Is there such a thing as Landlord Friendly Cities? Mostly doing my research, I find Landlord friendly states, but talking to some investors in that State (that invest in specific cities) contradict the statistics based on their specific Investing City experience(s).
So, other than ball-parking a state being Landlord/Tenant friendly, is there a source that helps break it down into Cities?
I'll try to stay away from being political here - but if the city has a left of center political reputation and management / leadership style. Good bet the city is less Landlord Friendly. There are exceptions based on the county the city is in as in Texas Evictions are a County function NOT a City function.
Thanks for the details Aaron. The link is still states. I am researching for specific cities. Unable to find something online. However, thanks again for the link. It will definitely be useful for someone who drops by here and is doing a statewide research!
Specialist · Newberg, OR · Member since 2009 · 93 posts · 71 votes
7y
I think your best bet would be to reach out to some larger property management companies in the areas where you’re looking. They’ll be the ones who would know what the local city laws are and how they’re different, and how that plays out in the real world. Find those who are closest to the front lines of the questions you have and ask them. Way faster than Google and more reliable. ;)
Rental Property Investor · Sioux Falls, SD · Member since 2015 · 9k+ posts · 18k+ votes
7y
@Dhruv Anand most of the big stuff happens at the state level. That is where landlord/tenant laws exist and where state tax laws are written. Within a friendly state, there may be more friendly cities, but it is smaller issues.
For example, some cities put extra rules on landlords to register properties or there may be local ordinances for property maintenance. Rural areas usually have the least rules, but also less population so lower rent values.
Or another way to look at it, any place is better than New York:)
I'll try to stay away from being political here - but if the city has a left of center political reputation and management / leadership style. Good bet the city is less Landlord Friendly. There are exceptions based on the county the city is in as in Texas Evictions are a County function NOT a City function.
Real Estate Broker · San Antonio, TX · Member since 2016 · 234 posts · 85 votes
7y
I can only speak to San Antonio but landlord friendly for sure. Not a huge fan of the JP courts but they work well with landlords as long as they are adhering to the lease. We typically use an attorney for going to court when needed since they have a pulse on the courts and how cases are going. Hope that helps. Feel free to reach out with any questions.
@Dhruv Anand most of the big stuff happens at the state level. That is where landlord/tenant laws exist and where state tax laws are written. Within a friendly state, there may be more friendly cities, but it is smaller issues.
For example, some cities put extra rules on landlords to register properties or there may be local ordinances for property maintenance. Rural areas usually have the least rules, but also less population so lower rent values.
Or another way to look at it, any place is better than New York:)
Hahaha.. definitely, any place than New York! :)
Thanks for the details though! Appreciate it a lot!
I'll try to stay away from being political here - but if the city has a left of center political reputation and management / leadership style. Good bet the city is less Landlord Friendly. There are exceptions based on the county the city is in as in Texas Evictions are a County function NOT a City function.
I can only speak to San Antonio but landlord friendly for sure. Not a huge fan of the JP courts but they work well with landlords as long as they are adhering to the lease. We typically use an attorney for going to court when needed since they have a pulse on the courts and how cases are going. Hope that helps. Feel free to reach out with any questions.
Investor · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2016 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
7y
I think there are some landlord un-friendly cities, but most are reasonable.
Here in Philly, there are a handful of requirements that are a pain, but at the end of the day, once you understand what you can and can’t do, it’s not so bad. I’d imagine most cities are the same - other than the handful that you always hear about - Chicago, NYC, Seattle, some in NJ and every city in CA :)
Definitely worth reading up on Nola and the landlord/tenant laws of anywhere you plan on investing.
Investor · Gilbert, AZ · Member since 2017 · 54 posts · 44 votes
7y
I manage a few rentals in Mesa, Tempe, and Gilbert - suburbs of the Phoenix Metro area. I honestly haven't had to evict, so I can't comment on the landlord or tenant friendliness of that process, but overall, I would say these cities lean landlord friendly.
Rental Property Investor · Indiana...mostly · Member since 2019 · 468 posts · 245 votes
7y
Developing a list of experiences on which cities are "landlord friendly" (or "tenant friendly" for that matter) sounds like a lot of work - fun work - and maybe will one day be part of the BP site.
Investor · New Orleans, LA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 944 votes
7y
I invest in New Orleans (the city proper, not the suburbs). Louisiana is landlord-friendly and so is New Orleans. I've done two evictions that went all the way to court. It's a pretty simple, straightforward process. I didn't speak to an attorney, not even for my first one. The filing fees cost about $200.
One tenant went all the way to the sheriff showing up after he ignored the eviction court order. From the day I posted the 5 Day Pay or Quit notice, had the trial, to the sheriff knocking on the door was a total of 5 weeks. And that was even longer than usual because I had to wait three weeks for my court date instead of the more usual 10-14 days. The other evicted tenant also lost and was gone within the same month.
I have a friend who is an attorney and REI. He told me Louisiana puts more focus on bringing rental units back to market. So politically it's an attitude of "tenant not paying rent, then they gotta go and open that housing unit back up to someone who will". On an interesting angle to left/right politics. The state of Louisiana is super red. Like fire-engine red, lol. But the city of New Orleans is super blue, though still landlord-friendly.
But on the negative side for REI, we have property insurance rates that are roughly 3x higher than most places because we are in a hurricane danger zone.
Real Estate Agent · Phoenix, AZ · Member since 2012 · 640 posts · 457 votes
7y
The entire state of Arizona has a fair Landlord Tenant Act, but it is generally leaning towards being landlord friendly.
No rent control
No statutory limit on rent amounts or rent increases
Landlords can hold security deposits, even earning interest on them during rental term
Easy evictions in about ~30 days depending on circumstances
Refundable deposit limited to 1.5x the amount of monthly rent, BUT tenants can voluntarily pay more (this limit only applies to refundable deposits, but not non-refundable cleaning or redecorating fees)