Best Advice/Practices for Tenant Management

[Joe P.]

One area that I fear I struggle in is tenant management, or lack thereof. I was burned by my last tenant (and really, my own decisions) because I think I allowed some things to spiral out of control.

Rent-wise, no exceptions -- due on the 1st, 3-day grace period, eviction path starts immediately following the grace period.

But what do folks do about property visits, inside and outside? What do you do if you have a tenant who is just messy, versus a tenant who might be causing damage to the property due to negligence (e.g. letting food rot, attracting pests)?

Ultimately, I'm seeking perhaps a guide or set of best practices that I may be able to instill in my own rentals. I'm starting to ramp up and one of my biggest fears is exactly what I just went through -- a negligent tenant that caused damage to my property. I also want to balance being an insensitive/neurotic landlord/property owner and sort of "setting the tone" with my tenants.

So, curious as to everyone's thoughts/guides/best practices on this.