American History 1988
Chapter 40 - 37 More Rent Collection

Chapter 40: Chapter 37 More Rent Collection

"To screen tenants, we need a powerful tool!" Dean switched the webpage on his computer screen, clicking into the hard drive he had brought with him.

"This is another piece of software I’ve developed, called ’Collect More Rent’~"

Collect More Rent? That name... is damn simple and straightforward, a thought that popped up in most people’s minds present.

"Buddy, I must say the name is easy to understand. But how does it help us collect more rent? It’s not like with this software, my tenants will just willingly cough up the money," one of the few black men in the room stood up and questioned Dean’s software.

And hearing his question, a low chuckle spread through the crowd. Every landlord wants to collect more rent, but getting the money is an art in itself.

Facing everyone’s laughter, Dean also smiled. He pointed at the black guy and nodded in agreement, "Buddy, that’s a good question."

Seeing Dean’s confident demeanor, the laughter subsided and curiosity set in. They too wanted to know, how to collect more rent.

"So how do we collect more rent?" As if knowing what they were thinking, Dean smiled mysteriously, "Let’s take a look at this tool."

Skilfully launching the DCAP that had been reskinned, Dean entered the somewhat familiar search interface.

"Just like what Miss Susie said earlier, the most important thing about renting is screening tenants. You don’t know what kind of people your tenants are, whether they have any eviction records or other criminal behaviors, and possible credit issues.

Once you deal with tenants with a lengthy criminal history, congratulations. Your collaboration with them will most likely end up in court."

Dean’s words made many nod in agreement. In America, attending several eviction hearings in a month is nothing out of the ordinary.

"But now with the ’Collect More Rent’ software, it’s different," Dean clicked on the search box, tempting the landlords below, "Before it, no one can hide."

What does that mean? The crowd looked at each other, many of them never having dealt with such operations.

Seeing that people still didn’t understand, Dean simply clapped his hands encouragingly, "Come on, let’s do an experiment. Who wants to try it with their tenant? Just say their name, regardless of race or skin color, regardless of sex or age."

"Jeff Thomas," a voice came from below, and when Dean turned his gaze, he realized it was an old acquaintance.

"Alright, Lenny, let’s go with him." Dean smiled and nodded at him, then he typed the name into the search box.

Click, he pressed the Enter key, and lines of information swiftly appeared on the computer screen.

"Wow~ Lenny, you’re in luck, this Jeff Thomas has no criminal record. And even..." Dean scrolled down, "he has a Pontiac in his name, looks like he comes from a well-off family."

"Yes!" Lenny excitedly pumped his fist, "I knew that guy looked like a rich kid."

The tenant that Lenny had just verified was the one who rented his house through the Price’s List, also Roger’s classmate.

Lenny was renting his property online for the first time, so he was a bit worried. But the results relieved him of any second thoughts.

If it was a rich family’s son, then he had no reason to worry about the rent. Besides, Dean was right – he saw that Jeff driving a red Firebird, flaunting it around town.

"Dean, this is just fucking amazing! With this, I’ll keep those scumbags away from my property," Lenny had already thought of how to use the ’Collect More Rent.’ It would definitely be a weapon for landlords.

"Lenny, that’s the power of ’Collect More Rent.’ It will filter out the most innocent tenants for you, eliminating potential rent default risks. That’s how you collect more rent!"

Dean was right, if the risk of rent default was minimized, it would mean collecting more rent for the landlords.

In Youngstown, there are thousands of eviction cases every year because of rent issues. The court might rule in favor of the landlord, but it doesn’t help recover the rent.

For landlords who incur losses from eviction cases, they could effectively give away their property for several months of the year for free – the total amount of missed rent is not a small sum.

If this software really is that magical, then...

Seeing the eager eyes of the crowd below, Dean smiled.

"Anyone else want to give it a try?" He pointed to the software on the computer, generously extending the invitation to everyone.

"Me!" "Over here!"..., this time the responses were much more enthusiastic. Lenny’s earlier example had already proven that it seemed legit.

"Let me try!" The black dude who initially questioned Dean stood up right away, climbing onto the couch to raise his hand.

"Okay~" Dean gestured to him, "Give me a name."

"Redmond Ortiz," the African American gave a name without hesitation, clearly leaving a deep impression on him.

"Alright, let’s take another look at this tenant," Dean tapped gently on the keyboard, "Oh~Shit! Brother, you hit the jackpot!"

Dean pointed at the information on the screen, reading aloud, "Redmond Ortiz, in the past two years, has had four eviction records. Not only that, but he has also been accused of unlawful entry, use of illegal drugs, theft, and other charges, with two prison records in the last twenty years."

"Mother F*cker! I knew it! I knew he was scum!" The black landlord was livid, jumping down from the couch and pacing the floor.

"I felt something was off the last time I walked past his place, the smell was just too damn much like leaves. I’m gonna kick him out! Tomorrow I’m serving him an eviction notice, I don’t want to get involved in troubles."

"Okay~Okay~" Dean signaled him to calm down, "At least now we know, and it’s not too late."

"You’re right, man!" The black landlord stopped pacing, looking eagerly at Dean, "This thing really lives up to its name, I need it! I need it!"

The black landlord didn’t just have one set of apartments; he had over a dozen tenants. And most crucially, his properties were located in the high-risk areas of the north and east of the city.

Dean’s "Rent Collector" software was like it was custom-made for him. Although it might cost something, it’s worth it, isn’t it?

He wasn’t the only one with that thought; after seeing this miraculous software, all the landlords present felt like they had their eyes opened.

Ah-ha, it looks like the results are pretty good. From everyone’s expressions, Dean knew that the business deal was going to happen.

"Look at this, ’Rent Collector,’ our weapon as landlords!" Dean spread his arms, shouting with encouragement, "With it, we can minimize the rent losses we suffer each year!"

"Yah!" Around forty to fifty landlords present, voiced their agreement in unison.

"So, is it free as well?" At that moment, Kent Hills, who was hosting the meeting, asked with a smile.

"Ha-ha~" "Oh~" As soon as he finished speaking, the laughter and jeering started around the hall.

"Come on!" Dean shrugged with a smile, "That wouldn’t be very American, would it?"

"Ha-ha~" Another round of laughter ensued below; everyone knew it was a joke.

Dean had put in the effort and presented "Rent Collector"; therefore, it was only fitting for them to pay a little price for it. Just like how they provide apartments and tenants pay rent in return, it was perfectly reasonable.

"I did use some connections at the courthouse for this, you know," Dean added, half-seriously.

"Courthouse?" Kent raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

Dean just smiled and didn’t explain further. But the less he said, the more Kent was convinced of his suspicion.

To pull up such detailed personal information, without having the right connections, that would really be something.

"Alright, about ’Rent Collector,’ I’ve already proven its value. So, does anyone have an interest?" Dean raised the sickle, ready to start reaping the harvest.

"Of course!" "I need it!" "Come on, brother, just name your price!" The eager voices of the crowd returned to him.

"Okay~, because of its special nature, I’ll be charging per use," Dean offered his pricing strategy.

"Charge per use?" The crowd was a bit puzzled.

"That’s right, $19 per use!" Dean revealed a smile that seemed honest through and through.