Storage Space Rental Agreement: Fill & Download for Free

Renewed faith through a car rental?A few years back my sister had arranged a 17-day family road trip through the northeastern US states and the Canadian Maritimes. There were seven travellers including my sister, our parents, who were both retired, and me and my wife with our two very young children, both still in car seats. My sister had reserved a rental minivan months before the trip, which I didn't yet own despite my nuclear-family status. Of course the best laid plans nearly came undone when the rental company had to substitute the minivan at the very last minute with a 7-seater SUV due to a critical minivan shortage that summer!We didn't have much choice but to take the SUV despite no leg room in the back seats, nor storage space whatsoever. During the trip I inquired in three separate Canadian cities for a replacement vehicle but to no avail.After 17 days and a few thousand kilometres, I was tired and prepared to give the rental company a huge piece of my frustrated mind. When returning the keys though, I met the assistant manager who had originally given me the SUV and she was genuinely apologetic. What I recall went something like this:Her: I'm truly sorry Sir, for the inconvenience. Is there anything I can do to make you feel better about your experience with us?Me: Can you give me the last 17 days of my life back? (Jokingly, since I did have a very enjoyable time.)Her: **Chuckle** I'm afraid I can't do that, Sir. But if there's anything else at all…I had the sense that she was waiting for me to ask for an upgrade on my next rental, or maybe extra mileage or something of the sort. I thought — What the hell? In for a penny… So, I slid the rental agreement across the counter and saidMe: Well, you could make this all go away…Her: My manager authorized me to do whatever it takes to make you happy, so we can make it go away if that's what it takes.The entire 17-day rental charge and mileage were literally wiped, like they never happened! I was so overwhelmed by their efforts to make amends that I have since shared this story with many people. I walked away with a renewed faith in people and in good customer service.I'm only sorry I didn't ask for gas money. JK

This is a good question … simply because it is one of the most popular area’s of “Legal Disputes”, that often ends up in the court system.Background - my parents were landlords of long-term rental homes, and I myself have been a Tenant before and Now a landlord, and a broader perspective.All LONG-TERM rentals, as ‘Residential Accommodations’ includes: Apartments, Condo’s, Studio’s, Homes, Estates and Villa’s … all have one thing in common …A Rental Agreement (RA) or contract. A Legal document (Signed).Term - usually from 6 o 12 months, and may be either EXTENDED or renewable at 3, 6, 12 months.Governing Law Jurisdiction - the State and City you are living in. All Tenant Law’s vary from state-to-state, and city-to-city.Due Diligence - the Responsibility of Reading and Understanding all of the Terms of your Rental Agreement or Contract, is Solely the Tenant’s. TIP - You may ask for a COPY of it, BEFORE you Sign. THIS is on You.How To Protect Yourself as a Tenant - Basic tasks to do - BEFORE Move In:The Absolute Rule One - ALWAYS bring an EXPERIENCED amateur or Professional Photographer with you. They should take both Photos & Video’s. Do not attempt to do this yourself, as THERE is usually a lot of other Distractions and Things on your Check List to accomplish. There is nothing worse than a New Tenant that either > Blew this off, or took shiaty pic’s with their clam-shell cell.Check List - bring a PAPER Pad + couple of working Pen’s. Why? because most people can Write Faster than Typing on a 3-inch cell phone screen. + Always Bring a ‘handy man’ type person, who will NOTICE things that you will NOT, but may be an area of contention later. This handy man works directly with the photographer.Basic Things To Ask - Are the Kitchen appliances new or in good working order? Have the carpets being Cleaned & Sanitized? Did anyone have any TYPES of Pet’s here (if allowed)? SMOKING - some Unit Complexes allow Smokers, so Always ASK??? Any Electrical or Plumbing problems with this unit, OR this Building? Is this Unit (Apartment or Condo or Studio) CABLE-Ready? If the Unit has Central Air, who is responsible for changing the Air Filters? WHICH Specific Utilities are Included, and which are NOT??? Always ask about Parking? Assigned? or just Public? Security cameras? If Condo Complex, always ask about the Amenities? Changing DOOR-LOCKS? Does the Complex offer STORAGE Spaces for tenants? Does the Complex offer a list of Pre-approved, Licensed Household Movers? Has the Unit being freshly RE-PAINTED? Are their any Restrictions to me changing to a different Color scheme? Will I be responsible for a New coat of base painting, upon my Move out? If Yes, what will be the Extra Paint Fee? ASK about WHO specifically to Contact, AFTER HOURS / WEEKENDS, if there are Issues or Problems with the unit????? BE SPECIFIC - BE PREPARED.Personal Unit Security (Apartment or Condo or Studio) - ASK if you may install a simple Door Peephole device or a Ring Video Doorbell Device.If YES, have that included in RA, Before you sign. Walk Away if the management does not want or allow this amendments.Keep in mind, that all Legal contracts can be Amended, regardless of whatever someone else tries to tell you.On Unit Complex Day Tour - there should always be 3 of you working as a Team. You will notice some things, the handy man/woman will notice other things, and the photographer will or should notice things that the