{"id":135871,"date":"2021-03-19T09:30:30","date_gmt":"2021-03-19T15:30:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/?p=135871"},"modified":"2024-01-27T11:32:52","modified_gmt":"2024-01-27T18:32:52","slug":"turtle-soup-landlord-chronicles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/turtle-soup-landlord-chronicles","title":{"rendered":"Turtle Soup in the Kitchen Sink \u2014 Or, Why You Shouldn&#8217;t Skip Yearly Rental Inspections"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/playlist.megaphone.fm?e=BIGPOC7615067948&#038;light=false\" width=\"100%\"><\/iframe><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><em>If you are an active landlord and you mention it at a dinner party, I bet you get lots of questions like \u201cWhat\u2019s it like?\u201d or \u201cTell me a crazy landlord story.\u201d And if you\u2019ve been a landlord for a long time, you\u2019ve got plenty of funny, inspiring, crazy and educational stories to tell.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><em>Matt Faircloth and Chad Gallagher are working on a project called <\/em>The Landlord Chronicles<em>. It\u2019s a fun and immersive collection of stories told by landlords across the country, and each story will include a real-life lesson that any landlord will find useful. The lesson could be &#8220;Here&#8217;s what I do now&#8221; or &#8220;Here&#8217;s the key thing to never forget that really saved me in this instance.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><em>Real stories\u2026 real landlords\u2026 real issues\u2026 and a real lesson!<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><em>Take a look at this sneak peek and let us know what you think.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Finding turtle soup in the kitchen sink<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Each year, we take an in-person tour of all our properties where we go through each unit and take notes on what we find, paying particular attention to things like deferred maintenance where some time and money are required to keep issues from getting worse. We also look for opportunities for additional revenue that we forgot to capture\u2026.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>And sometimes we find strange stuff that looks like it might become a looming problem.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>On our annual tour of one unit, we look over to the kitchen sink to find that it has been plugged at the bottom and is completely full on the left side. The sink water is an ominous dark grey, so you can\u2019t see more than a few inches deep into the water. In the corner of the sink, we see a little head sticking out.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>A <em>turtle head<\/em> is sticking out of the murky grey sink water.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>We look over to the tenant, who is standing in the kitchen, as well. Before words can cross our lips, we just point to the sink in shock. We are expecting the tenant to have an excuse or claim it is not his turtle. Or maybe he\u2019ll just apologize and promise it\u2019ll be gone shortly. Maybe it\u2019s some odd type of science experiment? Well, it\u2019s actually simpler than that.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The tenant looks at us and says, \u201cWell, your lease very clearly said no aquariums in the apartment. What did you want me to do?\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\n  <div id=\"posts_lists-block_60634e9a3e700\" class=\"  my-10\">\n    <div class=\"\">\n      <!-- Column One -->\n      <div>\n                  <h2 class=\"mt-0 mb-1 js-toc-ignore\">\n            Learn more about landlording          <\/h2>  \n                  \n        \n        \n        <div class=\"grid grid-cols-1 gap-y-4 lg:gap-y-7 mt-5\">\n          \n<article \n\tid=\"post-35158\" \n\tclass=\"content-card mb-0 flex flex-col  post-35158 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-landlording tag-seo-optimization\">\n\n\t<header class=\"entry-header\">\t\t\t\n\t\t<!-- Image -->\n        \t\t\t<a class=\"post-thumbnail\" href=\"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/how-to-rent-your-house\" target=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\" target=\"_blank\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"340\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/renting-your-house-340x225.jpg\" class=\"size-card w-full  m-0 aspect-[68\/45] object-scale-down wp-post-image\" alt=\"How To Rent Your House: A Step-By-Step Guide\" title=\"\">\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t        \n\n\t\t<!-- Content Wrapper -->\n\t\t<div class=\"py-4 \">\t\n                            <div class=\"flex gap-4 justify-between items-center\">\n                    <!-- Category  -->\n                                            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/category\/managing-scaling\/landlording\" class=\"transition-colors bg-themeBlue\/20 text-themeBlue-medium hover:bg-themeBlue hover:text-white px-2 py-1 mb-2 inline-block rounded-sm no-underline text-sm\" target=\"_blank\">Landlording &amp; Property Management<\/a>\n                    \n                                            <span class=\"text-sm text-gray-500 hidden lg:inline-block\">12 min read<\/span>\n                                    <\/div>\n            \n           <div class=\"flex gap-3 items-center my-2 flex-nowrap text-base\">\n                <!