CT Real Estate Today March Edition

Landlord v. Savvy Tenant: Landlord/Tenant Attorney explains tactics used by tenants to out maneuver landlords.

Refreshing or Dangerous?

Facts You Need To Know About Screening Potential Tenants On The CT Judicial Website March 2019

Learn the potential hazards that could be contaminating your drinking water.

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FEATURED ARTICLES Publisher’s Message: CTPOA President outlines the busy month of March, highlighting important upcoming events and CTPOA’s legislative reach.

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Are You Contaminating Your Own Drinking Water? Environmental expert provides warning signs of contaminated water and proactive steps homeowners can take to keep their water supply clean.

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Screening Rental Applicants: Facts You Need To Know about Screening Potential Tenants on the CT Judicial Website.

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From the Desk of the Association Executive: National Association of REALTORS ® Unveils “That’s Who We R” Campaign.

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Insulate Your House, Feel the Savings.

Statewide Events

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10 Are Your Passwords Strong?

Tips and tricks to creating a more secure password.

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The Savvy Tenant: Trends in Tenant Practices and How Landlords Can Stay Ahead of the Game.

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Publisher’s Message “Helping Property Owners Since 1994” Bob De Cosmo, President

Bob De Cosmo began purchasing and managing rental real estate in 1982 and is a strong advocate for private property ownership right's in Connecticut.

The month of March is shaping up to be a busy one at CTPOA with events now scheduled in several cities; we also have new property owner chapters forming. Unfortunately, with so much legislation that we opposed being drafted into Bills, to help protect the rental housing industry we have ramped up our activates. Here are the highlights for our events this month.

Published by CTPOA

March 7th we will be at the New Britain Elks Lodge, 30 Washington ST starting at 5:30 with CBIA lobbyist Michelle Rakebrand.

Our goals; Educate our members on “Best Practices” for maximum efficiency Increase profitability by lowering operating expenses via vendor discounts Provide access to “Core Services” needed to better manage and maintain properties

Our Team: Emily Pacileo Carmine DeCosmo

This meet Valley Vie sultants. A from hom can provid event to le

Michelle will detail current events at the State Capitol and provide a crash course in lobbying the Legislature.

New Britain is one of the more politically active landlord groups in Connecticut and is enjoying its most recent success. Many of the CTPOA – New Britain members actively supported and then helped get the vote out for Gennaro Bizzarro who became the newly elected New Britain State Senator in last month’s special election.

March 21st starting at 5:30 PM we will be in Waterbury at Verdi Restaurant, 660 Park Road. At this event, Francis Ford, program director for Waterbury Healthy Homes and Michelle Molina of J. D’Amelia & Associates, the manager of Connecticut’s Section-8 Housing program will speak. The topic is HUD’s extraordinary lowering of their blood lead level that they consider a child to be poisoned from 20 to 5 micrograms and its immediate impact on all Section-8 rentals.

March 24 ing in New ny, 157 Ch man has b in New H lords to be working lo officials in ing point f put local b including 4

ting is being sponsored by Glenn Petelle of ew Windows and C2G Environmental ConApplications for grant money to abate lead mes will be available at this event. The program de up to $9,000 per unit, please come to this earn more.

4th we will be holding an organization meetw Haven at the offices of Freeman & Compahurch ST 19th floor at 11:00am. Naomi Freebeen planning with us to open a new chapter Haven and she will be helping to recruit landecome members. Naomi will also begin netocally with businesses, housing agencies and n the Elm City. New Haven will be the launchfor the CTPOA Vendor Program designed to businesses in touch with area property owners those who recently became homeowners.

March 28th that 6:00PM CTPOA will be at Nuchie’s Restaurant, 164 Central Street in the Forestville section of Bristol. We are re-opening a property owners’ group in Greater Bristol with help from Realtor Eryen Lalonde and the Mid-State Association of Realtors.

This event will be great for networking as Bristol was one of the largest property and best managed property owner groups in Connecticut until Karen Pio, the past president moved to Florida. Karen leaves behind a great legacy of advocating for landlords but also leaves big shoes to fill, we will try our best to continue with her excellent work in that city. Sponsors for the Bristol event are; TenantTracks, Carlene Shannon of Residential Mortgages Services and Richard Whitt, a real estate attorney….food included, cash bar.

Remember there is strength in numbers and if you are not a CTPOA member, please join by visiting www.ctpoa.com as you can attend these events for free.

