NJ Landlord Help Center and FAQs

Learn about Services for Landlords
Why is Garden State Apartments the right place to post my listings?
What do you charge for your services? Are there several packages?
How does billing work? Why am I being billed?
What methods of payment do you accept?
Will I receive a different listing ID # for all of them?
Do you screen tenants?
Can you assure me that my email address won’t be sold or published?
My listings are not getting the best exposure on your website; how can we improve this?
My listing has been rented, how do I remove it and do I stop any daily charges?
How do I extend my service with your website?
What should I do if I decide not to rent to the applicant?

Registration Help
I am having trouble finishing my registration / activation process, what do I do?
I have a lot of rental units, is this there a better membership for me?

Listing a Vacancy
I am not familiar with email and I don’t have an email address. What do you suggest?
I have many units for rent; do I have to list each and every listing?
I am having trouble posting my listing on your website, what should I do?
How do I change or update my listing?
How do I make sure my Global ad is not running and I do not receive any more daily charges?
Can I use this service if I am already working with a real estate agent?
What if my units have features that are not included in your options for features?
Should I include all my contact information or should I screen some of it?
How do I upgrade to a Premium Membership?
How do I upgrade to a Global Ad?
Can I unpublish my ad by emailing you?
I am not getting a response from my listing.  What is wrong?

Technical Help
How do I make Garden State Apartments my homepage?
What do I do if I have trouble loading one of the pages/photographs on your website?
How do I edit my contact information?
How do I update a photograph on your website?
I am not seeing my city as one of your options, what should I do?
How can I unsubscribe to your email service?
Can I call for assistance?

Billing Help
How do I update my billing information?
How do I downgrade my auto-renewal for Premium membership?

Misc.
I paid for your service to list my properties, but they are not showing up on your website.
How do I advertise my business on Garden State Apartments?
How do I contact potential tenants?

ABOUT THE SERVICES FOR NJ LANDLORDS

1. Why is Garden State Apartments the right place for me to post my listings?
A: Why smaller landlords should choose Garden State Apartments

• Flexible rental advertising with no cost and low cost services (what is the difference?)
• Garden State Apartments has the ability to reach thousands of tenants daily
• Award-winning system has an easy to use interface, local resources and tools
• Have your properties seen next to some of the state's biggest complexes
• Be contacted directly by serious tenants through your property listing via email or telephone
• Relationships with local organizations, institutions and much more

2. What do you charge for your services? Are there several packages?
A: For smaller landlords with less than 35 units, The NJ Apartment MLS offers both no cost and low cost NJ rental listing services.  If you are looking for a higher level of exposure and additional landlord tools, you can always upgrade your account to Premium Membership.  To learn about which membership is better for you, visit the NJ Landlord options page.

3.  How does the billing work?  Why am I being billed?
A: Global advertising and premium memberships are paid for by any major credit card.  Your advertising is billed to the card on file at the end of each month for the previous month's advertising usage. 

For example, if you are a Standard landlord that ran a global ad for 10 days in April, your credit card statement will be billed in the beginning of May for your April advertsing usage of $7.90.  To verify that you will not receive any additional charges, you can log in to your account and click 'Manage' to check the status of your ads.  If your ad is listed as 'Unpublished', there will not be any future charges until you re-publish your ad.  

Tip:  Use the 'Publish Until' feature to set a date in advance for when you'd like to turn off your rental listing on the system. 

.4. What methods of payment do you accept?
A: Global advertising and premium memberships accept all major credit cards.

5. Will I receive a different listing ID # for all of my properties?
A: Yes, once you create a user account and begin to post your vacancies a unique ID number will be assigned to each individual posting. Listings will never share the same ID number.

6. Do you screen tenants?
A: No, we do not screen tenants. Our service allows tenants to directly contact landowners and leasing agents. After you find a renter you are interested in, we provide access to services that will allow you to run credit, criminal, and eviction searches at some of the lowest prices anywhere! NJ Tenant Screening Services.

7. Can you assure me that my email address won’t be sold or published?
A: The NJ Apartment MLS is here to help your rent properties by uniting you with prospective tenants. Garden State Apartments does not share, sell or present your personal information to anyone unless you ask to learn mor about their services.  Please visit the privacy policy and terms and services page for more information.

Your email address will NOT be sold.
If you are emailed, it will be related to your moving needs.

Your phone number will NOT be sold.
If you are called, it will be related to your moving needs.

8. My listings are not getting the best exposure on your website; how can we improve this?
A: GardenStateApartments offers Premium membership that boosts your listing to the top of relevant search results and broadcasts your ad on other websites as a courtesy.  This service allows your listings to gain more exposure across the Internet.  Learn more about Premium Landlord Membership here.

Tip:  Remember to refresh your ad often to make sure it is as close to the number one position as possible.

