen is the heart and soul of any home. By making a few simple changes, you can create an inviting area that is sure to please any tenants.

Visit ATS Inc's homepage to find out more about our tenant screening services!

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Landlord Advice for Renting Your Second Home

If you have a vacation home, no doubt it is your little piece of paradise that you escape to whenever you can. But if you’ve found the ability to escape less and less, if you’d like to find a way to help pay for the mortgage on it, then renting it out as a vacation rental property might be a good idea. But how do you go about it? Here’s some landlord advice:

Set goals. First you need to decide what your goals are for renting out your second home. How many weeks a year are you willing to give it up to strangers? Do you hope to just cover expenses, or make a profit? If your goal is to break even on your expenses, use this as a guideline to calculate your break-even point:

If your monthly mortgage payment is less than or equal to 1 peak-week rental fee, and you rent approximately 17 weeks per year, your property should come close to breaking even. Most rental markets average 12 peak weeks. Other costs (utilities, association dues, etc.) are paid by earnings from approximately five weeks of off-peak rentals.

Check the rules. You’ll need to find out whether renting out your home is acceptable under the terms of your homeowner’s association, or whether there are certain rules regarding renting out your home that you need to be in compliance with.

Pick a boss. Decide whether you want to serve as the landlord and property manager, or whether you’d rather hire a property management company to do it for you. Duties will include advertising your property, responding to inquiries, taking reservations, obtaining the property rental agreement and payments from guests, handling guest requests and problems, and providing cleaning and maintenance services as needed. 

Visit ATS Inc's homepage for more information about our Tenant Screening Services 

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