We are leading the effort to protect the rental housing industry at the State Capitol and need more people involved so we stop all these harmful proposals. We also need to educate our legislators on the issues that impact housing and increase the dialogue by inviting legislators to our events. Landlords provide a valuable service by offering a place to live for those who can’t afford to buy a home.

Unfortunately, many legislators have a mistaken idea that landlords have endless-deep-pockets. They are pushing a political agenda that will cripple the housing market in Connecticut and drive up the cost of affordable housing. I hope to see you at our events. In April, we will be hosting a “Landlord Day at the State Capitol,” so Legislators can clearly hear from us; we’ll detail more about this important event next month.

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Are You Contaminating Your Own Drinking Water?

Are You By: Toni Hokanson, Director of Marketing and Training for C2G Environmental Consultants, LLC .

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 Never dump chemicals in the ground. Detergents lean drinking water is taken for granted in the Unitcan be flushed into a working septic system. Return ed States. Humans can live for weeks without food but used oil to your local recycling center or service staonly days without clean drinking water. Most homes tion. Check the Connecticut DEEP website for the and business’ in Connecticut, outside of cities, have indinext Household Hazardous Waste collection date vidual wells to provide drinking water. While there are for disposal of antifreeze, paint, electronics and othregulations and best practices established for the coner chemicals. struction of wells, it is the landowner’s responsibility to  Improperly built or maintained septic systems: ensure that the well is working correctly and the water is  Have your septic system inspected and routinely healthy to drink. Are you unintentionally polluting your maintained own water?  Regular use of antibacterial soaps and detergents can kill off the organisms needed for your septic system Wells are continually recharged with ground water. to perform optimally.

Most ground water comes from rain and melting snow soaking into the ground and filling the spaces between  Corrosion from old plumbing fixtures:  If your plumbing was installed prior to 1988 rocks and soils.  Pesticide use: Look for chemical free herbicides and use pesticides sparingly.

You could be contaminating  Improper handling or disposal of animal or other your drinking water by: waste:  Improper disposal of household chemicals:  Never bury animal feces in a dry well and do not 6

remove or replace the tank and save the testing costs. It is important to consider that no test can predict or prevent what will happen next year, or even the next week.

Do not flush expired prescriptions. Having an old tank (and piping) replaced with a modContact your local health department, pharmacist or ern double-walled aboveground or basement tank can police department for proper disposal. save money and anguish.

Be proactive:  Test your water annually for coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and PH levels. Additional testing may be needed if the water has a chemical taste or smell.  Check your wellhead for signs of cap damage; consider installing a new locking well cap. Take care in working or mowing near your well.  Check your aboveground oil tank regularly for signs of leakage or spill and replace any tank that is 20 years old or more.

When a tank is found to be leaking, additional work is required to determine the extent of the problem and the amount of cleanup required. It will be important to hire a qualified and experienced and licensed remediation contractor.

An experienced contractor will:  Provide you with a written estimate;  Provide a written contract with specific cost estimates based on site conditions;  Provide proof of insurance for the work to be performed;  Provide references; According to the American Petroleum Institute, 50% of  Obtain all required permits; bare steel tanks will develop leaks within 15 years. When Provide you with documentation of all work performed an underground tank or piping leaks, the cleanup can cost $20,000 or more. Many insurance policies contain a including: location of tank, shipping records of disposal, "pollution exclusion" clause, leaving you with 100% of analytical results of samples taken, and any additional work needed. the cost. In addition, if a leaky tank contaminates a neighbor’s property or well, the tank owner is liable for Keep all records in a safe place. They will be needany damage done and clean up required. In Connecticut, all spills and contamination must be reported to the ed should you want to sell or refinance your home.

Department of Energy and Environmental .Protection Keep all records in a safe place. They will be need(DEEP) ed should you want to sell or refinance your home.

Signs of a problem can include: 1. An unexplained increase in heating oil use; 2. Signs of a damaged tank or piping; 3. Soil that is stained or gives off strong oil odors; 4. A sheen on the ground water; 5. An unexplained area of brown “Burnt” grass.

If you suspect a leak, action should be taken immediately (within 24 hours) to minimize environmental damage and contain costs. Call the local DEEP office, the Spill Hotline at 1-866-337-7745, and an experienced, licensed environmental remediation contractor.