9. My listing has been rented, how do I remove it and stop any daily charges?
A: When your listing has been rented, you can log-in and 'Unpublish' your listing. This will ensure that your apartment will no longer be displayed to the public as available and stops any charges from that day going forward.

When your listing is 'Unpublished', it will be stored in the system to allow for easy access in the future.  There is no cost to store your 'Unpublished' ads on the system for future re-publication.

10. How do I extend my service with your website?
A: If you are a member in good standing with a current account, your membership will not expire from the website. If you'd like to extend the length of time your ad runs on the system, be sure to 'Refresh' your ad.  Otherwise your 'Apartment' ad will automatically unpublish in 60 days;  but the system will automatically refresh your 'Building' ad every 30 days.  You will be occasionally be contacted via telephone or email to inquire about the status of your GardenStateApartments.com listing.

11. What should I do if I decide not to rent to the applicant?
A: The purpose of this system is to bring the property owner and the renter together. The decision to rent is up to the owner.  We strongly urge that all transactions comply with federal and NJ fair housing laws. Learn more about NJ Fair Housing Laws here.

REGISTRATION HELP

12. I am having trouble finishing my reigstration / activation process, what do I do?
A: If you are having trouble finishing your registration / activation or just receiving emails from us, you can either A) check your "Bulk Mail" folder in your email system, or B) Setup your email system to receive our emails (Whitelisting) by clicking here.

12a. I have a lot of rental units, is there a better membership for me?
Depending on the number of units you manage and the size of your buildings, a better membership may be available for you.  For property owners with more than 35 units, have someone at The NJ Apartment MLS review your portfolio by contacting the Membership Services Team.  

LISTING A VACANCY

13. I am not familiar with email and I don’t have an email address. What do you suggest?
A: There are several free email providers available in order for you to create an account. These providers include step by step tutorials to familiarize you with the process. If you are still uncomfortable with email, you can have someone you trust help you setup your account and listings.  If you are still having trouble, membership on this system is probably not for you.

14. I have many units for rent; do I have to list each and every listing?
A: Once you have setup your account, your information will be saved and you can manage your advertising as vacancies arise. If your units reside in many different locations, we encourage you to list them all as 'Apartments' separately.

However, if you have multiple units in a single building, GardenStateApartments.com features the “Create a Building” feature which will allow you to create a building so that amenities and features can be carried over to all of the vacancies in that building. This feature will allow you to group vacancies by building for easier management and vacancy advertising.  Properties listed as 'Buildings' will automatically refresh approximately every 30 days.

15. I am having trouble posting my listing on your website, what should I do?
A: If you are having trouble posting your listing, make sure you have created and logged into your account. Once you have registered be sure you have completed all required fields in order to post a vacancy. If you need help, put your mouse over the "?" to learn more about what should go in that field.  If you are still having trouble, try filling out the fields with the red * first and submit it.  Then click on 'edit' to add additional details. 

If you are still having trouble, contact the technical services desk with as much detail as possible so that we may investigate further.

16. How do I change or update my listing?
A: After you list your property, you can change the content of your ad at any time. You can make changes to your ad 24/7 at your convenience with changes taking place instantly.  To do so a ccess your account, select "Manage Listings" and then click “Edit” to make your changes.

16a.  How do I make sure my Global ad is not running and I do not receive any more daily charges?
A:  Log-in to your account and manage your listings to make sure that all of your ads are 'Unpublished'  or 'Limited' and you did not have an ad running as 'Global' during that month.  If you do, then you will be billed:  See #3.  To stop the charges after the current month, switch your ad to 'Limited' or 'Unpublished' to stop the daily charges.

17.  Can I use this system if I am already working with a real estate agent?
A: Yes, you can either add your contact information or your real estate agent's information to your listing.  In fact, you should always ask your real estate agent if they are part of Garden State Apartments so that they are getting the most exposure for your rental listing.  Make sure you review your rental contract to find out your obligations to the brokerage firm.  See #19 for more help.

18. What if my units have features that are not included in your options for features?
A: Although your feature may not be included in our options, you can include a brief description of any extra features, restrictions, or amenities you'd like to highlight.

19. Should I include all my contact information or should I screen some of it?
A: Once you complete registration, you have full control over the contact information for each listing. You can create public/leasing contact information separate from your personal account information.  This is particuarly useful if you are working with a rental agent to help you locate a tenant for your property.

20. How do I upgrade to Landlord Premium Membership?
The first step is to Log-in using your username and password. If you can’t remember your username or password, enter your email address here. Once you log-in, click on the tab that says MY ACCOUNT. This tab is located on the NJ Landlord’s Dashboard which can be found on top of the page.

Clicking on the MY ACCOUNT link will take you to your profile page. At this point you can Upgrade to a Premium Membership by clicking on the UPGRADE MEMBERSHIP link which is located under the Account Information section. Clicking on UPGRADE MEMBERSHIP will take you to a secure payment page which requires your billing information. All major credit cards are accepted.

