Ideal Legal Support Services, LLC and Matt; your Eviction Specialist, have moved to 1718 Broadway, Schenectady, NY  12306.  Our new phone number is (518) 901-0009 and fax (518) 901-0010 and the email is [email protected]  Come see us to have us do your EVICTIONS and other Landlord Services.

Ideal Legal Support Services, LLC and Matt; your Eviction Specialist, have moved to 1718 Broadway, Schenectady, NY  12306.  Our new phone number is (518) 901-0009 and fax (518) 901-0010 and the email is [email protected]  Come see us to have us do your EVICTIONS and other Landlord Services.

 If you have a Lease with your tenants; make sure YOU know the contents of the Lease. Just because a Lease is "wordy" does not make it "worthy."

 Before you rent your apartment, make sure it is move in ready. Repair, paint, clean. The quality of your apartment will determine the quality of tenant you get!!!

 Make sure the utilities are ON in the name of the tenant BEFORE you surrender the keys for occupancy.

 CLEAN your apartments before you show them to rent!!! Tenants will get the RIGHT impression that you do not care about them and you do not care about the building. This will lead to problems.

 Do not overprice your apartment. You may have a vacancy for some time whereas if you reduced the rent by $50 to $75 per month, you may acquire a good tenant faster thus reducing your overall losses.

 Tenants KNOW what you want to hear when they tell you they will have the rent next week. MOST are just buying themselves time! They do a great job at it too.

 Disappointment in your tenants failure to pay rent should not be the reason to not do certain repairs that will surely cost more money later.

 So on the front page of today's Times Union there is a story about rental assistance for low income renters... there is a "push in the state human rights law to make it illegal to discriminate against tenants based on where they receive their income." This is ridiculous!!!! A Washington State Court struck down a similar law. 1st) Section 8 and welfare are NOT income!!!!!!! 2) If a tenant, who is on full services, causes damages and you sue and win; since there is NO income, you are not going to see any money!! 3) When someone is on services and you go to evict them, that tenant is eligible for a FREE Attorney to fight the eviction in Court. THIS PROPOSAL MUST NOT HAPPEN!!!!

 If a tenant can not acquire utilities in their own name, be cautious about renting to them.

 Make sure when you list your apartment for rent that you follow all the laws pertaining to that listing or you could face financial repercussions.

 When a tenant pays you the rent, give the tenant a receipt. Many times, we have seen in Court, that the failure to give a receipt has been causing delays in the eviction and is costing landlords more time and money.

 Do not be intimidated to ask questions of perspective tenants. A good prospect will not be offended by being asked questions.

 When you "take a stand" with your tenant; mean it. To not do so will only show your tenant that you can easily be manipulated!

 If you have to rightfully give back the security deposit to your tenant... be thankful!!! Most times the security never covers the damage.

 Don't rush to put a tenant into your apartment because you need the money. Take your time, do a good screening and you may end up with a long term tenant.

 If you allow pets, meet the pets first. You want to see how calm, anxious or possibly aggressive they may be. You also, frankly, want to find out if the pets smell. If so, you can anticipate your apartment will smell as well.

 If you wish to evict your tenant for reasons other than non-payment, make sure you have an abundance of evidence when you go to Court, or you may have problems in Court.

 Use your OWN receipt book when issuing receipts for payment of rent. Do not use one provided by the tenant.

 When you rent to a tenant, make sure you KNOW their name; ask to see their identification!

 When you have completed the eviction and you have moved your tenant(s) belongings from the apartment for later retrieval by the tenant; keep an accurate inventory of what you have stored.

 Now that it is getting warmer... make sure your tenants put out the trash every week and not store it in the backyard, the hallway or the basement!!

 When a tenant gives you their current Landlord's phone number; verify the phone number as it may belong to one of their friends pretending to be the Landlord.

  If a tenant passes away during their tenancy in your building; it is not a good idea to discard their belongings without the Family's knowledge or consent.

  Do not allow begging and tears from a prospective tenant to be the determining factor in offering occupancy to that tenant!!!

If a tenant tells you that DSS (welfare) is going to pay the rent, demand to see the paperwork indicating such. It could just be a stall tactic to delay an eviction.