The absence of these signs is not a guarantee that there is no leak. If your tank is 15 years old, or less, you can have the tank and piping tested. For tanks 20 years old or greater it can be more cost effective to 7

IMPORTANT LINKS: EPA Drinking Water from Household wells; 19 pages PDF: http://water.epa.gov/drink/info/well/ upload/2003_06_03_privatewells_pdfs_house hold_wells.pdf Emergency Response and Spill Prevention: https://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp? a=2692&q=322572&deepNav_GID=1648 Residential Home Heating Oil Tanks: https://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp? a=2692&q=322578&deepNav_GID=1652

C2G Environmental Consultants Toni Hokanson is Director of Marketing and Training for C2G Environmental Consultants, LLC, a full service environmental company which provides oil tank removal and replacement, water and soil testing, spill cleanup, Ground Penetrating Radar and more.

C2G carries $5 Million in General Liability, Professional Liability and Pollution insurance.

For more information see: WWW.C2G.US or call 203-437-6717.

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Insulate Your House, Feel the Savings.

Adam Polce Energy AuditorHES Contractor Maximum Home Performance

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here are so many ways a you can increase your homes value. Adding a bathroom, remodeling a kitchen or executing that landscaping project you saw on HGTV are great options but, if you’re on a budget you may want to consider insulating instead. It’s a fraction of the cost and pays dividends immediately.

Types of Insulation There are a few options for residential insulation but the two most popular are fiberglass batt or blown cellulose. Both have been around for a long time but that doesn’t mean they are equal. Cellulose is becoming more and more popular due to the environmental impact as well as it’s superior R value and air sealing properties.

Installation Retrofitting cellulose insulation into existing homes also takes significantly less time than installing fiberglass batts. It is easily blown into wall cavities from the exterior of the home by drilling 2 ½ holes behind the siding and filling each wall cavity. So, while your home is being insulated you can go about your day and not 10

worry about dirty shoes or debris being tracked all over your house by contractors. Same goes for attic installation practices. A 4-inch hose is fed into the attic space and the cellulose is sent through the hose and into the attic from outside. With fiberglass, each batt needs to be carried through your house and into the attic in order to be installed which leads to fiberglass particles and debris left behind requiring a cleanup.

It Won’t Break the Bank With program rebates and federal tax credits, you won’t have to choose between insulation or a family vacation. A typical singlefamily home in CT runs less than the cost of a weekend on the beach.

Pictured is a real quote with real rebates. You’ll be surprised.

Comfort and Savings While the result of insulating your home will keep you from reaching for another blanket, it also will keep you from reaching in your wallet to pay your heating bill. You can expect to see an annual savings of at least a few hundred dollars which quite possibly makes insulation the smartest investment with the best return on your investment.

How to Get Started Get a quote from a trusted contractor who has access to the state rebates. You can find a list of contractors at www.energizect.com. Or call Maximum Home Performance at 877-827-9242 to schedule a free quote. You’ll find them on the list as well.

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What’s Happening Near You? The Statewide Events and Meetings calendar is a resource for local landlords and property owners to meet up, network and grow your real estate opportunities.

Get Involved, Stay Informed.

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March 2019 Sun

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Greater Enfield Landlords Association

Greater New Britain

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Norwich Property Owners

Central CT REI Meetup/SoCT REIA

CT REIA

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21 Greater Waterbury Property Owners Association

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25 Greater New Haven Property Owners Association

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27 Fairfield County Investor MeetUp

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CTPOA Meet Up Bristol

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EVENTS ď Ľ METTINGS ď Ľ SOCIAL

Greater

Greater New Britain Property Owners Alliance

Greater New Haven Property Owners Association

Next Meeting :

Next Meeting :

Next Meeting :

March 7, 2019

March 25 , 2019

March 20 , 2019

Time: 5:00pm

Time:

Time: 6:00PM

Where: Elks Club 30

Bridgeport Property Owners Association

Where: 61 Hurd Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06604 President: Richard Deparle

Wash-

ington St. New Britain

President: Frank Maccarone

Where: City Hall, New Haven President: Doug Lotsy About Us:

Contact # 860-827-1100

The Greater New Haven PropContact # 203-333-4103 About Us: erty Owners Association is an About Us: The Greater New Britain Prop- association of landlords, real estate investors and property The Greater Bridgeport Property erty Owners Alliance is commanagers doing business or Owners Association (GBPOA) is a prised of Realtors, landlords, coalition of responsible owners investors and property manag- interested in doing business who have united to create fair ers in the greater New Britain. within New Haven County, CT. and effective housing laws and promote safe, clean, affordable housing.

