Investor · Maui, HI · Member since 2009 · 13k+ posts · 3k+ votes
People love "life hacks." A life hack is a simple strategy/process/tool/trick for improving your life in an unconventional way. For example:
So...
I am writing a post about "Landord Hacks" - it's the little things that a landlord can do to make their life easier, save money, etc. And I need your help!
So my question is: What is your best Landlord Hack(s) ?
I'll give you a couple quick examples:
1.) Have a hole in the middle of a hollowcore door? Rather than replacing, just buy a $5 mirror at Wal-Mart and screw it to the door. Not only does it hide the hole, it makes the hallway look larger and ads some decoration to a boring space!
2. ) From @Darren Sager - Always write the paint color that a unit is IN the lease when you sign it. That way, when you need to repaint, you know exactly what color you used.
So... your turn! What are your best Landlord Hacks?
Rental Property Investor · Roanoke, VA · Member since 2011 · 95 posts · 65 votes
12y
1) I send birthday cards to each tenant with a $5 Starbucks card
2) I send a postcard to each 'door' once a quarter, asking them if there's anything I can do for them.
3) On a tenant's one year anniversary, I give them an 'upgrade' of their choice, within reason. It's usually something I would do when they move out anyway, I just get to do it with them there.
4.) I have five properties and eight doors, I've never had a move-out, a late payment or an eviction. Special attention works.
Rental Property Investor · Roanoke, VA · Member since 2011 · 95 posts · 65 votes
12y
Another hack of mine is if I get a complaint from a neighbor about a tenant, say a loud party, I call the neighbor on the OTHER side and begin to apologize profusely. If I then find out they weren't even aware of the noise, I know I have a nosy neighbor not a noisy tenant.
@Brandon Turner : here's a simple landlord hack we use and I'm surprised MOST landlords don't use it: have the tenant sign you an authorization to write checks out of their bank account. Every first of the month, we print the tenants' checks out of our printer and then deposit them in our bank account. We get paid FIRST before their other bills are due.
If the tenant-prospect is NOT OK signing a check writer authorization, we do not accept the tenant.
Why not just have your bank or a payment processor set up the automatic payments? I have them sign the automatic authorization form also but the payment processor makes the deposit for us every month.
Investor · Chicago, IL · Member since 2013 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
12y
@Chris K. yeah you can do that too. But we like to be in control and having the tenant check printed out of our printer and deposited by us - ensures that we know when we have the amount deposited in our account. Also, sometimes, some tenants would call in and ask that the check be deposited 2-3 days later.
Real Estate Investor · Fort Pierce, FL · Member since 2014 · 132 posts · 57 votes
12y
Plant fruit trees/plants in all rental properties, allow tenants to have half the fruit.
This allows your property to increase in value without you having to pay higher property taxes.
Once trees are mature you can wholesale half the fruit to a vendor for added income.
Also gives you a market niche,as tenants will get hundreds of $ in free fruit by renting from you.
Offer a discount of half off on next to the last months rent if they pay on time every time, (you should of already collected first last and security) and you can do a walk thru of house and yard ( this gives a powerful incentive for them to be good renters and make the landlord experience more enjoyable)
Put vinyl flooring in as it is waterproof, ( unless you really like tile, then do the same type of tile in all rentals and always keep a spare box on hand.
Paint all rentals the same color, so you always know what paint color to use.
If water heater is more than 2 yrs old then just go ahead and replace with a new one, sell the old one on Craigslist and you don't get the 2 am call that water heater is flooding
After rent is collected in dec, then hand them a card with 50.00 inside(if they have been great tenants)
And I would have to say one of the best landlord hacks I know is to really care about the tenants and treat them with respect, and you will be much more likely to receive it back
Investor · Vancouver, WA · Member since 2013 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes
12y
@Kendall T. Did you mean to say you only keep water heaters for two years? Or was that a typo? Average lifespan of conventional water heaters are 10 - 15 years by most sources. Better to keep your water heater and place a water alarm on the floor next to it. Replacing a hot water heater prematurely will cost you not only the price of the new appliance, but also the cost of installation. Plus the cost of your time and labor taking out the old one and trying to sell it.
Real Estate Investor · Fort Pierce, FL · Member since 2014 · 132 posts · 57 votes
12y
my water heater didn't last nearly 15 yrs in my personal home. What I was referring to was buying a rental with a pre existing water heater. If it is more than a couple of years old I personally would like to have peace of mind knowing that it will last, and replacing is easy for me as I am pretty handy. I also put a brand new washer, and brand new Ac units. I could of gone with used, but taking care of the tenants is extremely important to me. I would like there time with me to go as smoothly as possible.
When I was a tenant, I had a landlord who had 2 houses on the same property, the other tenant told her the dryer was tearing holes in the clothes, we also needed a dryer, so she takes the other tenants dryer that is tearing holes in the clothes and installs it in our house. We really didn't feel taken care of.
