Author: ClearNow

Powerful and FREE Tenant Screening Now Available for ClearNow Landlords

Click HERE to get started.

Landlords using ClearNow to collect rent electronically now have access to a powerful and FREE tenant screening service.  After much research, we believe this tenant screening service is superior to most other tenant screening services for a few reasons:

  • It is FREE to you. Rental applicants pay a $35 fee when they submit their credit report to you.
  • Designed for landlords – Easy to use, No site inspection, No paperwork.
  • You will receive a complete report in seconds – credit score, criminal background check, eviction report, and an easy-to-understand recommendation!

Getting started is quick and easy:

  1. Set up your tenant screening account here.  Once set up, you will add your rental property address along with the applicant’s contact information and indicate if you or the applicant will pay the fee (via credit card).  Most landlords have the applicant cover the fee as part of the application process.
  2. The applicant authorizes screening.
  3. Almost instantly, you will receive the applicant’s complete report so you can make a decision! It is that simple!

UPDATE:

Extra Savings! Until December 31, 2018, let your tenant know to enter “CLEARNOW5” at checkout to save $5 when they pay for the screening! Only $30 charged to them for a complete tenant screening solution.

 

Powerful and FREE Tenant Screening Service for Landlords

Click HERE to get started.

Landlords using ClearNow’s RentalIncomeExpense.com tool to track rental income and expenses now have access to a powerful and FREE tenant screening service.  After much research, we believe this tenant screening service is superior to most other tenant screening services for a few reasons:

  • It is FREE to you. Rental applicants pay a $35 fee when they submit their credit report to you.
  • Designed for landlords – Easy to use, No site inspection, No paperwork.
  • You will receive a complete report in seconds – credit score, criminal background check, eviction report, and an easy-to-understand recommendation!

Getting started is quick and easy:

  1. Set up your tenant screening account here.  Once set up, you will add your rental property address along with the applicant’s contact information and indicate if you or the applicant will pay the fee (via credit card).  Most landlords have the applicant cover the fee as part of the application process.
  2. The applicant authorizes screening.
  3. Almost instantly, you will receive the applicant’s complete report so you can make a decision! It is that simple!

UPDATE:

Extra Savings! Until December 31, 2018, let your tenant know to enter “CLEARNOW5” at checkout to save $5 when they pay for the screening! Only $30 charged to them for a complete tenant screening solution.

How Do I Know If My Tenant Has Enrolled?

We will notify you via email when we receive your tenant’s enrollment materials, which consist of a completed Tenant Enrollment Agreement and the tenant’s bank documentation.  That message will tell you either the materials are incomplete and the reason why they are incomplete or the materials are complete and the next steps for you to finalize the tenant’s enrollment.  Quick and concise communication is very important to us, so you will receive email notifications just about every step of the way!  If enrollment materials are complete, you will be instructed to log in to your ClearNow account and set the tenant’s rent amount and lease end date.  When you have completed this final step, an enrollment confirmation will be sent to your tenant.

Can I Enroll in ClearNow Without My Landlord?

For you to enroll in ClearNow, your landlord has to first enroll and set up a ClearNow account.  Because ClearNow is an efficient way for tenants to pay rent electronically (and for landlords to collect rent electronically), both the landlord and tenant have to be enrolled.  If you have not talked to your landlord about ClearNow, please have him/her visit www.ClearNow.com or call us at (919) 680-4500 so we can answer questions.  Once your landlord has enrolled, then you can enroll in ClearNow.

Bloomberg Article – Yes, there are Lots of Small Landlords

Today, Bloomberg.com has an article on a recent landlording trend: New Retirement Plan Is Millennials Paying Rent

There are some really great statistics in this article describing the huge number of small landlords in the United States.  For example,

  • Two thirds of single family rentals are owned by landlords renting 3 or fewer units.
  • Over thirteen million rental units belong to landlords renting 10 or fewer units.

Of course, the size of this market is not a surprise to us.  Throughout our history, ClearNow has been a leader in online services for landlords.

Sixteen years ago, ClearNow launched its core service of easy-to-use, inexpensive online rent collection.  Today, thousands of landlords and property managers use ClearNow’s core service to put rent collection on auto-pilot.   Over the years, ClearNow has continuously innovated.  Our “owner proceeds” capability for property managers continues to be unmatched as the simplest way for property managers to directly deposit collected rents between themselves and their property owners.  In 2012, ClearNow became the first service that allowed landlords and tenants to furnish rent payment data to a “Big 3” credit bureau – a milestone in allowing renters to benefit from making on-time rent payments.

And, this year, ClearNow launched RentalIncomeExpense.com, a free service for landlords to track rental income and expenses and generate reports in a way that an Excel spreadsheet cannot easily match.

Going forward, ClearNow plans to continue to innovate to address the needs of the huge market of small landlords.

How Can My Property Management Company Collect Rent?

Similar to landlords, property managers can enroll in ClearNow to collect rent from their tenants.  The individual representing the property management company will need to complete and submit the Property Manager Enrollment Agreement along with bank documentation for the account they would like the funds deposited into. Once the property manager is enrolled in ClearNow, they can have their tenants enroll for auto-debits.  Additionally, the property manager can use ClearNow’s owner proceeds feature whereby the property owner enrolls in ClearNow and a portion of the rent collected from the tenant is directly deposited to the owner’s bank account while the property manager’s fee is directly deposited to the manager’s bank account.  Both deposits occur three banking days after the debit day.

How Can I See What Fees ClearNow Charged for the Past Year?

When you log into your ClearNow account, you will have the ability to view and print different reports regarding your ClearNow activity.  One of the reports is a summary of the rents collected and fees paid for a year.  Simply click on “Reports” from the menu on the left-hand side. The top drop-down box for the “Report Type” will automatically default to “Reports By Date”.  From there, you can select the year to view (e.g., 2015 summary).

My tenant has been with me for two years. Can you report the rent payments for my tenant?

ClearNow can furnish rent payment data that is made while a tenant is enrolled in our service but we cannot report rent payments your tenant made prior to enrolling in ClearNow. Once you and your tenant are enrolled in ClearNow and your tenant opts in for credit reporting, we will be able to furnish the data from that point forward.

What Is “Owner Proceeds”?

Owner proceeds is a ClearNow feature that enables a property manager to directly deposit a portion of the rent collected to the owner’s bank account.  After the property manager enrolls the tenant and owner, the property manager can designate a set amount or percentage of rent collected per tenant to be deposited into the property management company’s bank account for property management fees. The remaining amount collected will be deposited to the owner’s bank account. The fee for owner proceeds is $2 per tenant, and it is charged to the property manager.

Credits to the property manager and owner bank accounts occur on the same day – three banking days after the tenant’s debit day.  With owner proceeds, property owners receive their funds faster and efficiently while property managers save time.