We distribute information intended to educate and inform property owners about evictions, lead issues, laws and legislation, municipal policies, leases, rental paperwork, loans, grants and tax issues.

Our monthly meetings usually consist of a guest speaker talking about topics relevant to our membership.

Our monthly meetings usually consist of a guest speaker talking about topics relevant to our membership.

The GBPOA creates a forum for property owners to network with each other. The GBPOA membership gives this association a voice with businesses, contractors, the City of Bridgeport and the surrounding communities and the Connecticut State Legislature.

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Fairfield County Real Central CT REI Estate Investor Meetup/SoCT REIA Meet-Up

Greater Enfield Landlords Association

Next Meeting:

Next Meeting:

Next Meeting:

March 14,2019

March 6, 2019

March 27 , 2019

Cost: $25.00

Topic: Networking

Time: 7:00PM

Topic: Home Staging Tips

Time: 7:00pm

Where: Grace O’Malley’s 1494 Post Road, Fairfield CT Manager: Travis Prezioai About Us: Real Estate Investors of all types get together to share best practices, build relationships, develop mutual resources, and to stay active in the general Connecticut Real Estate Investment community.

There are no formal presentations, though everyone has a chance to introduce themselves to the rest of the group! From fix n' flippers to largescale property owners, part-time investors, and those just getting started.

Manager: Deirdre Virvo Where: Enfield Town Hall About Us:

820 Enfield ST

Central CT REI meetup is part of SoCT President: Joe Mollica REIA for Real Estate Investors, new and seasoned, looking to meet likeminded individuals.

Contact # 860-916-1259 Education, Networking & Empowerment is the goal of SoCT REIA. We welcome investors of all levels and backgrounds as well as contractors, real estate attorneys, inspectors, landlords, private money lenders, insurance brokers, and anyone associated with the Real Estate investing industry!

About Us: Our members still are primarily small property owners while others of us have expanded into apartment complexes and commercial establishments.

We have banded together for the common good, to maintain and preserve affordable housing, and to promote safe, clean, and decent housing while striving to see that our housing laws also remain fair and equitable to landlord and tenant alike.

Our organization disseminates information that helps to educate landlords. We regularly host guest speakers who present timely information on landlord-related topics. We also keep our membership informed through the distribution of occasional notices, emails or information packets.

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EVENTS  METTINGS  SOCIAL

Norwich Property Owners Association

CT REIA

Next Meeting:

Topic: Real Estate Tax Strategies of Next Meeting :

March 7, 2019

Next Meeting: March 12, 2019 the Rich with Ted Lanzaro

Time: 6:00pm Topic: Networking Time: 7:00

Where: CTREIA Training Center415 Silas Deane Highway Suite 304A Wethersfield, CT 06109

Where: Dime Savings Bank 820 Enfield ST

NPOA distributes information intended to educate and inform property owners about evictions, lead issues, laws and legislation, municipal policies, leases, rental paperwork, loans, grants and tax issues. NPOA creates a forum for Property Owners to network with each other.

March 21, 2019 Topic: Crash Course: HUD Lead Regulations Time: 5:30pm-8:30pm Where: Verdi’s 660 Park Rd, Waterbury, CT 06708

About Us:

CTREIA was created to serve Connecticut real estate investors and rehabbers with high quality netContact # 860-889-2058 working, education and hands-on learning opportunities as well as About Us: top grade vendors to do business together with. We strive to listen The Norwich Property Owners Association (N.P.O.A.) is a coali- to the needs of our members and tion of responsible Norwich Prop- bring solutions to every meeting erty Owners who have united to along with great opportunities to create fair and effective housing network, sell properties, and do business amongst each other. laws and promote safe, clean, affordable housing.

President: Sophie Norblick

Greater Waterbury Property Owners Association

About Us: The Greater Waterbury Property Owners Association (GWPOA) is a coalition of responsible owners who have united to create fair and effective housing laws and promote safe, clean, affordable housing.

The GWPOA creates opportunities for property owners to network with each other. The association acts as a voice with businesses, contractors, the City of Waterbury and the surrounding communities and the Connecticut State Legislature.

