The Successful Landlord Blog

So we’ve had one of our properties for rent for a few months now. Most of that time was taken up rehabbing the property from the last dirtbag tenant. We’ve got the property listed in the local Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and also on Rentals.com. Besides a sign in the yard, that’s the only advertising we’ve done and this is due to a couple of reasons:

First, typically if a potential tenant is using a computer to find a place to rent, they’re trying to be efficient because their time is valuable to them. As in, they’re not sitting around waiting for their next disability/unemployment/welfare check. Read the rest of this entry »

So I’ve noticed a trend in the landlord business over the years. When dealing with contractors, there seems to be ABSOLUTELY no trust toward customers when it comes to payment. In the past, when I’ve hired various contractors of any size, be they a one man show or a large company, without fail, they find it necessary to show up on my doorstep looking for immediate payment when the job is complete.

Now, I can understand if it’s a larger contract like a whole-house tile job and the contractor has never done business with you before, but when it’s the 6th job of that size for the same customer and they still offer to make the trip all the way across town to your office to “drop off the invoice” which means “drop off the invoice and collect payment,” I don’t get it. Read the rest of this entry »

So in a previous post I wrote about a tenant who, besides having the worst attitude possible, obviously has no idea how to handle her finances. It seems she’d rather steal than position herself appropriately for success in life. To wit:

Recently while working at the newly vacant property, I noticed the utility interface boxes for telephone and cable TV were both open and exposed to the elements. While attempting to secure them, I noticed the electricity “meter can” was also open. As soon as I touched it, it completely fell apart and its pieces fell to the ground exposing the inner workings of the meter. I gingerly reassembled the meter can (220 volts at 100 amps is not your friend) and made a mental note to call the power company to notify them. Read the rest of this entry »

So in a previous post I mentioned that honey bees had set up shop in the floor of a storage shed at one of my properties. Well, today was their day of reckoning. I didn’t want to just kill the bees due to the already ominous sounding Colony Collapse Disorder so I called in my local bee keeper, Lyndon Jones of Trevena Bee Farms.

Apparently this Colony Collapse Disorder was confounding scientists until recently. Now they know that it is caused by a fungus and a virus which kills the bees. Read more here.

Read the rest of this entry »

So finally, after a seemingly long month, the tenant whose lease I terminated due to her inability to pay on time, inability to perform simple maintenance in the unit and her generally bad attitude…is finally gone! And all I have to say is, “Good Riddance, you witch!”

Like many of my past bad tenants, I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that this girl will be her own worst enemy unless she makes a major change her attitude toward life in general. Her complete lack of responsibility will do her no favors.

As an example, when she moved in, she brought with her a refrigerator, washer and dryer which she removed from her house before it was foreclosed upon. This happened supposedly due to a divorce (surprise!) Well, I’m not sure where she went, but she left all that stuff behind. All the appliances were completely filthy but they can be cleaned. I’m thinking a garage sale is in order. Her loss, my gain. Read the rest of this entry »