Friday 29 December 2017

Landlord Software with Industry-Leading Information Security by Schedule My Rent

When our founders started creating landlord software, information security was foremost in their minds. As our founders and software designers have extensive industry experience in payments, they are intimately familiar with the optimal design options in information security. As we grow and expand our rental property software, we continue to design new features with our customer’s security as a primary focus.





How does Schedule My Rent keep customer information secure? Several of our design features include:
  •  Encryption. Schedule My Rent uses bank-level encryption (TLS 1.2, ECDHE_RSA with P-256 and AES-128 or AES-256) to protect both transferred and stored customer information. Our encryption is the best in the industry, and specifically prohibits external parties from reading encrypted information.
  • Immediate masking of account numbers.  When the account owner (Landlord or Tenant) enters bank account information, our software immediately masks the information- it is no longer viewable by anyone.  The account holder will see XXXXXX1234 immediately after the bank account is entered on the Landlord Dashboard or Tenant Portal screens.  This protects the account holder if an unapproved party obtains his or her login information.
  • Bank Payments.  Schedule My Rent has developed the capability to processes all tenant bank payments internally and does not use any third-party software providers for bank payments.  This ensures that bank payments are only stored at Schedule My Rent and our bank, which eliminates the risk of Third Party providers.
  • Authentication. As part of the sign-up process, Schedule My Rent verifies bank accounts by making small deposits into every account.  The account holder must verify these amounts before an account can be used, to protect against fraudulent payments. This additional layer of security protects our landlords and tenants, as they are personally verifying their accounts.
  • Payment approval. In addition to protecting personal information, we ensure our tenants approve all payments. With Schedule My Rent, tenants personally provide approval for all payments. With this feature, only our customers are able to approve transactions. We also enable tenants to schedule payments for any date or amount.The amount may be limited to a full amount if the landlord does not allow partial tenant payments.
  • Independent Accounts. With Schedule My Rent, account information is never viewable after the initial entry and the account label is only accessible to the owner of the account. For example, a landlord will not have access to a tenant’s account information, and a tenant will not have access to a landlord’s account information. As Schedule My Rent offers the ability to split rent between roommates, we’ve also ensured that each roommate is able to establish their own account with Schedule My Rent, and can only view their own account information. However, roommates are able to view which roommates have made payments, but account labels and details are not shown to roommates.
Schedule My Rent’s mission is to provide our customers with easy payment solutions with industry leading security designed into our products. With Schedule My Rent, our customers feel confident using our tools and know our designers are committed to protecting their information. 

Collect rent online with secure and time-saving landlord software at https://www.schedulemyrent.com.

 

Wednesday 27 December 2017

Benefits of Tenant Portal for Renters

Access to technology and new gadgets have fuelled tenants need to pay bills online via a tenant portal or resident portal. 

Long gone are the days where tenants write checks or pay in cash. Which is unsafe, unreliable and often a larger hassle. Landlords and property managers are getting the hint and providing resident portal systems to pay rent online.

4 benefits of tenant portal for renters:
  • You can pay rent anytime: Renters are not limited to sending checks in the mail or paying with cash. Renters can set up when they want their payments to be made. Automatic payments is a friendly option. All payments are instant.
  • You can pay rent from anywhere: We understand life is full of surprises. Expected and unexpected ones. The resident portal helps tenants pay rent online from anywhere in the world. Regardless where your life takes you. With a resident portal you can be a busy worker or a frequent traveler and still pay rent on time.
  • Easy to manage payments: With access to a tenant portal, tenants and landlords can check when the payment was made. Late fees are also managed using the resident portal, so no fees are questionable. Both parties are held responsible.
  • Accountability: When you are connected to the online payment system provided by Schedule My Rent, it helps for fewer mistakes to be made. Renters can track when payments were made, due dates and late fees. This prevents any time of misunderstanding between renters and landlords and fosters better relationships.

Using a tenant portal has numerous benefits for renters as well as landlords. If you’re a landlord needing an online payment system that is safe and reliable, try Schedule My Rent. Learn more about who we are and what we do at schedulemyrent.com. Call 844-465-3339 or email support@ScheduleMyRent.com for any questions.

Tuesday 26 December 2017

5 Reasons for Tenants to Adopt Online Rent Payments

You have such a busy schedule between work, school and family that you don’t have time to pay your rent in person, online rent payments is an easy and quick solution.

Schedule My Rent understands life gets busy, which is why our online rent payments system are meant to accommodate tenants as well as property managers. We help you (the renter) decide how to run your day to day my managing your online rent payments with you.