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EVENT: Surviving HUD's New Lead Policy Learn how to apply and receive free money at this event...applications will be available.

Your Section-8 rental payment stops after 30 days and is not held in escrow, you lose this money! Payments resume after a lead management plan is developed, your tenant is relocated, the lead is abated by a certified lead abatement contractor and your unit re-tested and cleared; this takes several months.

Guest Speakers:

March 21, 2019 5:30pm - 8:30pm Verdi Restaurant 660 Park Rd Waterbury Ct 06708 Cost: FREE to CTPOA Members $15 Non-Members

Francis Ford

Program Manager, Waterbury Lead and Healthy Homes

Michelle Molina

Program Supervisor, J. D’Amelia and Associates Manager of Connecticut's Section-8 Program

Food Included!

Cash Bar, Networking and Valuable Information Limited Seating: Register Here

https://ctpoa.com/events/

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Screening Rental Applicants Not the time to be “Penny-wise and dollar foolish!”

We hear this far too often from landlords and surprisingly also from some Realtors, “ Why should I buy a tenant screening report when I can visit the CT Judicial website and look up the applicant’s information for free?”

Everyone agrees that free is better than paying for something, right? Well, the answer is “not so fast” when it comes to screening rental applicants.

WANTED: GOOD TENANTS

Facts You Need To Know about Screening Potential Tenants on the CT Judicial Website 1. Missing Records - The CT Judicial website only searches 3 years of eviction records while professional screening services provide 7 years of records which amounts to about 100,000 more eviction cases.

2. Only 1 out of 50 States -Then you have to consider eviction and criminal records from other States. Tenants do move around and you will never find any eviction or criminal record from another State on the CT Judicial website.

3. Missing Courthouses - Most people don’t know this but Courts located in Bantam, Danielson, Danbury, Derby, Norwich, New London and Middletown never reported their eviction records to any national database until recently. TenantTracks is the only screening company that has these eviction records from all 8 CT Counties; meaning that 5 of the 8 CT Counties have gaping holes in their data for eviction cases.

4. Unverified Information - Accuracy is what is most important when screening tenants. People do have common names and you can’t tell one Jim Smith from another Jim Smith on CT Judicial. The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires screening companies to be as accurate as possible and records found on a professional screening report are matched to addresses where the applicant previously lived, there is no validation of records on CT Judicial.

5. Alias & Nicknames - Because TenantTracks maintains its own Connecticut eviction database we programmed into our searches ‘Alias and nickname logic.” For instance, many people change their names when they get married and if you type in Robert as a first name not all programs will also look for results that say Bob. If this logic is not part of the query, you will miss many cases. When screening tenants you do not want to live any stone unturned because a bad decision costs around $5,000 today in lost rents and costs.

6. Wrong Decisions - The odds are not in your favor if you are relying on the CT Judicial website. You could be potentially denying a qualified applicant because they share a common name with someone that has a negative record or you could be accepting a tenant that is not qualified because four years of eviction records are missing.

7. Violating Tenant’s Rights - The last risk is probably the most damning and that’s the potential for a Fair Housing Discrimination claim because you denied someone using an unsubstantiated and unverified record and it was not accurate. It would be fairly easy to make a CHRO accusation against a landlord or Realtor because everyone belongs to one protected class or another in Connecticut and without having any solid basis for rejecting a rental applicant, you could be at risk.

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to enThe Savvy Tenant: prior try of judgnot exist

point. If a landlord finds him or herself in this position, communication with your state marshal is crucial. ment. Put The sooner you inform the marshal another way, of the pending execution, the sooner a new dethe moving company can be reserved fense to the for your eviction. The goal is to mineviction imize the amount of time that passes must have between the day the execution issues arisen after and the day the move-out is schedthe entry of uled. Prior planning and good comBy: Alicia Perillo,The Law Office of Alicia K. Perillo, LLC judgment munication is the best way to defend As an attorney practicing primarily in for the court to entertain such a mo- yourself against the dreaded audita. the area of landlord/tenant law, I tion. The filing of an audita usually There is no simple solution to the often see the unfairness that exists in results in a hearing being scheduled “problem tenant,” but there are the judicial system and the unfair for a determination on the merits of some “best-practices” a landlord can advantage that tenants have over the the motion. In most cases, the audita employ to ensure they have the best seemingly powerless landlord. The is denied at the hearing, the judge possible advantage when it comes current system that landlords have to lifts the injunction and the eviction time to litigate a tenant issue in deal with places them at an unfair can proceed. This practice is becom- court. advantage. While there are strong ing more commonplace as tenants advocates for landlord’s rights locally and at the state Capitol, the reality is “ The current system we have to work with the system we have now, and lobby for changes that landlords have to that will positively impact the landdeal with places them at lords and property owners in this an unfair advantage. state.

