Category Archive : Property Management

LAS VEGAS, NV – With the demand for rentals in Las Vegas absolutely on fire, real estate experts have stepped up to offer some helpful tips for those who may have grown frustrated in their attempts to successfully navigate the at-times cutthroat rental market in Southern Nevada.

This spring in Las Vegas, as many as ten prospective renters at a time are expecting to be competing for any given property. This is due to the fact that not just locals are involved, but a plethora of people who are transplanting themselves into the region from other states. Many of these newcomers are either renting while they have a new home constructed, or they’re forced to rent simply due to the fact that housing inventory in Vegas is low – and thus, highly coveted.

Due to the high demand, landlords and property managers can afford to pick the cream of the crop when it comes to tenants, so one tip is to make sure that you maintain a good relationship with your previous landlord by ensuring that you always pay rent on-time and that you leave your former rental in pristine condition so they will be willing to vouch for you to a new landlord.

Also, those looking to rent may actually want to consider buying a home instead, experts say, since – due to low interest rates currently – a mortgage payment can be less expensive than rent, at least for the time being. And if you’re interested in a rental property, it might be a good idea to ask the property manager how many applicants you’re up against; since most rental applications come attached with a fee, if you’re facing too much competition (again, some rental properties in Vegas can have as many as ten people duking it out) it might be better to pass it up to save money.

Navigating the Las Vegas rental market these days can be tricky, but hopefully these tips – and many others that are available online and through local tenant assistance groups  – can help you successfully land the rental property you’ve been looking for.

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – On Wednesday, a federal judge overturned the COVID-19 national eviction moratorium enacted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that was currently set to expire at the end of June, which may be the catalyst for millions of evictions across the country if the decision is allowed to stand.

Judge Dabney Friedrich of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia noted in her decision that the CDC exceeded its authority when it first enacted the eviction ban in September 2020; the ban was originally set to end at the end of January 2021, but President Joe Biden later extended it first to April, then June.

“The question for the Court is a narrow one: Does the Public Health Service Act grant the CDC the legal authority to impose a nationwide eviction moratorium? It does not,” Judge Friedrich said in her ruling.

Upon hearing the news of decision, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it will appeal Judge Friedrich’s ruling, in addition to seeking a stay of the decision; if granted, it would keep the eviction ban in effect until the issue is resolved in court.

In response to the DOJ, Judge Friedrich agreed to put a temporary hold on her ruling, but gave groups representing landlords and property owners that had challenged the eviction ban a May 12 deadline to submit legal paperwork voicing their opposition to the delay. Friedrich also gave the DOJ four days to respond to the landlord groups after they have filed their papers.

Reports indicate that 1 in 5 renters across the United States are having financial issues that affect their ability to pay their rent; however, landlords and property owners have criticized the long-term eviction ban, saying that they can’t afford to continue housing people for free.

Judge Friedrich’s ruling does not impact state or local government eviction moratoriums, including the one enacted by Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak, which due to expire on May 31.

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – According to reports, Airbnb has announced that they will be blocking one-night rentals in Las Vegas – and across the United States as a whole – during the Fourth of July weekend, and only guests with a significant history of positive reviews in their previous Airbnb transactions will be allowed to rent properties at all during the period of time surrounding Independence Day.

The announcement comes as multiple neighborhoods across the country have issued previous complaints regarding Airbnb customers disturbing their neighbors with wild partying, with the rental company referring to the upcoming months as their “summer of responsible travel.”

“As the July 4 weekend approaches, we are deploying more stringent restrictions on one and two-night reservations that may pose heightened risk for parties,” Airbnb announced in a statement. “For example, we will leverage our technology that restricts certain local and last-minute bookings by guests without a history of positive reviews on Airbnb and also block reservations within an expanded radius.”

Airbnb has instituted similar policies in the past around other holidays that tend to attract avid partiers, including News Year’s Eve. Previously, neighborhoods in the Southern Nevada region have complained about Airbnb rentals hosting disruptive groups that would engage in loud parties, leading to local municipalities enacting strict legislation to curb such activity.

In order to address such complaints from neighborhoods where Airbnb rentals had received such complaints, last summer the company suspended 20 listings in Clark County that had hosted house parities.

Short-term rentals in Las Vegas have taken off in the last year, and especially during the ongoing pandemic, as it allows homebound families and friends to vacation in a fancy home in a tourist destination while maintaining lodging that adheres to social distancing regulations, more so than most hotels can manage.

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – According to reports, the Nevada Assembly last week approved a bill on a vote of 26-16 that will seal records of evictions that occur during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of the passage of Assembly Bill 141, tenants who have received summary evictions from their landlords or property managers for non-payment of rent for the duration of the pandemic will automatically have the records of said evictions automatically sealed. As a result, any landlord in the future would have no way of knowing of their prospective tenant’s history of rent delinquency, up to and including having been evicted.

