Real estate investors working in the rental housing industry know there are a plethora of things to keep track of. While tenants probably take up the biggest portion of your bandwidth, it’s important to stay informed. It’s vital that you monitor changes in policies affecting your portfolio and practices, stay alert for market shifts, review your advertising and promotional activities, and perform consistent checkups on your platform providers to ensure they are free from Fair Housing issues (more on that below).
Think Realty supplier ApplyConnect, Think Realty’s latest addition to its Discount program and best known for its no-cost tenant-screening services, also provides customized information of this nature for their clients. “We know that for landlords, agents, and real estate investors and professionals, Fair Housing is not just a piece of legislation. Credit hacks are not just headlines. We help our clients actively monitor and maintain their compliance across the industry,” explained Ryan Green, the company’s director of marketing.
This month, ApplyConnect provided Think Realty Magazine readers with a cross section of its latest information and education:
On Fair Housing Law:
“If you’re working in the rental housing industry, there is no doubt you have heard of the Fair Housing Act (FHA). While you may think it’s just a piece of legislation…there’s much more to it than that,” wrote author Olivia Creighton. She went on in the piece to detail three strategies for keeping your rentals Fair Housing-compliant, including information on constructing a code of ethics for your business. “Many agencies have a code of ethics in place, which typically includes not discriminating against anyone in the seven protected classes.”
On Facebook Advertising and HUD Complaints:
“The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has filed a complaint against social media giant Facebook [for] allegedly allowing advertisers on their site to be discriminatory,” Creighton wrote. She continued, describing the ways in which the platform and its users might have inadvertently discriminated against protected classes, including selecting which gender advertisements would target, not showing ads to those interested in terms like “assistance dog,” and allowing ZIP code targeting.
On This Year’s Issues with Last Year’s Equifax Data Breach:
“Most consumers have long forgotten about the Equifax hack,” observed author Becky Bower. “Data criminals might find that one year later is the perfect time to wreak some havoc.” Bower went on to warn landlords and tenants alike that a social security number may be exploited at any time, not just immediately after it has been stolen. She recommended several options for ongoing vigilance in the wake of a credit hack.
Think Realty Members receive access to timely and industry-targeted information, no-cost tenant screening, and 25% off select screening services from CIC through Apply Connect. Sign up here (for free!) and get started today.
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