While there are strong

Trends in Tenant Practices and How Landlords Can Stay Ahead of the Game

I want to address a commonplace tactic that is being used with more and more frequency by tenants, and how landlords can try to properly prepare themselves for navigating the muddy waters of housing court.

In recent months, the “writ of audita querela” has made its way into housing court as a popular means for a tenant to delay an eviction. This extraordinary equitable remedy is a product of common law, as there is no statute or Practice Book section authorizing its use. The “audita”, as it is commonly referred to, can be filed by a tenant after a judgment of possession has been granted by the Court and after an execution has issued. It is essentially an injunction that prevents a landlord from executing the judgment and proceeding with the move-out of a tenant. It is only appropriate in cases where a tenant has a new defense to that did

advocates for landlord’s rights locally and at the state Capitol, the reality is we have to work with the system we have now, and lobby for changes that will positively impact the landlords and property owners in this state.”

learn they can gain an additional week or more with its use.

The best way for a landlord to prepare him or herself for this scenario is to have an efficient system in place for dealing with executions and scheduling evictions. There are a lot of moving pieces when it comes time for the actual move-out of a tenant.

Many landlords are fortunate to have never had an eviction make it to this

The first best practice is to have a thorough and well-drafted lease. I cannot stress enough how important this is. A well-written lease should have provisions for the collection of legal fees and court costs in the event of a tenant’s default and resultant legal action, specific language regarding lease termination and events of default, the method and manner of communication between landlord and tenant, the delineation of maintenance responsibilities, procedure for repairs and specific instructions concerning the reporting of repair requests, and finally, provisions for access to the unit. Taking a little extra time in drafting a lease to include these specifics can go a long way in preventing costly and timeconsuming hours in court and most 20

importantly, can improve communication channels between landlord and tenant. Ultimately, the lease should be tailored in a way that best serves you and your rental property.

having an accurate maintenance log to show when the request came in, the substance of the request, when a technician or contractor visited the apartment and the work that was done will demonstrate to the judge that The second the landlord is the more credible witness and greatly inbest practice creases your likelihood of success. A software program is good rec- that tracks this information is a simple way to accomord keeping plish this. The up-front cost of the software will pay for in the areas itself over time. Whatever method you choose to incorof payment porate into your property management business, be diligent and consistent. A little effort goes a long way in this ledgers, maintenance regard. logs and tenant contact. A well-kept payment ledger, At one time or another, every landlord or property ownmaintenance log and history of contact with tenant can er will find themselves involved a tenant related dispute. be an invaluable resource when you find yourself in If the above practices are implemented at the outset of court with a tenant. When presenting your case to a the landlord tenant relationship, you can minimize the housing specialist or judge, you want to ensure your evi- financial hardship and stress that the situation can place dence is as clear and specific as possible. If a tenant is on you and your business. making the argument that certain repairs were not made or maintenance requests went unaddressed,

Record Keeping = Success

Alicia K. Perillo, Esq. The Law Office of Alicia K. Perillo, LLC The Prospect Law Center at CrossPointe North 

Repurchase Inspections

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Insurance Certificates

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Day Care Licensing

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Demolition

About Alicia:



Pre-Renovation

Attorney Alicia K. Perillo is a solo practitioner who focuses her practice mainly on landlord/ tenant law and real estate. After six years working as an associate for a general practice firm, she recently opened her own practice. Her client base primarily consists of property owners and property management companies. Her office is located in Prospect, Connecticut.



Child Lead Poisoning Investigations

50 Waterbury Road, Suite 2C Prospect, CT 06712 203-437-8971, Ext. 208 203-528-4666 - Facsimile alicia@perillolaw.com

Gilbertco Lead Inspections LLC. 287 Main Street Ansonia, CT 06401 1-800-959-985 203-732-2615 21

What i s Your Pas s wor d?