The bill would cover the period of time beginning March 20, 2020, and will remain in effect until Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak calls an official end to the state of emergency brought about by COVID-19.

Renters across the state have rejoiced at the news of the bill’s passage, with Tiara Moore, Housing Justice Organizer with the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada (PLAN), saying that it will help residents to find housing without being burdened by their pasts.

“The passing of AB141 is a start in the right direction to help Nevadans facing housing insecurity,” she said. “For many, a single eviction is enough to keep a family housing insecure and reliant on others to find a place to stay for years. This would break down that barrier for Nevada’s tenants who have had to endure one of the hardest economic crises in our lifetime.”

Assembly Bill 141 also represents yet another distinct disadvantage for landlords who have already been forced to shoulder many burdens throughout the pandemic due to multiple state and federal eviction bans. Prior to the bill’s passage in the Assembly last week, it faced steep pushback from property landlords and owners.

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – With the extended Nevada eviction moratorium expiring at the end of May – and a federal version to expire afterwards at the end of June – the Nevada Legislature says they are looking into methods of expediting the distribution of millions of dollars in federal rental assistance, despite the fact that no bill mandating this has yet to be introduced by lawmakers, according to reports.

Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak has stated that his latest extension of the eviction moratorium – originally put in place due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic – will be the last one, leaving both tenants facing homelessness and cash-strapped landlords who have not been receiving rent for months hanging while awaiting relief that isn’t coming quickly enough.

Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro (D-Las Vegas) has stated that her fellow legislature members were working with the Supreme Court and the counties in order to distribute the funding to those who need it most, but gave no other information on how that would be accomplished.

“We’re trying to figure out the best way to help facilitate getting that money to pay for those tenants that have been unable to pay, get back to those landlords and help keep those tenants in their properties,” she said.

With Governor Sisolak’s announcement that he would not extend the eviction ban again, he also decreed that once that ban ends on May 31, tenants will still be safe under its federal counterpart, set to end June 30.

However, starting June 1, landlords can begin initial preparations to evict tenants who have not been paying their rent, but they will be required to include information in any correspondence informing tenants of resources available – such as assistance programs – and how to access them.

“They’ll still be protected, they won’t become homeless, won’t lose their housing,” Sisolak said. “We want an opportunity for after the 60 days expires, some of the landlords can go in and start to file papers… it will get our process started while the clock runs off the CDC moratorium.”

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – According to reports, the recent extension until June 30 of the COVID-19 federal eviction moratorium issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) spells three more months of relief for tenants, both in Nevada and nationwide. But the eviction ban extension also means three more months that many local landlords will be forced to endure a lack of income, in some instances from people who are fully able to pay their rent but instead are gaming the system and taking advantage of the laws meant to protect those who are financially impacted by the ongoing pandemic.

While the law states that tenants are still responsible for the back rent that accumulates throughout the moratorium, many landlords are worried about people who may owe them thousands of dollars simply packing up and moving on once the ban is finally lifted, and with no way of contacting them to arrange payment, said Danielle Gallant of Guardian Realty, a Las Vegas property manager.

“If a tenant decides before the moratorium is lifted to vacate the house without any notice, they’re gone,” she said. “You have to be able to know where they physically live to send them a demand letter to serve them.”

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, many tenants who have experienced financial ruin have been protected from homelessness by the state and federal eviction bans; however, according to the Nevada State Apartment Association (NSAA), an equal number of people have been taking advantage of the bans to simply avoid having to pay rent, despite being able to afford to do so. And this reality is proving to have a devastating effect upon landlords, many of whom are small mom-and-pop operations who are struggling to get by day-by-day themselves, according to NSAA rep Susy Vasquez.

“We are starting to struggle, mom and pops for sure. I know many of them are facing foreclosure and that will definitely impact the housing dynamic in Nevada,” she said.

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – Las Vegas landlords received a double-whammy of bad news as Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak announced a controversial extension of the state’s COVID-19 eviction moratorium until the end of May, prefaced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) one-upping Sisolak by extending their respective eviction ban until the end of June.

“Originally, I did not plan on extending this moratorium today, but I’m not going to put thousands of Nevadans at risk of losing their homes while funding exists to help them and the landlords,” Gov. Sisolak said upon the lengthening of his eviction ban.

Sisolak’s announcement followed a new directive by the CDC, which extended their federal eviction moratorium until June 30; this was announced two days before their previous ban was set to expire on March 31.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky signed the extension at the last minute, citing the extreme financial toll that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has taken upon many tenants throughout the United States since its inception last year.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a historic threat to the nation’s public health,” Walensky said. “Keeping people in their homes and out of crowded or congregate settings — like homeless shelters — by preventing evictions is a key step in helping to stop the spread of COVID-19.”