other two didn’t.Take your time - Don’t be in a hurry, as this is when you will most of the time make a series of mistakes.Always get a COPY of your RA, and make 3 Copies. One for your Ready Files, and Scanned into your Laptop. One in your Office (if secure), and one with a member of your family.ALWAYS, always , always get Rental Insurance. It is a good investment. Take Photo’s & Video’s of all of your possessions, including Personal Items like Designer Clothing (include Label), Jewelry, Keepsakes, Heirlooms, and all of your Art, Electronics, etc, etc. INCLUDE LEGAL SUPPORT, if this option is offered.IF, something is NOT in your RA recitals, THEN, the Management cannot make anyone pay for anything extra. This is WHY you need to pull out your OWN COPY, REVIEW and COMPARE.Remember that everything is NEGOTIABLE. Talk to an Attorney that specializes in Tenant Disputes. Sometimes, all it takes is a Letter from one.

Thanks for the A2A!Focus on MarketingMarketing is a key component for any agent to grow their business. They must get their name out there, and let people know what they can do for them. While a great deal of business comes from referrals, you have to make sure your name is in front of those you’ve done business with and those who are interested in working with you in the future. This is one reason establishing a social media presence is vital.Statistics show that real estate agents spend about 10 percent of their money on marketing and various advertising campaigns. This includes both online and offline marketing strategies, which should work together.Source: How to Become a Successful Real Estate AgentI’m not sure what else agents really do but here is some general guidance about showing your rental property:Determining the Rent RateBefore you can create your listing, you’ll need to determine the monthly rent for the property. If you’ve never rented the home out before, you’ll want to do some research to find a price point that strikes a happy balance between level between what you want for the property and want the tenants will be willing pay. To do this, consult listings for other properties in the area. Find properties that are a similar size, number of bed/bath, and possess similar amenities. From there you can adjust accordingly; if your property features more recent upgrades or additions, it may warrant an increase in listing price. Establish a price range and start by pricing your rent on the upper end of that range. If you aren’t getting any interest in the property at that initial price, drop it by $50 or $100 increments every 4 days until you start getting calls. This is will allow you to find the perfect price point that delivers you the monthly income you need from this property while still keeping it affordable for tenants.Determining Who will Rent your HomeNow that you’ve settled on a listing price, it’s time to begin drafting your listing masterpiece. As with marketing any kind of product, you’ll want to establish the demographic that is interested in renting your home. This will help you decide what details prospective tenants will want to see up front. For example, if you are renting out a small studio apartment in San Francisco you’d want to pander to a younger single person because they are the most likely to have a need for it. A listing for such a property should highlight local businesses or attractions that a young single person would be interested, like bars or night clubs. Now, if instead you are renting out a single family home in the South Bay, you’re more likely to be getting interest from younger families in need of a safe home to raise children. In this case, you probably wouldn’t want to take the same approach as you would for the SF property. Instead, you would communicate how the surrounding area is home to a highly ranked school, beautiful park, or a popular shopping center. Just be sure that you’re honest with your ad; most landlords have a special place in their heart for their properties, so it can be easy for them to emphasize the positives while neglecting the details that aren’t so hot. An effective ad is one that not only show cases the best parts of the property, but is up front with anything that could be problematic. You don’t want to be bothered to take calls or schedule a showing only to have the tenant discover a discrepancy between the actual property and what was posted online. You’ll save yourself a lot of hassle if you write an honest listing to begin with.The Listing TitleHaving a title that stands out is everything when it comes to rental listings. If you’re title doesn’t grab the interest of tenants, it will be quickly buried amongst the thousands of other posted listings. If you are so inclined, you can try to come up with a creative or humorous title to generate some interest, but the safest approach is to write a simple title that provides the most important information. When prospective tenants are sifting through hundreds of listings online, they’re focus will be on ones that list the desired location, size, and the number of bedrooms/baths. Most listing sites like Craigslist or Zumper allow you to list the city/neighborhood separately from the listing headline, so it’s redundant to use your precious headline space to do so. On sites like these, describe where your property is in relation to what your target demographic would be interested in. Let’s return to our small San Francisco studio apartment scenario, where you’d do well to feature a destination that would appeal to a young single. Let’s say your studio is a 5 minute walk away from the world famous Fuego night club. You could start with the following:1 Bed/1 Bath