By: By: Lukasz Pawlowski, Head Programmer Tenant Tracks

Contact Lukasz at: Info@sailingbyte.com

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that number to 7 – It will take 29 minutes. With 8 chars it takes about 1 day, and with 9 chars it will take about 3 months. Of course, hackers can use botnets to greatly asswords are an indispensable part of using speed up this process, but you can see how necessary computers and mobile devices connected to the internet. time to crack password is increased with each char. So We are using them on regular daily basis, almost every- let’s use long passwords! where: to our emails, bank accounts, cloud storage, account access; in work and at home. Some passwords are Passwords Should Not be One Word easier to guess than others. What should we do to keep our accounts and data secure?

Another method used by hackers is using a dictionary. It means, that instead of going with each combination, like Here are some ideas in previous example, hacker will only try words. Dictionaries can be very general, like trying every word from Encyclopedia Britannica. The hacker can also break into Passwords Should be Long! your website using words actually used on the website itself.

One of hacking methods is using so-called brute force attacks. They are based on guessing every password possi- But – be aware! Dictionary for hacker is only a base for ble. Hackers can attempt to brute force either directly password! This means, that hacker trying to get into a into a system, or – if they obtained data – on password landlord website will not only try passwords like landlord, hashes. So why is keeping passwords long important? home, renting, but also their modifications, like taking your Imagine guessing every possible password, staring from starting year – landlord1990 – or with combinations – like 3 letters. It will go like this: aaa, aab, aac, aad and so on. LandlordCT90. You can see, that last password – LandFor modern computers with fast GPU it will take one lordCT90 – is quite long, but it’s actually quite vulnerable millisecond to try all combination of 3 letter words. On 5 to dictionary attack. chars with numbers it will take 1 second. If we increase 22

Passwords are like tissues – should only be used once!

Imagine a situation, while you have very strong password, but you are using it everywhere: for your bank account, for your email, your smartphone, also for your PC account – but also for less meaningful things, like for automotive forum or for browser game. While breaking into banking account is obviously much more complicated, hackers also aim for less secured systems.

Let’s say now, that browser game had a bug, that allowed the hacker to see the whole database – with your email and password inside.

password is. The higher entropy, the better. Without going into details of how to calculate entropy, let’s compare a few passwords: first one will be Kate1990 – this one has 8 letters, uppercase and numbers and is easy to remember. Second is De$.F9c1 – this one is very hard to remember, but contains also special signs. And third one – Let-sPlayAt8AM – which is longer, contains uppercase, special char, number, and is fairly easy to remember.

You already know, that first password would be easy to guess because of it would be found in dictionary attack.

It’s entropy is actually 27 bits, which is very low and should never be used. Second password is slightly better – it’s entropy is 34 bits – although is very hard to remember and type. But third passwords’ entropy is 70 bits – it’s VERY strong and actually very easy to remember! For reference, for protecting bank account I would recommend using a password that has at least 60 bits of entropy – so this one qualifies.

Quick Summary What will happen next? The hacker will try, if this password also matches your email – of course it does! Then he can go through your emails to find emails from your bank – like monthly statements – where your bank account number is present. And then, with both the banking account and password, he can actually see all your funds in your account! Scary – isn’t it?

I hope this quick guide made it easier for you to understand how you should construct your passwords and what you should remember about when constructing good passwords, that you won’t forget.

If you are concerned now, that your password might’ve been compromised, you can try to check at https:// To prevent that, my advice would be use different pass- haveibeenpwned.com/ . Of course, this guide doesn’t cover everything, it’s just a tip of an iceberg, but I think words everywhere. Of course, no one can remember that from now on you will be able to make your data hundreds of passwords – in that case you should use password manager, like Keepass or 1password. If that is even more secure. not a solution for you – then try making 3 different passwords, that you can remember – one for important, high-level things (like bank account), second for less important things (like email), and last one for things that have least meaningful information (like browser games).

Anita Visconti Branch Sales Manager

Long or Complicated?

While considering password strength, two factors are considered most: one is password length, and second is amount of different characters used (like lower and uppercase, numbers, special signs etc). There is a thing called entropy, which is a measure of how unpredictable

Company NMLS ID# 71655

anita.visconti@norcom-usa.com www.anitavisconti.norcommortgage.com 7 F Garage Road, Southbury, CT 06488 cell 203.206.2852 I phone 203.206.2852 This is not an offer to make a loan or to make a loan on any particular terms. All loan applicants must qualify under requirements and satisfy all contingencies of loan approval. Rates and terms subject to change without notice.