However, the CDC moratorium is not automatic; it only applies to those who make less than $100,000 a year who can prove that they have been negatively impacted by COVID-19 and that they have no other options for shelter.

If a tenant fulfils all of those requirements, they are required to present a signed declaration to their landlord to qualify for protection under the moratorium; however, this does not absolve the tenant from any back rent that they may owe, which will come due when the eviction ban finally comes to an end.

Clark County has money available to help those who are behind on their rent, known as the CHAP program.

While both the Nevada and CDC eviction moratoriums are a boon to tenants who are suffering financially under the pandemic, the announcement is yet another setback to landlords nationwide who have been suffering under the mandate of having to essentially provide free room and board since the beginning of COVID-19 in this country, and it remains to be seen if they will be forced to shoulder yet more of the financial burden with additional eviction ban extensions in the near future.

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – According to reports, rental services such as Airbnb and VRBO are noticing a huge surge in their businesses in regards to locations in the Las Vegas Valley, as vacation rentals are experiencing a massive come-back on the heels of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

One individual who maintains 45 rental properties in the area – 24 of those being short-term rentals – noted that he as of the month of March seen a 200 percent increase in rental activity; previously, in February, there was only a slight bump, making the explosion in rentals currently a huge surprise.

There are a number of potential reasons why this is happening now, including March Madness and the current rollout of the latest round of government economic stimulus checks, but one of the main driving factors many feel is causing this phenomenon is the fact that the COVID-19 vaccine is currently available and is being administered to a growing number of people across the nation each day.

During the previous rental boom in Vegas, property owners noted that their clientele mainly consisted of people coming to Sin City to party; this time around, however, they say that their renters consist more of families who are just looking to get away and unwind after being cooped up in their homes for the past year while riding out the pandemic.

So far this year, the property owner said, they have had 1,075 nights booked, and absolutely none of them have cancelled at all… even after having raised their regular rental rates by 200 percent to take advantage of the demand.

In addition, property owners say, bookings for April currently appear to be on par with March, which experts say is an excellent sign for Las Vegas as a whole, since tourists will be further bolstering the local economy with their spending. 

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – According to reports, there are mere days before the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) eviction moratorium is set to expire, and Las Vegas renters and landlords alike are speculating as to what the administration of President Joe Biden will do next. Will the government let the moratorium finally end – triggering an immediate flood of mass evictions nationwide – or will they issue yet another extension and further burden landlords across the country?

Originally, the CDC eviction moratorium was put into force in September, and former President Donald Trump extended it until January; President Biden then extended it further until March 31, which as of now is just days away. The reasoning behind the moratorium was to help curb the spread of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic by preventing homelessness that would inevitably expose more people to the virus.

The recently-passed American Rescue Plan contains over $25 billion in emergency rental assistance, in addition to other monies earmarked for utilities such as heat and electricity. However, it did not contain an extension on the CDC eviction ban as some were expecting.

Advocates for those financially impacted by the pandemic are expecting Biden to issue an extension for several months, and are even entertaining the chance that that the moratorium will be beefed up in ways, offering yet more layers of protection to families that are unable to meet their rent obligations… as well as those who can, but are “gaming the system” to get free room and board.

Recent news indicates that Biden is at the very least considering an extension of the eviction moratorium, and some experts believe that a decision has already been made on the matter. Reportedly, a representative from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has contacted housing advocates recently to get their opinions on how to streamline paperwork that tenants can utilize to gain immunity from being evicted due to financial constraints.

Stay tuned for more news in the upcoming days concerning any possible updates to the eviction ban, and the ramifications such news may have upon both Las Vegas renters and landlords.

JUST IN: White House Extends COVID Eviction Moratorium Through June As Millions Struggle To Pay Rent – NBCNews.com – March 29, 2021, 7:23 AM PT

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – A local news outlet recently ran an opinion piece written by a struggling local mom-and-pop landlord and the financial hurdles that are constantly being placed in their path as a result of the ongoing pandemic, driving home the point that it’s not only renters who are suffering in myriad ways due to COVID-19.

Sarah Savko wrote the opinion piece in reaction to a column written on Assembly Bill 141, a proposed piece of legislation that, if passed, would seal eviction records incurred during the pandemic – not allowing future landlords to know if a renter has a history of not paying rent – as well as giving long-term renters greatly increased amounts of time to vacate after being served with a no-cause eviction. The column in question viewed Bill 141 as a positive development for hard-hit renters that would give them “a degree of respect.”

However, Savko, herself a local independent landlord, felt it necessary to share the other side of the story, and how Bill 141 – if passed – could greatly exacerbate an already intolerable situation for many in her position.

Savko notes that she has a tenant for the one property that she owns, and that tenant has not paid their rent in months, despite currently being consistently employed throughout the pandemic at a job that pays $80,000 a year; current eviction moratoriums in-place allow renters who claim to be financially impacted by COVID – often without having to provide any proof at all – safeguarded from evictions.