Studio minutes away from the legendary Fuego clubNext, highlight the most desirable property feature or a move-in incentive that you’re offering. For example, if you just installed all new appliances, or are offering $200 off the first month’s rent, add that into the title line:1 Bed/1 Bath Studio with brand new appliances, minutes away from the legendary Fuego clubOR1 Bed/1 Bath Studio minutes away from the legendary Fuego club, $200 off first month’s rentKeep it simple and focused; it just needs to grab their initial attention so that they will continue to read the rest of the listing.Listing PhotographsOnce you’ve hooked the attention of a renter, you’ll need beautiful pictures to keep them interested. Nothing will convey the charm of a property better than a picture, so don’t skimp on this part. Use a high quality camera to take pictures of your property if you have access to one, but using a professional photographer is an even better idea. A skilled photographer will be able to capture your property in its best lighting; poorly lit photos will not produce results. Be sure to photograph all common areas, bedrooms, bathrooms, the backyard or patio, or anything else you think tenants would want to see. Take pictures of the property in it’s “showing condition” to prevent prospective tenants from experiencing discrepancies between their expectation and reality. You’ll want to post several pictures of the property, but not so many that renter feels as if they don’t need to visit the property.The Listing BodyWrite a descriptive listing, but don’t flood it with unnecessary fluff. Tenants who are spending a lot of their time searching through listings aren’t going to want to devote the time to read a novel. Start with the basic features, size, number of beds/baths, and list the amenities. Expand on what you said in the title and give more descriptive information about what is situated around the property and what they’ll have access to in terms of shops, restaurants, parks, public transportation. Answer any frequently asked questions such as: who covers utilities, whether pets are allowed, whether there is storage space, available parking, when the property is available, and the duration of the lease/agreement. Display the best contact information at which the tenants can reach you. If you’re worried about being spammed, create a separate email address or create a google voice number to use for rental correspondence but be sure to check it. It’s incredibly frustrating for tenants to call landlords repeatedly to no-avail. You may lose dream tenants if you neglect your follow up. If you can’t take calls during business hours, list the best times for tenants to contact you right on the listing.Be up front with the tenants in terms of what you require for credit score, income, and background check. You’ll also want to tell them the details about the next showing you’ll be hosting as well as what they’ll need to bring. Take advantage of as many listing sites as you can, since there are many, many platforms out there. The more sites you use, the wider your reach. It doesn’t take a lot of effort to copy the listing from one platform to another. Just keep track of what sites you’re listing, and be sure to stay on top of refreshing the listing information if anything changes. You don’t want your listing to expire or be buried at the bottom of the pile because of inactivity.Other Marketing TacticsAside from the online listing approach, there are other avenues you can take advantage of to market your property. Use your connections to seek referrals from friends, family, and past tenants. Send out an email blast or post to your social media account informing your network that you are looking for tenants, it just may happen that a good friend of yours has a connection to a trustworthy tenant. Consider offering an incentive for referrals as well. If you agree to take $100 off of the next month’s rent for another tenant, or offer a $50 amazon gift card to whomever can find you a qualified tenant, you might be able minimize the legwork and costs you’d otherwise incur when advertising. If your property is close to a college or university, get in touch with their housing office and have them post your listing. Additionally, don’t underestimate the old fashioned signage. Signs are cheap, and if placed correctly in prominent areas on or around the property, they can generate a good deal of interest. If folks come to your neighborhood to research on rental neighborhoods and see that your beautiful property is available for rent, you may have just secured a tenant with very little work. You can also consider using a property manager or an agent. Most agents will charge half first month’s rent to find a tenant, but there’s one spectacular manager that will handle the entire leasing process for free. An absolute steal.Lastly, it’s important to understand that finding tenants takes time. You may hear landlords talk about how they found a tenant days or even hours after posting the listing, but this is the exception, not the rule. Plan ahead and give yourself adequate time to find the right tenant. You don’t want to sacrifice the security of the property and your peace of mind by agreeing to rent your property to the first tenant who comes your way. But with patience and diligence, you’ll soon have a line of qualified renters coming your way to visit the property.Once you’ve gotten some folks to schedule a visit, it’s time to conduct a knock out showing.This post was written by our partners at OneRent, a property management company using technology to simplify operations.Source: Road to Renting: Rental Property Marketing