Book Real estate Expert Interview

 

Founded

The Rental Protection Agency was created by a group of Landlords with a common goal to improve the rental industry.  The original founders were required to sacrafice all by selling their own rental properties in order to develop the RPA.  Dedication, sacrafice, and passion is the solid foundation of the Rental Protection Agency.  Although founded by Landlords, the major goal was not only to help landlords succeed, but to also provide renters with tools and resources.  The agency was developed for 2 years before its launch date in late 2005.

 

The constitution allows anyone the freedom to buy and own property, regardless of who you are.  Ownership comes with an automatic bundle of rights including the right of transfer.  This right allows property owners to lease / rent their property.  That means that the government cannot prevent: Sex Offenders, Felons, or other Untrustworthy individuals from becomming landlords.  Its their constitutional right.  Unfortunetly, Landlord Crimes against renters are more common than one may think.  Renters should not be required to place their families in harms way, unknowingly.   

 

Customer Service / Ethics   

The RPA found that 93% (2003 Renter Survey) of renters could recall some type of problem they had with their landlord or property manager while renting.  In the past, the Rental Industry was one industry where poor customer service would have little impact on the success of the rental business.  There are a few reasons for this: One- the customer is bound into a contract and required to continue to stay.  Two- moving to another rental unit is a large financial burden. Three- potential renters had few resources to check on the history of a rental prior to renting.  The RPA trains landlords on how to improve quality customer service, and provides renters with free landlord history report on every rental property in the US.  The free report contains approval status, criminal history, renter comments, and area statistics.

 

Although anyone can become a landlord, they are still required to know and respect the hundreds of laws that regulate the industry.  Over 37% of landlords surveyed (Case Review 2007) were in violation of the EPA lead disclosure law.  Laws similar to this, not only place landlords at risk, but also violate renters rights.  This lack of knowlege creates a heavy burden on our courts and police departments.  The RPA provides basic training and certifications for landlords.

 

Most landlords are good quality people that manage their rentals fairly.  In the past these actions would help retain renters, but it never really helped with finding new renters and filling vacancies more quickly.  Landlord that work hard to keep their tenants should be rewarded for their efforts.  The RPA seal of approval instantly lets someone know that the landlord adheres to best practices and ethics.  In addition the RPA allows landlords to earn addition rewards or merits.  The RPA scoring system (similar to a credit report) holds landlords responsible for their actions; positve or negative.

 

Finding help with renting problems can be difficult and costly.  Typically, if a problem couldn't be resolved between the tenant and landlord, the renter would be required to hire an attorney.  Due to the high cost of an attorney most renters couldn't afford to resolve the problem and would be required to deal with the issue themselves, even if their renting rights were being clearly violated.  Local authorities referr rent dispute to the civil court system.  The RPA developed the Rental Mediation Center to help renters resolve landlord tenant disputes.  These cases are documented on the landlords permanant record and provide retaliation protection from their landlords.

 

The RPA has developed tools and resources in a one-stop format for landlords and property managers.  Tools are readily available and designed to help landlords with management, knowledge and ability.