This has forced Savko – who relies on her rental income to pay her own rent and fund her costly cancer treatments – to dip into her savings, and as a result her personal funds have been greatly diminished while being forced to provide free room and board for her own tenant, without any assistance from local government.

It got even worse when the tenant – who was on a month-to-month lease agreement – told her that they have signed a CDC moratorium form, and offered to pay Savko the back rent owed only if she agreed to extend his lease to a full year.

Thankfully, Savko realized that this was most likely an attempt to coerce a full year of free rent from her, since the tenant had already proved to be more than willing to game the system at her expense; why, with a one-year lease under their belt, would the tenant bother paying anything going forward?

Currently, Savko is owed over $10,000 and the amount continues climbing while she is struggling to survive on social security and her retirement savings while a tenant who makes twice what she does is bleeding her dry due to statewide pandemic-based eviction bans that heavily favor renters in almost every regard.

Savko worked hard and purchased her rental property to, in her words, “allow me some sort of stability later in life.” Sadly, she feels that the state of Nevada has failed landlords like her during this pandemic, and in that sense it is hard to argue with her; if Assembly Bill 141 passes in the Nevada legislature, it may fail her all the more.

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – According to reports, a new proposed bill that would give Nevada tenants more notice before evictions can take place is receiving pushback from groups representing landlords who claim that it would decrease the state’s already low amount of affordable rental housing, in addition to causing yet more hardship for struggling “mom-and-pop” landlords who are already feeling the financial crunch due to ongoing eviction bans.

The bill, AB141, is sponsored by Assemblyman Howard Watts (D-Las Vegas), and if passed it would require landlords to give some long-term tenants two or three months of prior notice (depending on how long the tenant has lived there) before a “no cause” eviction can take place; under current rules, a landlord only has to give 30 days’ notice. A “no cause” eviction is when a landlord decides to evict a tenant for any reason, as opposed to a case where they have violated the rules of their lease agreement or not paid their rent.

Another aspect of AB141 is that it would automatically seal the records of anyone evicted during the ongoing pandemic, which is expected to begin happening en-masse when both state and federal eviction moratoriums run out at the end of March (unless they are extended). In other words, prospective new landlords would have no way of knowing if a new tenant had been evicted from their previous home or apartment for non-payment of rent.

“Assembly Bill 41 really is aimed at preventing homelessness,” Watts said. “As a result of the pandemic, Nevada is on the cliff of a major eviction crisis.”

AB141 does not change the process for a “summary eviction,” which is when a tenant needs to be quickly evicted due to non-payment of rent.

Realtors and the state apartment association have argued against the bill, claiming that government further intruding upon their business would most likely result in many landlords – many of whom are small, low-income mom-and-pop operations – selling off their rental units at a time when more are sorely needed in the region. Current eviction bans, landlords say, are costing them $15 million per month in Clark County alone.

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – Throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, nearly all corners of society have been feeling the economic pinch as jobs have been lost and businesses closed, leaving millions without the means to provide for basic needs such as food and shelter. Numerous eviction bans – both on the local and federal level – have helped people remain in their homes and apartments instead of being turned out on the street, but at the same time these measures have simply served to transfer the hardship from one party to another… in this instance, landlords.

Currently, Nevada has two active eviction bans in place; a federal one, recently extended by President Joe Biden, and a statewide mandate put in place by Governor Steve Sisolak, with both due to expire at the end of March, unless yet another extension is granted… which could very well happen.

A recent editorial has shined light on the plight of landlords during this period, many of whom are small mom-and-pop operations without major financial backing… just average people struggling to make ends meet, who feel that their personal property has essentially been “hijacked” by the government during the pandemic.

Joe Gelman is a former Las Vegas resident who, years ago, moved to Virginia but kept his Vegas property as a rental; in June of this year, he informed his tenant that he would be selling the home to help pay for college for his children. At that point, the tenant cut off communication and stopped paying rent and other fees, forcing Gelman to dig deep to cover the expenses himself to the tune of $950+ a month.

When Governor Sisolak’s initial eviction ban ended in October, Gelman successfully had his tenant evicted, but upon appeal – and a new national eviction ban put into place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – the tenant was allowed to remain in Gelman’s home – which he is not even allowed access to, let alone to inspect – rent-free, where they remain to this day.

The government is prohibited from taking private property for public use without “just compensation” via the Fifth Amendment, but Gelman said that he feels that his property “has literally been confiscated” from him, and he doesn’t know what to do about it.

“Basically, the property has been hijacked with the full backing of the government,” he said. “There has been no consideration as to my rights as owner of the property at all. This is clearly unconstitutional. I’m going to be out thousands of dollars. All I want is my property or to be compensated for my property.”

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.