Landlord name on lease

[Olivier M Ouedraogo]

Hi all, we are getting ready to list our first property. I was reading the book on managing rental properties and Brandon suggested to not let applicants during showing know you are the owner. My question is how do you go about that if you don't have and LLC? Also I own the property with my spouse, do we both have to be listed on the lease?

We were thinking of using a Google voice to not give our phone numbers but without an LLC, the renter could just look you up.

[Nathan Gesner]

Quote from @Olivier M Ouedraogo:

Brandon is a smart guy, but not everything he says is the best option.

I don't believe in building a business on dishonesty. If you are the Landlord, protect yourself by establishing boundaries and rules from the very beginning. Give the tenants one number or email for ordinary questions or maintenance requests, then give them separate instructions for reporting emergencies. Hold them to it. If you live on the property with the Tenant, let them know that you'd love to interact like normal neighbors, but the Landlord-Tenant relationship needs to stay separate and communicate through email, phone, or whatever.