Straight talk on running rentals well — screening, rent collection, leases, maintenance and the numbers behind them.
When a landlord can raise rent, how much notice each state requires, how to pick a number the tenant will accept, and the letter that keeps a good tenant throug…
How much a landlord can charge for late rent, the grace periods states require, why a fee that is not in the lease is not collectible, and a schedule that actua…
Rent collection is the lifeblood of your rental business. While finding great tenants matters, getting paid consistently and on time determines whether your inv…
Chasing down rent checks. Trips to the bank. Manual deposit slips. Late payments. Bounced checks. If you're still collecting rent the old-fashioned way, you're…
How much notice a landlord must give before entering a rental, when none is needed, what the notice has to say, and what to do when a tenant refuses — with the…
Carpet stains, worn traffic lanes and a $1,500 carpet: what a landlord can deduct from the security deposit, how proration works, and each state's deadline for…
Every state has different laws governing rental agreements. What's perfectly legal in Texas might violate tenant rights in California. Using a generic, one-size…
Finding the right tenant is the single most important decision a property manager makes. A great tenant pays on time, respects the property, and renews their le…
The most important questions to ask when renting an apartment are about total cost, lease terms, repairs and rules: what you pay each month beyond rent, how mai…
Congratulations on taking the leap into rental property ownership! Whether you've just closed on your first investment property or you're preparing to list a ho…
Most renters can afford about 30% of their gross monthly income in rent. At $20 an hour that is about $1,040 a month; on a $60,000 salary it is about $1,500. Th…
Renting an apartment usually costs less, includes more of the maintenance and comes with amenities, but you get less space and privacy. Renting a house gives yo…
To find tenants, price the rent to the local market, write a listing with good photos and every key detail, post it on several rental sites, reply to inquiries…
A rental resume is a one-page summary you give a landlord with your application. It covers who you are, where you have rented, what you earn and who can vouch f…
You can rent an apartment with no credit by giving the landlord another reason to trust you: a cosigner, a larger deposit, proof of steady income and savings, o…
Proof of income for an apartment is usually your last two to three months of pay stubs. If you are self-employed, a student, retired or starting a new job, land…
A cosigner for an apartment is someone who signs your lease and agrees to pay the rent if you do not. Landlords ask for one when your income, credit or rental h…
Imagine coming home to find your apartment flooded from the unit above. Your laptop, TV, clothes, furniture, all destroyed. The landlord's insurance covers the…
Move-in day is exciting, but it's also when most tenant-landlord disputes begin. That scratch on the floor? The drip in the bathroom? Without proper documentati…
If you're paying $50–$300 per month for property management software, you've probably wondered: is there a catch with the free alternatives? Can software that c…
Short-term rentals (STRs) can generate significantly more income than traditional long-term leases — but they also come with more complexity. Different pricing…
Property managers spend hours every week pulling up the same information: who owes rent, when leases expire, how many maintenance requests are open. The data ex…
A leaky faucet at 2 AM. A broken AC in July. A tenant who can't figure out the thermostat. Maintenance requests are inevitable in property management, but how y…
The difference between a rental property that sits vacant for weeks and one that gets multiple applications within days often comes down to one number: the aski…
Rent collection, screening, leases, maintenance and accounting — unlimited properties, no monthly fee.