For those of you who live in a "scammer/squatter" friendly area and one only needs to "prove residency" by providing an Amazon package delivery address, WHY oh WHY do many mainstream rental ad agencies REFUSE to mask/hide exact street addresses?

I've already had one scammer due to apartments.com advertise the exact street address and I'm extremely small time! I also refuse to take photos of the outside of the building; an open invitation to scammers/squatters!

The town I own in, although near a rural area is the county seat and has a HUGE DSS presence. It is rather low socio economically. so a few silly property owners put out "for rent" signs. Churn and burn.

Exposing the street address to me is the same as saying "please break in here and stay for free!"

What say you?

I say "buy in areas that do not have these issues."

I don't advertise empty houses. Unless it's a recent purchase but that's not an everyday occurance.

Scott, you are in a RED state which makes all the difference. I was told by a NYS Trooper (state police) that all someone needs to prove residency is an Amazon street address for delivery and NOT a lease/rental agreement!

Haha wow… we don’t advertise empty houses, aka vacancies & we don’t post the address so our potential tenants can view our vacancies? What nonsense. But we fill them in 24 hours. Unicorn fairy dust.

NE, would love to be you! In NY the tenant has ALL the rights. I don't want to have to hire security to guard my vacancies. And I don't want to have to put in a security system.

I want an ad with cross streets that is all. If the lowly craigsl1st can do this and seeing that scammers and squatters have exploded in number exponentially due to insane legislation, then ad companies would be foolish not to offer this option.

Sell your NY rentals and invest in Missouri. With the much more affordable options here, you'll probably get 3 houses for every one you sell. Plenty of extra rent to hire a long-distance property manager and still not have to put up with shenanigans. Same money, more units, very little hassle.

What's stopping you?

I don't know if they can just provide an address and they become squatters... wouldn't they have to actually be INSIDE the property?

If you are in an area that your property is broken into often when it's vacant... who would want to live there? I mean.. at some point if these people leave their apartment... they would know it would be broken into and then leave anyway. Right?

NE, if you and RB are talking about my post, remember we follow Jeffrey's teachings about filling vacancies as Job #1 - our houses don't *go* empty between tenants. We advertise 60 days out - old tenant is still there - we show about 45-50 days out - old tenant is still there - and we have a lease signed well before the old tenant moves out.

This has pretty much been true since I first heard Jeffrey speak about it, in 2010, in Jacksonville at our first Convention. And just recently his newsletter (or was it X?) reiterated that FILLING VACANCIES is Job #1.

We took his advice to heart and it has worked for us.

We don't advertise the address because a$$$holes will go by and try to peek in windows or knock on doors, upsetting the current residents as you can imagine!

NE do you call it luck when you properly fix a pipe?

But I've OFTEN said that we are super-lucky to live in an area where so many people want to live - and there's not enough housing for them all. I don't know how we'd fill our spaces if we were COMPETING with anyone!

We actually have very little competition. A few luxury apartment complexes (very few, maybe two or three, all owned by the same company) and random private houses and downstairs apartments scattered about. The HUGE houses are not our competition. House like ours stay full at all times.

I just checked - the last time we had a truly empty place between tenants was also our only eviction that ever went to lock-out, years ago. I filed on September 1st for the eviction, and it wasn't for non-payment of rent as he had already paid September's (waited till he paid to file.) But there were a few weeks after that of waiting for mandatory appeal to end, etc. so October was lost.

However, I had 1.5 months of rent for a deposit, so according to the final accounting, we lost minimal money: had to replace a faucet and a used fridge (punch marks.)

It was re-rented by November 1st.

If you have no downtime, you’re probably leaving money on the table. You’re not so streamlined that your tenants are high fiving each other as the pass in and out of your vacancies. I’m not saying you’re lying, I’m just calling BS. I know your reputation is the “24 hour turnover Queen” but your 24 hour turnovers and pre signing of leases leave no room for the inevitable variables of everyday life.

24-hour turnovers only work if you follow Jeffrey's advice of getting into the place as soon as you receive notice and work on the place while still rented. We don't sign a lease on Tuesday and someone moves in Wednesday! That's not what a 24-hour turn-around means.

As noted many many times, we require 60 days notice, we pre-screen heavily, we schedule appointments to show with current resident's cooperation and have signed a lease and collected 2 month's rent as deposit prior to taking anything off the market.

NE, we've had our share of nightmares! We've been doing this since 2003, and have about 40 doors. So you know we've had some bad move-outs and destroyed units and unpaid damages in those 20 years.

Just not very many since 2010.

Around here you don't even need to spend the $ on an Amazon delivery, you can just get a piece of US Mail delivered. In NY, if you've been there 10 days or more, you are no longer a squatter.

We have plenty of houses in C and C- neighborhoods in NY, have indeed experienced folks moving themselves in, or at least hanging out.

Our contractors are trained to call if they 'see something'. In case of emergency, we post a notice that the property has been secured and if you need access call the property manager.

The squatters laws are simply unbelievable to me. I have never had the problem as when I have a place empty I am usually at it often enough.

Have watched it play out while I was in court. The owner always wins but still has to jump thru so many hoops and lose so much time and money.

mapleleaf,

Wow. Just wow.

I was going to suggest removing the mailbox so they could not receive mail

then realize the baddies created a simple workaround with an Amazon delivery to the front porch. No mailbox needed.

At the moment my only suggestion is to tighten the locks and windows and install a SimpliSafe system. Inexpensive, wireless, move from house to house, human monitoring available that will call the police if there is a break in.

I just posted a video camera I bought to try, which works on cellular, no wifi or internet needed, wireless, could have a stored video or them breaking in.

Our LL assoc worked with the police chief and judge to set the standard - a correct LEASE to verify occupancy AND to remove scummy boyfriends. The police appreciate the rule and helps them keep the peace.

BRAD

I watched Youtube this morning. Guy's mother had vacant house about 2 hours away. She had squatters in it. Realtor and neighbors told them. So guy get's his Mother to sign lease with him making him legal in it. Drives 2 hours, parks down the street. Waits for all the cars to leave, goes to house, puts up Ring cameras, I assume changes locks, when squatters return tells them he is squatting on them. Finds two big guys that live across the street and offer them all the furniture in the house for free if they will empty it all onto the driveway. Tells squatters they can use those guys but they will want furniture. Squatters were out by 2AM next day.