Blog
The LeaseRooster blog
What we are learning about running rentals, plus product news from the LeaseRooster team.
Posts
101 posts-
Criminal background checks on rental applications: what the law allows
The federal guidance landlords relied on for nine years was rescinded in November 2025. The statute it interpreted was not. Where that leaves a small landlord, what the FCRA lets a report contain, and why state and city rules are now the sharper constraint. Laws and rules -
How to run a tenant background check
The mechanics take about ten minutes. The obligations attached to them are what most landlords get wrong: permissible purpose, written authorization, what the law lets a report contain, and what you owe the applicant afterward. Screening -
How to accept or deny a rental applicant
There are three outcomes, not two, and the middle one is the one landlords get wrong. Approving with conditions is adverse action under the FCRA. Here is the paperwork each outcome owes and the order it goes out in. Screening -
Using Zoho, monday, or HubSpot for your rentals
Generic CRMs publish property management and real estate templates, and they do give you contacts, pipelines, and tasks on day one. What they leave for you to build by hand is rent, the ledger, lease dates, and a screening process that treats every applicant the same. Blog post -
One record per tenant: notes, tags, and a history you can find
Two profiles for the same tenant means two note trails and half a history on each. How duplicates creep in, what belongs in a tenant note and what never does, which tags are worth keeping, and exactly what a merge moves. Blog post -
Rent roll explained: what goes on one and how to read it
A rent roll is one row per unit showing who lives there, what they owe, and whether they paid. The columns worth having, who will ask you for one, and how to read vacancy and late rent off it in a few minutes each month. Money -
What a CRM means in property management
A property management CRM is the record of every person a landlord deals with, tied to the unit, lease, money, and repairs that make those people matter. Here is what it has to hold, why a sales CRM falls short, and what LeaseRooster's version covers today. Blog post -
CRM vs property management software: what's the difference?
A CRM is built around people and deals. Property management software is built around units, leases, and money. The difference decides whether rent, deposits, and lease dates have anywhere to live, and it tells you the one case where a landlord business really does want a sales CRM. Blog post -
How to organize rental property expenses: file them the way Schedule E reads
The best filing system for rental expenses already exists. It is printed on Schedule E. A folder per property, a folder per expense line, a rule for receipts, and one extra folder for the invoices that are not repairs at all. Money -
Landlord CRM vs spreadsheet: five jobs, side by side
A spreadsheet and a landlord CRM both hold tenant contact details. The difference shows up when you have to do something with them. Five ordinary jobs, and how each one goes in each tool. Blog post -
Lease renewal letter template
A renewal letter is a short offer with a deadline, not a reminder. The template below covers the four terms that have to be in it, and the timing rules that decide when it goes out. Laws and rules -
Writing a pet policy into your lease
A pet clause has to do three things: say what is allowed, price it in a way your state permits, and stay out of the way of the accommodation rules that apply to assistance animals. Laws and rules