Is honesty really the best policy?

[Michael Guzik]

Hey ya'll I am looking to get my first property and will be house hacking it. My question is whether I should let the tenants know that I am the owner of the property or tell them I'm just a manager.... I've heard nightmare stories about giving them your phone number and letting them know your the owner, but at the same time I don't believe a relationship built on lies will be a good one. What do ya'll think? Have you had any experience with this or what would you suggest? Thanks for taking the time to read this any and all comments are greatly appreciated because I really have been struggling with this.

[Matt K.]

You're living with them so why would they need to call you to bug you about problems, you're literally on site? Keep it professional and introduce yourself as the landlord, because that's what you are. You're not responsible for fixing every little thing, you're responsible for providing a habitable place and getting things fixed as needed to maintain that.

Helpful hint, charge extra per mo and get a weekly or at least biweekly maid to keep up the common spaces. This will remove a lot of headache and reduce the risk of stupid fights....