Springboard Offers Complimentary Rental Counseling to Residents of Maryland and Nevada
Riverside, CA (PRWEB) January 27, 2014 -- Residents of Maryland and Nevada now have an opportunity to learn vital information about their renters’ rights and responsibilities thanks to a new rental counseling platform offered by Springboard Nonprofit Consumer Credit Management, Inc. (“Springboard”). The Rent4Success® rental counseling program is the nation’s first rental counseling platform designed to educate and empower more responsible renters. As an interactive online course, the Rent4Success® program is designed to educate consumers on (1) how to understand the terms of a lease agreement; (2) how to calculate rent affordability; (3) how to manage a financial crisis and; (4) how to develop a realistic household budget. The online portion of the course is followed by a 30-minute personalized telephone budgeting session with a certified financial counselor. During this segment of the course, the counselor will evaluate the client’s current financial situation, develop a personalized action plan and issue a certificate of completion. Participants will have access to additional resources such as Springboard’s popular online financial education and budgeting tools.
“A new applicant who recently completed the Rent4Success® program has moved in and is a model resident. She is doing amazing and has been able to pay her rent early since moving in,” said Kellie Gilkeson, leasing consultant for Park View at Dundalk, an apartment community for seniors located in Dundalk, Maryland.
Property management companies in Maryland and Nevada can benefit from the Rent4Sucess® program by partnering with Springboard to create stronger communities. Rent4Success® allows managers to register their individual properties and provides direct access to Springboard’s counseling services for new applicants or struggling residents. Rent4Success® can also help improve the rental experience for current residents. More than 100 multi-family properties in over six states are now registered to take advantage of this unique program.
“This is a holistic program that will improve lives and change possibilities by providing a wrap-around service to address the financial education needs of the beginning renter to the prospective homebuyer,” said Heather Shanahan, Springboard’s director of program development. “Rent4Succes®s is a win-win for the renter and property manager,” added Shanahan.
The Rent4Success® program is built on a series of four modules, with each step focusing on a different aspect of the rental process. Since the program is designed for both experienced renters and individuals and families seeking rental counseling for the first time, it includes a range of topics including how to best select a unit, how to understand complex lease terms, how to manage a personal budget, and how to manage credit in preparation for a future home purchase. Renters will gain from an increased knowledge of their financial obligations, while landlords will see the advantages of a well-informed renter through decreases in late or missed payments, longer rental terms, and a more stable property environment.
The Rent4Success® program is available nationwide to all consumers and property managers. Springboard was awarded funding from the Attorney General Settlement Funds in the states of Maryland and Nevada and has applied these resources towards the Rent4Success® program, which is available at no cost to these residents as an ongoing effort to help stabilize and improve the housing recovery progression.
For additional information on Rent4Success®, visit http://www.RentalCounseling.org or call 855-973-6847.
About Springboard Nonprofit Consumer Credit Management, Inc.
SPRINGBOARD® Nonprofit Consumer Credit Management is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit personal financial education and counseling organization founded in 1974 with the mission of improving the financial well-being of individuals and families. Springboard is a HUD-approved housing counseling agency and a member of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling and Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies. Springboard offers personal financial education and assistance in credit counseling, housing counseling, debt and money management, pre-bankruptcy counseling and debtor education through educational programs and confidential coaching. Springboard is accredited by the Council on Accreditation, signifying the highest standards for agency governance, fiscal integrity, counselor certification and service delivery policies. Counseling is available by telephone nationwide or in-person at office locations in California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Massachusetts, South Carolina, Florida and Maryland. For more information on Springboard, please call 800-449-9818 or visit their web site at http://www.Springboard.org.
Sheri Stuart, Springboard Nonprofit Consumer Credit Management, Inc., http://www.Springboard.org, +1 951.779.7750, [email protected]
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