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From the Desk of the Association Executive

Provided By:

Susy Hurlbert

Chief Executive Officer, RCE, MPA, ePro Eastern Connecticut Association of REALTORS®

National Association of REALTORS ® Unveils “That’s Who We R” Campaign

W

hile many people know that a RealtorÒ helps buy and sell homes, what they may not know is that only a RealtorÒ is a member of the National Association of Realtors® and subscribes to its Code of Ethics. It's the RealtorÒ Code of Ethics that inspired the association's powerful new "That's Who We RÒ" campaign, which launched in February.

cry that instills pride in their everyday actions. For consumers, it's an education about the RealtorÒ difference,” said Ryan Lajoie, 2019 President, Eastern Connecticut Association of REALTORS®.

The campaign aims to reinforce the value of RealtorsÒ as advocates for property owners, engaged community members and trusted advisors with in-depth knowledge of the industry. “’That's Who We RÒ’ serves as a reminder of what NAR has always stood for, while signaling where the organization is heading. For RealtorsÒ, the campaign is a rallying 24

"Our society has created trusted symbols from 'Verified' Instagram accounts to the Good Housekeeping Seal," said Karen Goodman, Group Creative Director at Havas Chicago. "As we dug into this brand, we knew Realtors® were the real deal and needed to find a way to telegraph that to everyone. We needed to turn the 'R' into the trusted symbol you should look for when buying and selling property."

"That's Who We R" features compelling stories about humans helping humans find homes and property, build communities and turn business dreams into realities.

The campaign content will be brought to life through strategic partnerships reflecting the modern ways in which our target audience consumes media, including linear and online video, streaming and terrestrial audio, social media, branded partnerships with multi-channel content makers such as VICE, Apartment Therapy, The Atlantic, HULU and more. The :30 "That's Who We RÒ" TV spot can be viewed here.

The National Association of Realtors® is America's largest trade association, representing more than 1.3 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.

Jeremy Grecco

203-725-5150

Owner/Inspector

GrecoInspections@aol.com GrecoHomeInspections.com 25

We have a strong passion for real estate and welcome new members who are curious about investing in properties all the way up to our seasoned and experienced members who join us.

In addition to networking and social activities we provide coaching for those that are ready to take their investing to the next level as well as classroom trainings, As one of the larger REIA’s in the bootcamps, national speakers and United States, CTREIA was created their boot camps, and regular over 15 years ago to serve Connecti- monthly meeting specific topic traincut real estate investors and rehabings. bers with networking, education and hands-on learning opportunities as well as top grade vendors to do busi- We believe not only is an educated real estate investor more profitable, ness together with. but also a better representative to the We strive to listen to the needs of investing community as a whole. our members and bring solutions to every meeting along with great opportunities to network, sell properties, and do business amongst each other.

CTREIA Monthly Meeting in February.

Around 170 attendees at their Wethersfield Training

Contact Us: 415 Silas Deane Highway, Suite 304A, Wethersfield, CT 06109 Phone: 860-265-4414 Fax: 860-265-4414

Web: www.ctreia.com

Mark Valenti is the CFO and has been investing in real estate in Connecticut and Florida for several years. A highly successful flipper and wholesaler Mark is an accomplished author, speaker, CPA and ran a billion dollar per year loan business that was highly regarded on Wall street. Mark enjoys traveling and spending time with his family at his second home in Florida.

Ron Faraci is the CEO of CTREIA and he and his wife are one of the larger landlords in Central Connecticut, Ron is considered by some to be the preeminent authority in America on how to identify, acquire and manage multi family properties for passive income. Since retiring from the workforce in his 40’s he has authored 2 leading books on multi family investing, been approached by several reality TV shows and is a nationally sought after speaker. Prior to investing in real estate Ron was a small part of a team that helped a co founder of The Home Depot grow a California based business into the largest company in it’s sector in America. He enjoys spending time with his wife and 2 dogs traveling the Country in their RV. 26

CTREIA March Meeting March 12, 2019 Real Estate Tax Strategies of the Rich with Ted Lanzaro, CPA

CTREIA Members: Free Guests & Non-Members: $59 (You have the option become a member at the door.)

Glenn Petelle Phone: (203) 528-6979 WINDOW REPAIR SERVICES 

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