Handyman Free Advise

[Ardis Bell]

I am a handyman for a family owned mini-storage and multi-family rental business. Their father purchased mostly lower quality homes and filled them with mostly lower quality renters. Approx 30 properties in Texas. After he lost a battle with illness, the business is being managed by the 26 year old son. In Jan. I agreed to do all repairs to their properties at $10/hr in exchange for free rent & all bills paid in an unfinished studio apartment. My first question is - does anyone work under an unusual agreement such as this. If so, I would appreciate knowing anything you have learned or can advise me on. The second part of this post is what I have learned and how it might help property managers or landlords. If you aren't inspecting your properties regularly, you will wish you had when a renter moves or is evicted. In 5 months, 4 properties that went uninspected have cost 3 times the monthly rent to repair. I won't go into all the problems but structural damage, infestations, major drywall and tile damage are just a few. I am sure the veteran managers out there know how easily a short inspection could have saved this owner thousands of dollars and hours of work. Don't waste your resources on repairs, inspect you properties ! One last note : Thank you Bigger Pockets for an excellent resource of vital information on practically any subject. This site is well managed and the members are the best.