When a tenant moves from the apartment do a thorough walk through with the tenant so there is a clear understanding of what, if any damages, are present.

When commencing an eviction, make sure you do it right or your case could easily be dismissed. The best way to make sure this does not happen is to hire Ideal Legal Support Services, LLC. Visit the website at: ideallegalnys.com

 When a long term tenant is rarely late with the rent, it is not a good idea to serve them a notice of non payment the day after the rent is due. Our office has seen many good tenants move out due to this. It does not cultivate a good Landlord-Tenant relationship.

Just because you get an eviction in Court doesn't mean you can move the tenant out yourself. If the tenant does not leave on their own, you MUST utilize the Sheriff or the Marshal, depending on where the dwelling is located.

 Do not wait until the last day of the month to initiate a 30 day notice service to evict your tenants as that could add much more additional time before you will be in Court to evict those tenants.

If you allow your tenants to have grills, remember to keep them a safe distance from the house.

Instead of our Landlord Hint Of The Day we are dedicating this time to honoring some of the greatest people in America. Those who have served and continue to serve in our Armed Forces. We at Ideal Legal SALUTE you!!!!

When you wish to proceed with a HOLDOVER (no rent due) eviction do not wait until the end of the month to proceed with this type of eviction. Doing so could delay the eviction by a month or more!!!

Hire professionals to assist you in your role as a Landlord. We had NUMEROUS issues this week at our office where Landlords initiated an eviction on their own that upon our review, we knew would be dismissed in Court. 

If the rent was due on the first of the month and the tenant has not paid the rent and the tenant has asked for more time, they may be trying to buy themselves more time to not pay. Start that eviction!!! 

If the rent was due on the first of the month and the tenant has not paid the rent and the tenant has asked for more time, they may be trying to buy themselves more time to not pay. Start that eviction!!! 

Make sure that the utilities in your buildings are clearly separated so that you later do not have issues in Court or with the utility company regarding shared metering.

 Don't assume that your tenant has moved based solely on not seeing the tenant for a time. We have seen Landlords who have made this assumption and started to clean out the apartment only to have the tenant come back. THIS IS ILLEGAL!!!

 Don't assume that your tenant has moved based solely on not seeing the tenant for a time. We have seen Landlords who have made this assumption and started to clean out the apartment only to have the tenant come back. THIS IS ILLEGAL!!!

 Though a tenant may owe rent, it is not a good idea to constantly call and visit for that rent. It could create an even more negative outcome. Instead; just call us to start the eviction. (518) 901 - 0009. 

Though this hint has been given a few times, we have to keep giving it! Today we were presented with notices served by the Landlord or an Attorney to pay and/ or quit the premises. The notices were served WRONG and the information that needs to be on them is incorrect. Please help yourself and hire our firm to get the job done right!!! (518) 901 - 0009 

 Do not allow emotions to make your decision in regards to renting to potential tenants or evicting current ones.

Make sure for 911 and service of process of legal documents that your house number is on the door and the apartments are clearly marked with either a letter or a number.

Stop being gullible to what your tenants tell you. Remember, they know what you want to hear.

Stop being gullible to what your tenants tell you. Remember, they know what you want to hear.

As stated before in an earlier hint, Landlords MUST know the laws pertaining to choosing the right tenant. You must NOT disregard laws in place that make it illegal to discriminate against prospective tenants.

Provide your tenants with the refuse collection schedule for your municipality. This could save you in fines if the trash is put out on the wrong day.

In a multiple unit building, the best exterior locks to have are the passcode entrance ones. No need to make many keys for the remaining tenants when one tenant moves or is evicted.

If you plan on keeping the security deposit, be prepared to justify that decision in Court.

When renting to a tenant make sure you have their name correct and the address that you are renting to them is correct. This week we had a few cases where the information provided was wrong (we corrected the situations) which could lead to the cases being dismissed in Court.

There are laws and timelines that must be followed when doing an eviction, if they are not followed your case will be dismissed!! Visit us at 1718 Broadway, Schenectady, NY 12306 to make sure it is done right.

When painting your apartments, use a neutral color. Bright blues, reds, purples and terra cotta colors will be a turn off for potential tenants. Yes, we have seen apartments with these colors!!!