Schedule My Rent lets you know when rent is due and allows you to set recurring payments. Never miss a rent payment again. You also have the ability to upload important forms or documents your landlord may need with a click of a button. Giving you back your own personal time to do the things you love most.

Benefits of online rent payment for tenants:
•    It’s free for you
•    Fast & Easy
•    Saves you time and energy
•    Helps you pay rent on time
•    Safe and secure payments
•    Some landlords give rewards for recurring online rent payments

Paying Rent Made Easy
 
Paying your rent on time is beneficial to your credit history and also helps you avoid any late fees, hence saving you money in the long run. In return you will have an improved relationship with your landlord and avoid any types of eviction notices.

Another great thing about online rent payments is that they are being instantaneous and your funds are transferred in real-time. This prevents you from over-spending and helps you budget your bills for the month.

Contact Schedule My Rent Today
 
If you live somewhere today that does not use online rent payments, contact Schedule My Rent to learn how you and your landlord can benefit equally. We are here to assist both renters and property managers.

Wednesday 13 December 2017

Pros and Cons of Rental Properties in a College Area




College towns offer a unique demographic for property owners and investors. There are some solid reasons to buy an investment property in a college town, as well as some disadvantages to consider.  When thinking about a college area, you can envision a bustling community of young adults. Many students who recently moved from home are looking to rent apartments or houses.

What are the pros of owning and renting a property in a college area?

There are many advantages to owning an investment property near a university or college.  These include:

1. A steady demand.
            College towns have a predictable rhythm when it comes to housing. There’s a steady demand and a large potential tenant market for rentals near the college. There’s a regular influx of students each year, and landlords can depend on the regular demand. Apartments and houses within walking distance to the college or university have especially high demand.
           
2. A stable rental price.
            Due to the steady demand, landlords have an improved ability to count on a stable rent value. Alternatively, apartments or houses in other rental markets are subject to fluctuations in the economy and supply variations. Additionally, as off-campus housing is often times paid for by a parent, they are better able to afford a higher rent amount.

            As tenants often have the support of their parents as co-signers, or helping assist with rent payment, landlords find there is a greater ability to use technological solutions to save the landlords time. For example, landlord software such as Schedule My Rent enables tenants to pay their rent electronically. Parents or tenants are able to pay automatically, without the hassle of mailing a paper check. Schedule My Rent provides tenants/parents with email confirmation of payments made. With student renters, there’s an increased adoption of technology, which will save landlords time. Schedule My Rent easily splits rent payments between roommates as well. 




3. Lower vacancies.
            With consistent demand, landlords experience fewer vacancies in a college or university area. There’s always another college student looking to rent. This can increase profitability, and reduce time involved in the rental process.  The vacancies are also predictable. Landlords can expect turnover at the end of the school year, and can plan this into their business rhythm.

4. Time.
            The setting around a college or university has many appealing elements. Landlords find they spend less time marketing the properties as they sell themselves. University and college towns have many benefits, such as proximity to college sporting events, art performances, and restaurants or nightlife. Many find college or university areas have their own energy, which draws prospective tenants in.

Now that you’re familiar with some of the pros of investing in a college town, what are the cons? There are a few cons, some of which you might expect based on your own college experience….

1. Increased Wear and Tear.
            With younger renters, and those that are renting for the first time, you can anticipate some increased wear and tear on your property. Some college students aren’t known for their cleanliness and organization, especially when living with friends. There can be increased clutter, which may or may not cause additional wear on carpet, walls, etc. Beyond messiness, college students may cause damage to your property. Excessive alcohol consumption, lack of maturity, or reliance on a parent to pay any bills associated with damages may impact the mindset of college students renting your property. Ensure you collect a security deposit to cover any expenses associated with college renters. Understand your state laws regarding deposits, and plan with this in mind, ensuring you don’t overburden potential tenants.

2. Seasonal Vacancies.
            Though there is high demand for rental units near a college or university, landlords can anticipate vacancies at the end of each school year. That being said, many students will renew leases and find comfort and stability in staying put. Though there may be increased vacancies, most landlords note that it is easy to find new tenants for university properties. There’s always demand.

3.  Demanding Tenants.
            As most college students are new to renting properties independently, they may be more likely to contact their landlord with questions, or requests for help. With seasoned renters, they tend to solve minor challenges themselves, such as light bulb replacements, or batteries for thermostats. Where college students may be less familiar with simple fixes to easy problems.

The pros of investing in properties in a college town can be substantial and are something to consider.  Though there are cons, many landlords find the pros outnumber the cons. With landlord software such as Schedule My Rent, landlords are able to collect rent online and automate many rental tasks so landlords can focus time on increasing the value of their investments.
 

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