-- Avatar and Author Name -->\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bp-wp-migration.s3.amazonaws.com\/author_avatars\/710.jpg\" class=\"w-8 h-8 object-cover my-0 inline-block rounded-full\" alt=\"\" title=\"\"><span class='leading-snug text-slate-500 flex items-center'><span class='hidden whitespace-nowrap sm:inline-block md:hidden lg:inline-block pr-1'><span class='posted-on'><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2020-08-26T10:00:51-06:00\">Aug 26, 2020<\/time><time class=\"updated\" datetime=\"2024-06-20T14:35:16-06:00\">Jun 20, 2024<\/time><\/span><\/span>&nbsp;<a href='https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/contributors\/brandonturner' class='no-underline line-clamp-1' target=\"_blank\">Brandon Turner<\/a><\/span>            <\/div>\n\n            <!-- Post title -->\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"entry-title js-toc-ignore mt-4 mb-0 text-xl leading-snug text-left\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/how-to-rent-your-house\" rel=\"bookmark\"  \n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"whitespace-normal no-underline font-bold  text-slate visited:text-slate hover:text-themeBlue\" target=\"_blank\">\n\t\t\t\t\tHow To Rent Your House: A Step-By-Step Guide\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n                        <p class=\"text-lg font-normal mt-3 text-slate-500 mb-1 line-clamp-3\">Ready to start earning income each month by renting out your house? This guide covers everything you need to know\u2014from what to expect, to how to draft rental applications, to&hellip;<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n     <footer class=\"flex justify-between mt-auto\">\n        <!-- Comment Count -->\n        \t\t<span class='flex items-center space-x-2 text-sm' x-cloak x-data='commentCount()' :class=\"parseFloat(commentCount) < 1 || commentCount == '' ? 'hidden' : 'flex'\">\n\t\t\n            <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"h-5 w-5 text-slate text-opacity-50\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" stroke=\"currentColor\">\n                <path stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M17 8h2a2 2 0 012 2v6a2 2 0 01-2 2h-2v4l-4-4H9a1.994 1.994 0 01-1.414-.586m0 0L11 14h4a2 2 0 002-2V6a2 2 0 00-2-2H5a2 2 0 00-2 2v6a2 2 0 002 2h2v4l.586-.586z\" \/>\n            <\/svg>\n\n            <span x-ref=\"comment_count\" class=\"disqus-comment-count text-slate text-opacity-80\" data-disqus-identifier=\"35158\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n        <\/span>\n\t    <\/footer>\n<\/article><!-- #post-35158 -->\n<article \n\tid=\"post-127955\" \n\tclass=\"content-card mb-0 flex flex-col  post-127955 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-real-estate-investing-for-beginners\">\n\n\t<header class=\"entry-header\">\t\t\t\n\t\t<!-- Image -->\n        \t\t\t<a class=\"post-thumbnail\" href=\"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/5-landlord-horror-stories-how-i-survived\" target=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\" target=\"_blank\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"337\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/water-leak-in-rental.jpg\" class=\"size-card w-full  m-0 aspect-[68\/45] object-scale-down wp-post-image\" alt=\"5 Landlord Horror Stories (&#038; How I Survived to Tell the Tales)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/water-leak-in-rental.jpg 830w, https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/water-leak-in-rental-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/water-leak-in-rental-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 337px) 100vw, 337px\" title=\"\">\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t        \n\n\t\t<!-- Content Wrapper -->\n\t\t<div class=\"py-4 \">\t\n                            <div class=\"flex gap-4 justify-between items-center\">\n                    <!-- Category  -->\n                                            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/category\/real-estate-investing-for-beginners\" class=\"transition-colors bg-themeBlue\/20 text-themeBlue-medium hover:bg-themeBlue hover:text-white px-2 py-1 mb-2 inline-block rounded-sm no-underline text-sm\" target=\"_blank\">Investing For Beginners<\/a>\n                    \n                                            <span class=\"text-sm text-gray-500 hidden lg:inline-block\">7 min read<\/span>\n                                    <\/div>\n            \n           <div class=\"flex gap-3 items-center my-2 flex-nowrap text-base\">\n                <!-- Avatar and Author Name -->\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bp-wp-migration.s3.amazonaws.com\/author_avatars\/87013.jpg\" class=\"w-8 h-8 object-cover my-0 inline-block rounded-full\" alt=\"\" title=\"\"><span class='leading-snug text-slate-500 flex items-center'><span class='hidden whitespace-nowrap sm:inline-block md:hidden lg:inline-block pr-1'><span class='posted-on'><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2020-07-29T10:10:06-06:00\">Jul 29, 2020<\/time><time class=\"updated\" datetime=\"2021-03-16T17:01:34-06:00\">Mar 16, 2021<\/time><\/span><\/span>&nbsp;<a href='https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/contributors\/sarahp-2' class='no-underline line-clamp-1' target=\"_blank\">Chris P.