Although we used this before, we believe it is very important. BEFORE utilizing a Lease with your tenants, KNOW the content of the Lease... if you do not, it could cause problems in the future!!!

Do NOT allow your tenants to fall way behind in rent! Currently, we have two separate Landlords who are conducting evictions on six apartments. Total combined rent arrears is over $36,000.00!!!!!!! Let Ideal Legal Support Services, LLC help stop this nonsense!

If you are looking to evict your tenant for ANY reason other than back rent... NOW is the time to do it before the end of the month. To wait, will push the eviction to be another month before you would be in Court. 

Being a Landlord is a business. Many of our clients feel sorry for their tenants for this or that reason and this leads to rent arrears to become insurmountable for the tenant to pay. We have seen many of our clients lose their rental properties because of this. STOP!!!!

It is that time of the year; make sure to have your furnaces checked in your buildings. NO heat calls are a MAJOR issue with Landlords... and with Code Enforcement. You do not want tenants to withhold the rent or "CODE" to issue you fines.

We find our new Landlords over invest in remodeling, high end appliances, flooring, lighting, etc... STOP!!! Make it look nice but to over invest will add MONTHS for your ROI.

It is leaf falling season. Clean those gutters!!! You do not want water getting into the house... that means headaches and much expenses later.

Now that it is getting darker sooner, make sure that your property has adequate lighting for your tenants and guests. Accidents due to poor lighting can lead to LAWSUITS!!!!

NEVER barter with your tenants to work off rent for this or that. MOST of the time it causes problems for both the Landlord and the tenant(s).

As the cold weather approaches, it is a good idea to cover outdoor central air conditioners. Also encourage your tenants to REMOVE window air conditioners as it will cut down on the heat expense over Winter.

You MUST give a designation to EVERY apartment in the building by either number or letter on every door. It makes service of process, visits by Police, Fire or EMS and the Sheriff, after an eviction, to vacate the tenants from the apartment, much easier!!!

When taking your tenants to Court for non-payment of rent, make sure you assign the CORRECT dollar amount due for the month that it was due. MANY times, Landlords get this confused which can get the case delayed or even dismissed!!!!

It is a good idea to provide your tenants with some form of ice melt for the porch, stairs and sidewalks around the rental property.

It is a good idea to wrap your water pipes and hot water tank with some form of insulation. This will cut down on expenses as well as the possibility of frozen pipes which will cost a lot of money to repair damages caused by broken pipes!

 Inform your tenants that they MUST keep their fresh Christmas Trees watered every single day to avoid a fire!!!!

When visiting your tenants, look around to see if there are space/electric heaters in use!! This is a fire hazard and possibly an insurance violation that could result in NO coverage if something were to happen!!!

Remind your tenants to discard their Christmas wrapping paper and boxes on the appropriate trash removal day. To do so on the wrong day could result in fines issued by the municipality to the Landlord!!

We wish our clients a wonderful New Year. We thank our clients for close to 30 years of allowing us to help you maintain and hopefully make a profit for your investments in real estate. Let's work together even more in 2019 to make that profit margin even higher!!!!

Make sure your furnaces are working properly... you don't want your tenants relying on space heaters to keep the dwelling warm... FIRE HAZARD!!!

You MUST know the contents of your Lease. Many times Landlords do not know until aspects of the Lease are detrimental to them either with the Court, and eviction or with Code Enforcement!!!!

We are pleased to announce.... wait until February 28, 2019 for the GREAT news!!!!

Know the name(s) of your tenants and the address of their residency. MANY times our office has been given erroneous information that leads to issues upon service of documents and in Court. 

When a tenant informs you they will pay the rent with their tax return, be careful. It is cheaper to pay a few friends and feed them to move the tenant than it is to pay you the back rent.

When a tenant moves, has paid security to you and has caused no damages; return the security deposit! If not, you may find yourself in Court as we have seen frequently and LOSE!!! We know of landlords who use the security as added income who never had the intention of returning security.

You can NOT evict a tenant for non payment of rent when they pay you that rent and you give it back!! We had a case this week that was dismissed for that reason; obviously we had no idea the rent was tendered.

