All Forum Posts by: Henry T.

Location.

It can be the worst house in the world, but if the location is good I want it.

What is the worst city to be a landlord, and why?

If your Airbnb complains about the noise, barking, whatever, give them notice.

I believe according to Fair Housing you have the right to question the doctor and verify that the "letter" is legit. Next lease renewal raise the rent as much as possible. 

I would write:  This is a shared property. The yard is a common area of access for both tenant and owner. Owner retains the garage for their personal use. 

I've had tenants do massive destruction, and they weren't even mad at me. They think they\re improving the place. Painting my natural brick fireplace. Painting my birch kitchen cabinets with house paint. A vegetable garden all dead, with 10 extra yards of dirt that had to be removed. Hardwood floors ruined from animal pee. Sigh.

Do an inspection of their old place. Are they slobs or neat?

Whenever renting out any property you have to able to let go, and know the worst can happen.

Remove the things that would be hard or expensive to replace.

Goodman is a good generic brand, with easily obtainable parts, if you should need. I have 4 still going strong after 15 plus years.

Best of luck to you Larry. Ohio is a good state to be a landlord. I believe this is a universal truth= If you want something done right, do it yourself. No one will care more about your property than you. Are you handy? Are you assertive, or a pushover? Cool or emotional? Willing to learn the local landlord/tenant laws? If your answer is no, then you're best hiring out. At the least, join a local landlord service and get yourself a good lease, and fill it up with additional restrictions to protect you. i.e., no pitbulls, one licensed vehicle on property, no noise, no alterations, no vegetable gardens, BBQ away from house, no pets, etc,. Ask other landlords for copies of their leases. Good luck Larry!

Anybody staying on the property must pass your "ahem" strict screening process. Credit 750, 3x income/rent, references, etc. You can charge per "body" if you're running a rooming house. But it sounds like the basement is illegal, and is not a living space. HUD would not like this. Maybe you can rent them a tent, it would be dryer. Heck, I dont know. This sounds odd, and a situation I would not want to be part of.