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Property Management Blog

Blog Post How to write a pet policy for rental properties

How to write a pet policy for rental properties

By Yellow Key PM Thursday, August 27, 2026
If you own a rental home in the Naperville area and you're still on the fence about pets, you're not alone. We talk to owners every week who have either lost a good tenant over a no-pet rule or, on the flip side, ended up with $1,200 in carpet damage because they never pu...
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Blog Post What to look for in tenant references

What to look for in tenant references

By Yellow Key PM Friday, August 21, 2026
Most landlords know they should check tenant references. Fewer know how to do it in a way that actually catches problems.A glowing reference feels good. It moves the process along. It lets you tell yourself you did your due diligence. But we've seen firsthand how a polished r...
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Blog Post How to check rental history and contact previous landlords

How to check rental history and contact previous landlords

By Yellow Key PM Thursday, August 13, 2026
Most landlords in Naperville and across DuPage County think they're screening tenants. What they're actually doing, in a lot of cases, is checking a credit score and calling it a day.That's not screening. That's wishful thinking.A credit score tells you how someon...
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Blog Post The Eviction Process for Landlords in IL: A Step-by-Step Guide

The Eviction Process for Landlords in IL: A Step-by-Step Guide

By Yellow Key PM Monday, July 27, 2026
Most landlords never want to think about eviction. We get it. Nobody gets into rental property ownership hoping to end up in a courtroom. But here's the thing most experienced investors already know: a slow, emotional, drawn-out eviction almost always costs more than a fast, ...
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Blog Post How to Market a Rental Property and Fill Vacancies Fast

How to Market a Rental Property and Fill Vacancies Fast

By Yellow Key PM Monday, July 20, 2026
You own a rental property. The last tenant just gave notice. And now you're staring at a countdown clock you can't pause.Every day that unit sits empty costs you money. On a $2,000/month rental, a single week of vacancy runs about $467 in lost rent. A month? You're do...
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Blog Post Rental Property Maintenance: What Landlords Are Responsible For

Rental Property Maintenance: What Landlords Are Responsible For

By Yellow Key PM Monday, July 13, 2026
Most rental property owners don't realize how much legal exposure sits inside a broken furnace or a soft spot on a roof. You bought an investment property, not a second job fielding contractor calls at 6:30 on a Saturday morning. But the law doesn't much care about your s...
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Blog Post How to verify income and employment for rental applicants

How to verify income and employment for rental applicants

By Yellow Key PM Thursday, July 2, 2026
Most landlords don't lose money on bad tenants because they got unlucky. They lose money because they skipped a step they knew they should have taken.We're talking about income and employment verification. Not the "they said they make enough" version. The actual...
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Blog Post What does a credit check show landlords (and what score is good enough)

What does a credit check show landlords (and what score is good enough)

By Yellow Key PM Wednesday, July 1, 2026
Most rental property owners we talk to fall into one of two camps. The first checks a credit score, sees something above 650, and approves the application. The second obsesses over the number alone and misses the whole story underneath it. Neither approach is right.If you own a r...
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Blog Post How to run a background check on a rental applicant

How to run a background check on a rental applicant

By Yellow Key PM Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Most rental property owners think they're doing thorough screening. Then they find out six months into a lease that they weren't.We've talked to landlords across DuPage County, Kane County, and suburban Cook County who thought a credit check was a background check. Th...
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Blog Post Rent Collection for Landlords: How to Get Paid On Time Every Month

Rent Collection for Landlords: How to Get Paid On Time Every Month

By Yellow Key PM Friday, May 29, 2026
If you own a rental property, you already know the monthly rent check is the whole point. It's what makes the mortgage payment, covers the insurance, funds the repairs, and hopefully leaves something in your pocket. So when that payment doesn't show up on time, everything...
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