The owner of the property is the name on the DEED!!! Not a Landlord, not a Property Manager, not a Wife or Husband...ONLY THE NAME ON THE DEED. This has been a problem in Court when it comes to evictions. Cases are being dismissed!

 When you issue a receipt for rent paid, a stranger should be able to view the receipt and know who the tenants are, where they live, what they paid, what the payment covers and how much is owed!!!

STOP letting your tenants get so far behind in rent. We have 2 Landlords who had/have 7 tenants that owe(d) over $53,000.00 in back rent!!!! 

When allowing pets, contact your insurance company to inquire what dog breeds are not covered by your policy. Not doing so; could open the door to a major lawsuit if you are not covered!!

When you issue a 30 day notice to the tenant to vacate by the end of the following month, the tenant is obligated to pay the rent for that month. If they do not, contact us and we will issue the appropriate notice to pay.

 You must consider the neighborhood, your rental property and the amenities you offer when setting the monthly rent. We have seen many Landlords who do not consider the above and price their apartments way above market value.

Stop being gullible. Many tenants will tell you want YOU want to hear just to buy themselves more time to "pay" or to move out. When that day comes that they said they would pay or move... neither happens!!!! Contact us today to make it right for YOU. 

Though we understand the desire to save money, we have seen Landlords do their own "eviction." Due to errors and illegalities by Landlords and other companies, we have seen it cost them $$$$! Let us take care of it for you!!!

During the eviction process, do NOT get personally involved. You can make the situation worse as you can anger the tenants even more which could lead to damage to your property... thus more money lost!!!!

With thoughts of Notre Dame, please make sure your smoke detectors and fire extinguishers are properly working. Make sure all remodeling work is done with SAFETY as the first tool you use!!!

The end of the month is approaching. If you are looking to have your tenant served a 30 day notice do NOT wait much longer as service of that notice appropriately is quickly approaching. Contact us today at to get that notice served!!!

 If you intend on using security towards rent out of Court, make sure you and the tenant put it in writing. If not, the tenant can sue you for the return of that deposit. NYS law doesn't allow security for rent unless all parties agree!!

When commencing an eviction, you MUST know the address of the tenant(s) that you are seeking to have removed. MANY times we are provided with the incorrect address which, if we did not correct, would see the case possibly dismissed or the Sheriff not able to effectuate the Warrant!!!

 Make sure the process of eviction is done correctly. We have seen others do the work not following legal procedures which leads to case dismissals which, in turn, is lost revenue for Landlords/Clients!!! Contact us today to get the job done right!!! 

Money in hand should NOT be the determining factor in placing a tenant!!!!! Our 1st call of the day, Landlord took security, not 1st month's rent and does not know the name of the tenant. Landlord now wants to evict this person. STOP DOING THIS!!!!

There are laws and procedures that MUST be followed throughout the entire eviction process. We have seen Landlords who wish to personally, or ask us to, circumvent these laws and procedures. Do the process the right way. Let our experience work for you!!!

We are still hearing from our clients that the tenants promise to pay the back rent when they receive their tax money. MOST people have already received their tax money... this is a ploy to stay longer and not pay the rent!!! Call us, we are here to help you.

STOP renting to money and start renting to people. To many Landlords only look at how much a prospective tenant has to pay the rent and nothing more. Call us, we will help you find the right tenant!

This week in Court a tenant presented "invoices" totaling close to $1,000 for work that was claimed the tenant paid. We were able to refute the validity of those invoices which resulted in our client acquiring additional monies in the Judgement!!! Let us help you the same way!!!

There are so many ramifications regarding the new Landlord-Tenant Laws of New York, it is highly advisable that you have our team handle all your eviction needs. Cases will be dismissed for errors or omissions.

 NEWS FLASH

We appreciate and share with our clients the frustration of these new laws favoring tenants in NYS. That being said; LANDLORDS CAN NOT DO A SELF HELP EVICTION. IT IS A CLASS A MISDEMEANOR THAT COMES WITH FINES RANGING FROM $1,000 TO $10,000!!! Let us help you do it the right and LEGAL way!!!!

Part of these new laws in NYS pertain to Leases in a negative manner towards Landlords. If you are looking to initiate an eviction, contact our office to make sure that we follow your Lease and these new laws!!