I would rather not deal with service calls, for me personally I can do use used stuff, but there can be a aggravation factor, and I don't want my tenants to deal with it.
Real Estate Investor · Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2013 · 37 posts · 54 votes
12y
Here are a few more of my hacks:
1. Take out and flip over your kitchen drawers (bottom of the drawer facing upward). Take liquid nails or adhesive spray and apply the adhesive to all four inner creases where the drawers meet. This will make the drawer stronger and should not break for years to come.
2. If you want your rental appear brighter and more appealing to renters. Replace all the light bulbs in the home with the clear light bulbs that are usually meant for bathrooms. Renters will subconsciously remember your unit over the rentals that had poor light due to a cheap 40 watt bulbs.
3. This tip is more for inner city landlords. If you ever had a front kicked in due to break in or tenants fighting? Reverse the swing of your front door to swing outwards. You cannot kick in a door that swings outwards. Just remember to buy the right hinges that are designed to swing outwards. They have a special pin in them so the cannot be pulled out.
Rental Property Investor · Louisville, KY · Member since 2008 · 342 posts · 123 votes
12y
@Marrio Barnes ,
Do you have to worry about the door being less secure if it swings out? It seems like it would be easier to break into even if it is harder to kick in?
You can also used reinforced strike places with 3" - 4" screws that go into the 2x4 frame. I had a tenant try to kick the door in when he got in a fight with his girl friend. There is still some damage where it cracked but the door did not get kicked in and severely damage the jamb. LOL, I bet he hurt his foot.
I like to custom fit shower wall panels as a back splash for the kitchen sink and behind the stove. The back splash stays white forever and they are very to clean. No more repainting.
Doing that behind the stove is probably a code violation since that is a combustible panel that will be very close to the heat source (flames) of the stove.
i always wanted to put the plexiglass that's high temp or even an alum or steel plate behind the oven. it's just that they are too damn expensive..
Augusta, GA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
12y
I've started using glass backsplash tiles behind the ranges. Home Depot has some at $4.99 a 12'x12" sheet. Usually takes no more than 4 to cover the area. Adds nice color and so far, no problem with heat.
Madison Heights, MI · Member since 2014 · 471 posts · 132 votes
12y
If a house has a slab foundation, it is easy to replace carpet with 18" ceramic tile. The tile will likely last for as long as you own the property, and individual tiles can be replaced. It is much easier to clean and maintain than carpet.
Augusta, GA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
12y
When painting with oil based primer/paint/polyurethane, wrap the used brush and/or roller in left over plastic bags and store in the freezer. Once thawed out (takes several minutes) they can be easily reused. I do this when refinishing hardwood floors and I'm putting three coats of oil based varnish/polyurethane on them.
My partners father used to "swear" that by "blowing air" (by mouth) into an open can of paint and then closing the lid quickly (replacing the oxygen in the space in the can with carbon dioxide) prevented fungus from growing in the can (some also simply place a piece of Saran wrap over the wet paint to keep it from drying out).
Actually the door is more secure. Not one of the doors that where changed needed repair or have been broken into (through the door at least). It is actually scary how easy it is to kick in a door with a deadbolt. Re-enforcing the door jams always helps. Check out the youtube video below.
Rental Property Investor · Huntsville, AL · Member since 2013 · 419 posts · 323 votes
12y
As to holes in hollow doors, you can just about repair any hole or issue with Bondo. If the hollow door has that fake wood texture, use a toothpick on the Bondo to recreate it. Rotten window sill, add some Bondo. Bondo can cure a lot of ills.
Real Estate Investor · Somerset, KY · Member since 2011 · 211 posts · 64 votes
12y
@Mike S. The Bondo works, I have seen it done by some landlord friends of mine. They use it for all kinds of stuff.
I recently remodeled one of my triplex units. Right before I started the remodel I watched an episode of a remodel show where the girl used drywall mud on door trim that was 3/4 x 5 squared wood board door/window trim to level it at the seams. I done that on my woodwork and it works great. I even used mud on my paneling to fix bad spots. I also found that if you caulk the seams where the paneling meet it makes the place look uniform and seamless, looks great.
KwikSet Smartkeys!!! I absolutely love how easy it is to rekey locks now and I've been able to eliminate the box full of doorknob/deadbolt in ziplock bags. I have 6 keys that I just rotate out for each property. Some people also like landlordlocks, I haven't tried them out yet but may get a set to try out.
stating to tenants that you are the property manager allows a buffer for you. Its not a lie cause you do manage properties. Alot of people are shy or they may not be a people person.
You should check out Mark Owens blog about landlord keys. There is a kwikset re-key set thats cheaper and make things a lot simpler. Takes a little time with your first set of locks but after that its a breeze.