All Forum Posts by: Brad Russo

No doubts if tenants left the walls really dirty, you have the right to deduct the cost to repaint from the security deposit. 

However, if your renters has lived in the unit for 3 years or more, a paint job is probably routine maintenance. And that mean that you couldn’t deduct money to paint.

I see that a lot of people wrote about 30 days notice. Let me make a remark here. Yes, you have to give a 30 days notice if the rent increase is less than 10% of the rent charged at any time during the 12 months before the rent increase takes effect. But if that amount is greater than 10% it should be a 60 days notification.

That is hard to say. There is no single decision for everybody. There are a lot of tasks that need to be done on a regular basis if you want to find success.

So, one of the biggest questions you should ask yourself whether you ready to become a great landlord. And what you need to do as a property owner in order to earn income and keep tenants satisfied is described here https://rentberry.com/blog/tenant-turnover.

However, if you have a lot of properties and being a landlord is not your only occupation, then it’s probably better to have a real estate agent to do that work for you. Property management fees vary by location, but typically professionals will charge from 8% to 12% of the rent in a monthly fee and a large, one-time fee each time the unit is rented.

I’m glad that the necessity of notice is mentioned there. If the you want to come over, you usually needs to give you notice, typically 24 to 48 hours. And many local jurisdictions require landlords to come over only at reasonable times.

I think that one inspection per month would be more then enough. 

I agree with @Toby M. the first thing you need to do is to talk to your renter. Tell her that it’s her obligation to inform you about maintenance issues. Otherwise you can keep the security deposit once the lease ends, if, of course, you charged it. 

Make a detailed description of your property. Emphasize on things that make you property unique. Mention one or two major features or benefits of the property in the first 10 to 15 words of the ad.

And you can make good photos of surrounding area. 

Require tenants to buy and maintain renters insurance. It provides coverage of the tenant’s property in cases of theft, fire, storm and water damage. Besides, that policy can cover costs of damage to the leased property caused by the tenant.

Yes, you need to serve the 3-day notice to the tenant. In order for your notice to be valid, it must be served to the resident. So, you need to deliver a copy of notice to tenant.

If it’s your first evection, it's better to ask for consultation from real estate lawyer once than be sorry many times after. 

The first thing you need is a quality rental application. Through application you can verify tenants income. Ideally, you will want to find a tenant whose monthly income is at least three times the monthly rent. Then run a credit check. See if renters have a history of paying their bills on time. The background check should be performed as well. It will give you a detailed report of the tenant’s past, that includes eviction history, criminal history and various public records.

Check renters references. This includes calling their past two landlords, their employer, and their personal references. Ask their previous landlord if there was any damage caused during the tenancy beyond normal wear and tear. Inquire whether the renter was a good communicator or not, cause you will need to communicate with them concerning property maintenance.

Conduct an interview. Invite each prospective tenant to an in-person interview. Ask questions about why the tenant wants to move, why they chose your property and why they want to move in. More detailed list of questions you can find here https://rentberry.com/blog/potential-tenant-interv...

And remember you should screen all applicants using the same, consistent methods. Otherwise, you will violate fair housing laws.

It’s better to consult with real estate lawyer. He will help you to handle this issue.