<\/a><\/span>            <\/div>\n\n            <!-- Post title -->\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"entry-title js-toc-ignore mt-4 mb-0 text-xl leading-snug text-left\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/5-landlord-horror-stories-how-i-survived\" rel=\"bookmark\"  \n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"whitespace-normal no-underline font-bold  text-slate visited:text-slate hover:text-themeBlue\" target=\"_blank\">\n\t\t\t\t\t5 Landlord Horror Stories (&#038; How I Survived to Tell the Tales)\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n                        <p class=\"text-lg font-normal mt-3 text-slate-500 mb-1 line-clamp-3\">From needy tenants who call about everything to property damage and pests and more, owning rental properties can certainly be a headache.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n     <footer class=\"flex justify-between mt-auto\">\n        <!-- Comment Count -->\n        \t\t<span class='flex items-center space-x-2 text-sm' x-cloak x-data='commentCount()' :class=\"parseFloat(commentCount) < 1 || commentCount == '' ? 'hidden' : 'flex'\">\n\t\t\n            <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"h-5 w-5 text-slate text-opacity-50\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" stroke=\"currentColor\">\n                <path stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M17 8h2a2 2 0 012 2v6a2 2 0 01-2 2h-2v4l-4-4H9a1.994 1.994 0 01-1.414-.586m0 0L11 14h4a2 2 0 002-2V6a2 2 0 00-2-2H5a2 2 0 00-2 2v6a2 2 0 002 2h2v4l.586-.586z\" \/>\n            <\/svg>\n\n            <span x-ref=\"comment_count\" class=\"disqus-comment-count text-slate text-opacity-80\" data-disqus-identifier=\"127955\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n        <\/span>\n\t    <\/footer>\n<\/article><!-- #post-127955 -->        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  \r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Landlord lesson: Don&#8217;t skip your yearly inspection<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The key lesson here is actually not tied at all to pet policies or the accompanying lease (though both are important). The takeaway from this story is the importance of the yearly inspection. We highly recommend the practice of touring and inspecting units once a year, in person. Whether you own one or 201 units, each landlord should see every unit in person once a year. You just never know what you will find!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Plan out your trip ahead of time and be sure to notify the tenants in advance. Access the rent roll before you go in, so you know how much rent the tenant owes or how their payment history looks. Refresh your memory on the last time you put in new capital expenditures like a roof or furnace. Finally, take a tablet to take notes and pictures as you go so you don\u2019t forget anything you see.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>One of the best parts about the yearly inspection is tenants realize that you care about their unit and how well it&#8217;s taken care of. If tenants know that you care, they will typically also take better care of your property. And you might even find something strange living in the sink!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Welcome to\u00a0<em>The Landlord Chronicles<\/em><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Did you like what you read? Want to read more?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Do YOU have a crazy, inspiring educational landlord story?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Well, we want to hear from you! Matt Faircloth and Chad Gallagher are compiling landlord stories and the lessons learned from them. If you would be interested in hearing more or are interested in being a contributor to this project, <a class=\"rank-math-link\" href=\"https:\/\/get.biggerpockets.com\/landlord-stories\/\" target=\"_blank\">please click here<\/a>!<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; &nbsp; If you are an active landlord and you mention it at a dinner party, I bet you get lots of questions like \u201cWhat\u2019s it like?\u201d or \u201cTell me [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1673,"featured_media":135959,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5183,7119],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-135871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-landlording","category-biggerpockets-daily"],"acf":[],"comment_count":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135871","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1673"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=135871"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135871\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/135959"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=135871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=135871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=135871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}