All Forum Posts by: Taylor Roeling

@Chris Parrish Yikes - always a tough decision especially when you didn't choose the tenant in the first place. Like the others have said, make sure to double check landlord-tenant laws locally and in Washington. I don't think it would be entirely necessary to hire a real estate lawyer, however, it wouldn't hurt to maybe just get some advice to make sure you are doing everything correctly. I guess you can take this as a "what not to do as a landlord" in the future - mainly, make sure you screen your tenants so you know you're getting someone you trust and like and also to not have month-to-month leases. You want a tenant who will commit and one who you know will pay rent on time! Best of luck!

@Zach Bagby Congrats on your success and I'm sure future success as well! Small landlord success is sometimes overlooked by a lot of people, but it definitely shouldn't be. Best of luck in your future!

The Best College Towns for Renters and Landlords: TurboTenant’s Top Five College Towns for Affordability and Fun

We know how often you hear and see “the best” college or college town and, let’s be honest, we all like to check to see if our future school, current school or alma mater is on the list! With affordability being the number one decision factor in where to live, we also researched some of the best college towns to live in that have a diverse and fun student life along with affordable rent ($1,000 and under/month for a two-bedroom apartment). Find out our list of top five college towns here where affordable housing, a great education and a fun student life are guaranteed!

@Ryan Spearman Like most people have said, it definitely is doable! I mean I guess it might be more work for you to communicate with two different companies, but that might be easier who knows! You can also consider doing some of the things yourself through online tools to make it easier for yourself and save money! (tenant screening, marketing, and all that good stuff). Best of luck! Let us know how it goes.

@Fahad Meer It can be tough when a lot of your tenants don't have bank accounts - interesting too in this day and age even if you are low-income individuals. I would probably expect them to at least have some type of debit card..... if not then that would put Venmo out as an option - but, it would be easy for them to do right on their smartphones that you mentioned most of them have. I think requiring to use an online system like Venmo and such could be added to your lease for the future so it will be easier for you to keep track of payments! Cash is also fine, but then you will manually have to keep track of it yourself either in a software or just a spreadsheet. 

@Jason L. A bad communicating tenant is always frustrating! Did the tenant or the previous PM lose the key? If it was the PM then I think you shouldn 't make her make a copy, but go for the changing the locks plan and have a proper notice and maybe even compensation like a gift card or thank you letter. Before posting the notice though, make sure you have emailed, called and left a message and even texted the current tenant! If she hasn't responded to any of those options then that's her fault.

@Constantia Petrou I don't think you should worry too much like others have said because it is only for a weekend etc. However, if you want to avoid situations like these in the future to protect yourself even more, you could consider adding it into your lease that no "visiting" dogs are allowed. 

@Joanne Hanson Congrats on looking to invest in your first rental property! You've definitely come to the right place for questions and advice. I think some of the first things you should know, is that there are lots of online tools and information for you to use to get the best tenants and the most out of your rental properties. Screening your tenants is one of the most important things to know because you want to know that you are letting someone trustworthy live in your property! Also, having the proper lease will be important starting out so you won't really have to change it for other properties. If you visit Law Depot you can find ones specific to your state laws! Hope this helps and best of luck!

@Anna Buffkin Like many have said, Venmo is a good option that doesn't charge any fees as well and can be directly linked to their checking or savings account. However, it is important to remember Venmo does have limits on how much you can transfer at once. Read more info here: https://help.venmo.com/hc/en-us/articles/221010968-Payment-Limits

The Best College Towns for Renters and Landlords: TurboTenant’s Top Five College Towns for Affordability and Fun

We know how often you hear and see “the best” college or college town and, let’s be honest, we all like to check to see if our future school, current school or alma mater is on the list! With affordability being the number one decision factor in where to live, we also researched some of the best college towns to live in that have a diverse and fun student life along with affordable rent ($1,000 and under/month for a two-bedroom apartment). Find out our list of top five college towns here where affordable housing, a great education and a fun student life are guaranteed!