With the new laws, it is highly advisable if you are looking to evict your tenant for reasons other than rent due, you MUST initiate the process this month because next month the process takes MUCH longer!!!

We know these new laws are detrimental to Landlords but they must be adhered to. We know of Landlords who are circumventing these laws. This could lead to a jail sentence of up to one year and fines up to $10,000!! Don't do it! Contact us, we will help you.

Though we have put this hint here before, we must keep doing it. If you want your tenant to move for reasons other than non payment, you MUST do it this month or else the time frame to do so is extended greatly by these new laws. Call us, we will start the process today!!!

EMERGENCY NEWS FLASH: Our NYS Legislature, in it's infinite wisdom, has made it a law that when commencing an eviction, ALL names of the tenants, including babies MUST be affixed to all the documents. YES.. this is ABSURD!!!

EMERGENCY NEWS FLASH: Our NYS Legislature, in it's infinite wisdom, has made it a law that when commencing an eviction, ALL names of the tenants, including babies MUST be affixed to all the documents. YES.. this is ABSURD!!!

Review your Lease carefully. The duration of time of the Lease or tenancy could result in the issuance of a 90 day notice to vacate the tenants from the dwelling!!!! Call us, we are here to help!!!

It is imperative that ALL information in eviction documents is accurate... address, all names of the tenants, amounts due, date of tenancy... errors could very well lead to the dismissal of your case. This will cost you more time and MONEY!!!! We are here to help, call us.

 If you want to evict your tenant for ANY reason do NOT tell them you are doing so. Their next phone call will be to Code Enforcement to complain about the NEW issues in their apartment that you are forcing them to endure!!! The eviction can be construed as retaliatory!!! BIG FINES!!

 We have heard many Landlords complain about these new laws that are disastrous to Landlords but yet many of these Landlords are NOT complaining to the NYS Legislature, joining Landlord Associations or organizing Landlord demonstrations to show their dissatisfaction!!! Let your voice be heard to all that need to hear it. Call us and join us, we are at the forefront of fighting these laws!!!!!!

These new laws make it unlawful to research and utilize prior evictions as a reason to deny tenancy. Though we disagree wholeheartedly with this law; to violate it could lead to a $1,000.00 fine!!! Ridiculous!!!!!!

This NY Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019 is going to ruin the rental market in NYS!!! Landlords MUST know ALL the names of the adults in the dwelling before commencing an eviction. This includes the sitting tenant bringing others into the dwelling to reside. If not, the Landlord would have to commence ANOTHER eviction hence costing MORE time and money to the Landlord. OOHH BTW... the sitting tenant does not have to tell you the name of the new tenants until after 30 days has expired!!! CRAZY!!!!!!!

These new laws and interpretations of these laws in Court can make your head spin. Landlords, get ready for more headaches enacted by NYS and defended in Court by Legal Aid and other Tenant Advocacy Organizations. Ideal Legal are experts who have two very knowledgeable Attorneys with us working to navigate these laws in such a way to get the best possible result for OUR Landlords in Court!!!!

Why do tenants NOT get arrested for removing or breaking smoke/carbon monoxide detectors when Landlords in the city of Schenectady and other municipalities have rental certificates or certificates of occupancy?? The Landlord would be fined $$$$ for not having them. 

 It is VERY important that you acquire ALL the names of the people residing in the rental unit and that those names are affixed to all eviction documents. The risk of having to do "another" eviction for those not named is VERY high!!!!

 NEWSFLASH: There is a 90 day moratorium on evictions in New York State. We are still serving 14/30/60/90 day notices as those notices are not an actual eviction; only the Court and Sheriff may do that. Getting these documents completed will allow our team to get your case in Court once the Courts reopen. Be safe friends.

 Contrary to misinformation, although evictions are on an 90 day moratorium, it does NOT absolve tenants from paying their rent!!! The time will come when you will be in Court for not paying rent which will lead to an eviction and a judgment for what you owe. This crisis is not permission to avoid paying your bills!!!

 Ideal Legal is proud and excited to announce we have a channel on YouTube.  "The Landlord Advocates Channel."  We will be presenting videos each week on how to help you with strategies that will make being a Landlord more beneficial to YOU!!  Please subscribe to the channel to stay informed!!