I recently received an email from a reader asking about how to deal with a big, corporate landlord in another state giving smaller, more responsive landlords a bad name. Unfortunately, there are bad apples in every profession, be they police officers, teachers, lawyers, politicians, and even real estate agents. Having...
If you’re a landlord or property manager, you know how important it is to screen tenants properly. This becomes more complicated when you consider renting to friends or family members. It’s one thing to tell a stranger you need to run a credit check and confirm their income level; it...
From the outside looking in, property management seems fairly straightforward. You own a property. You rent it to someone. They agree to stay for an agreed-upon term and take relatively good care of the place. You promise to fix appliances, plumbing and electrical problems should they arise. And everyone lives...
Last week, I began answering a reader’s questions about lease agreements, specifically about the minimum contract a landlord should consider, what should be included in the contract, and whether a contract is even worthwhile. I reviewed all the issues covered in our lease agreement. This week, I’ll get into the addendums...
While I like the idea of confirming an agreement with a handshake rather than a contract, I’ve seen a few too many handshakes turn into fisticuffs to recommend them, especially when the agreement involves an asset worth several hundred thousand dollars. This week’s column is dedicated to answering questions from...