21. How do I upgrade to a Global Ad?
Log-in using your username and password. If you can’t remember your username or password, enter your email address here. Once you log-in, you will notice a section (located on the left hand side of the screen) with YOUR RECENT LISTINGS. Next to the listing you will notice that you can either view or edit the listing.

Choose the EDIT option and it will link you to your listing. Then under the Listing View Type section you want to change your listing from a LIMITED to a GLOBAL listing. If this is your first Global ad, you will also have to update your Billing Information in order for the ad to go Global. You can update you Billing Information by clicking on the link that says Update Billing Information. This will take you to a secure payment page at which point you would fill in and submit your billing information, and upon approval your ad will be Global.

21a. Can I unpublish my ad by emailing you?
A: Sending an email or using the contact form will not unpublish your listing or stop the charges for a Global listing.  Landlords MUST unpublish their ads by logging-in to their account and switching their listing to 'Unpublished'.  There are no charges for having your property stored on the system as 'Unpublished' for future use. 

21b. I am not getting a response from my listing.  What is wrong?
A: The NJ Apartment MLS provides landlords the ability to advertise their vacancy to thousands of renters daily . You can see the number of times that your listing has shown up in search results and the number of times your property has been viewed by prospective renters by clicking on 'Manage'. 

There are a number of factors that impact the response you have from your ad.  The most critical ones are demand in the neighborhood, pricing versus the competition, the time of year your property is available, the atttractiveness of your photographs, and your sales copy.  Remember, to help you track the success of your overall advertising campaign, remember to ALWAYS ask prospects how they heard about your property. 

Tip:  Remember to refresh your ad often to make sure it is as close to the number one position as possible and 'Global' ads always get a better response than 'Limited' ads.

TECHNICAL HELP

22. How do I make Garden State Apartments my homepage?
A: In order to set Garden State Apartments as your homepage, start by opening your Control Panel which is located in the Start Menu. Once open, click on Network and Internet Connections followed by Internet Options. Highlight the General Tab at the top of the page and you will be presented with three boxes. Home Page will be the first box; type www.GardenStateApartments.com in the space provided and click Apply.

23. What do I do if I have trouble loading one of the pages/photographs on your website?
A: If a page or image does not load, try selecting the refresh button located on the menu bar. It could be due to a slow connection to the server that is causing the delay. After trying this with no results, contact the technical services desk so that we may investigate and correct the problem.

24. How do I edit my contact information?
A: First log into your account. Once logged in you can edit a listing’s contact information individually or you can update your profile and apply these changes to all of your listings. All changes will take effect immediately.

25. How do I update a photograph on your website?
A: All images must me JPEG format (.jpg file). If you know how to produce digital photos with a digital camera or scanner, you can add them to your listing.

26. I am not seeing my city as one of your options, what should I do?
A: The city name you enter must be an exact match of the city name that displays in the address of your listing. Also, try searching by zip code or neighborhood. If you are unable to locate your city among the results, contact the technical services desk for further instruction.

27. How can I unsubscribe to your email service?
A: To unsubscribe, simply edit your email preferences in your account.

27a. Can I call for assistance?
A: The NJ Apartment MLS does NOT provide phone support.  With thousands of landlord members parpticipating in the system, Garden State Apartments has developed a self-service system that helps landlords manage their properties, find local resources, and advertise their vacant apartments.  If you need assistance, listing your vacancies, mouse over the '?' on the listing intake form.  Or, if you have general questions,  check this Help Center.  And if you still cannot find the answer to your question, you can add it to this page by contacting the technical services desk.

Billing Help

27b. How do I update my billing information?
A: To update your billing and credit card information, log-in to your account and click on 'My Profile'.  Here you can update your 'Billing Info' and then notify the Accounting department by emailing Billing at GardenStateApartments.com.  Another option available is to fax in this form with your updated credit card information.

27c.  How do I downgrade my auto-renewal for Premium membership?
A: If you are a landlord member whose annual Premium membership auto-renewed, you can contact the landlord services desk within 30 days of auto-renewal to have your membership downgraded to standard membership. 

MISC.

28. I paid for your service to list my properties, but they are not showing up on your website.
A: If the search results do not show your most recent rental posting, first make sure that your ad is switched to 'Published'.  If your listing is switched to 'Published', the search criteria may be to narrow. Try searching a broader scope of information. If you still do not see your posting contact the technical services desk so we may investigate the matter further.

29. How do I advertise my business with Garden State Apartments?
A: To advertise your business with Garden State Apartments, click here to learn more and complete the form to tell us more about your business for inclusion in the Resources Directory and Banner Advertising. We will email you back with information if your company is a possible fit.

30. How do I contact potential tenants?
A: Tenants will contact you directly via phone, email, or fax. Once they have contacted you, you can take down their contact information directly and contact them at your earliest convenience.  In the near future, the NJ Apartment MLS will allow listing members to contact active renters directly.