New landlords: Avoid these five tenant types

One thing I learned from being a property manager is that landlording is not for nice guys. That's not to say that I didn't like most of my tenants or try to be nice to them; I did.

But I also learned, at my boss's urging, that sometimes you have to say "no." No to unnecessary repairs or upgrades, no to extraordinary lease provisions and even, sometimes, no to prospective tenants who had applied to rent with us.

My latest article is targeted at landlords, particularly new ones. It's "Five Tenant Types Unfit for Your Investment Property."

Some rental applicants just are too risky to rent to or are too likely to bring headaches with them to your property. Learn who they are by clicking on the article title above.


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The inside dirt on security deposit cleaning deductions

What good is reading this blog, you might ask, if you never get any inside scoop?

Good question.

So to reward you for your patience and loyalty, take a look here for some inside "dirt" on security deposit deductions that tenants might incur if they leave apartments excessively dirty upon move-out.

Leaving Your Apartment This Dirty? Say Bye to Security Deposit Money is a slide show featuring never-before-seen (i.e. from my private collection) actual photos of some rather dirty conditions outgoing tenants left behind in apartments when they moved out.

Each photo is accompanied by an explanation of cleaning charges that were deducted from a tenant's security deposit or some tips to tackle those impossible-to-clean apartment areas and avoid incurring excessive cleaning charges yourself.

Enjoy! But be warned: A few of the photos are pretty gross.



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This one's for harassed on-site apartment managers!

Sure, you're SUPPOSED to be off-duty but that never seems to stop tenants from knocking on your door, does it?

I battled for my off-duty time a lot when I worked as an on-site apartment manager. An emergency? OK, no problem. That's why I was there. That was part of my job.

But a drippy bathroom faucet is not an emergency. Call me about it tomorrow during office hours.

You suspect your neighbor is violating her lease because her boyfriend has moved in and now your favorite parking spot is always taken? Not an emergency. Stop by tomorrow during office hours.

You are bothered by the cigarette butts and beer cans in the courtyard? So am I. But I'm not dealing with it at 9 p.m. because I already worked a 10-hour day today and I will deal with it tomorrow.

If you're an on-site, live-in apartment manager who is often bothered by tenants during your scheduled off hours, you might find my advice helpful. Read it here: Apartment Managers - Live On Site? You Can Still Go Off Duty. It's all about the strategies I successfully used to train my tenants to respect my free time. A worthwhile read!




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Two great property management blogs -- hilarious and keepin' it real

As a former rental property manager, I am so thoroughly entertained by two fellow bloggers' property management blogs that I have to recommend them both here:

Check out both Apartment Manager Kaos and Stories from Apartment Managers. Especially if you yourself work in the apartment management industry.

These two blogs make me giggle, nod in agreement and, to be honest with you, make me feel a little relieved to know I WASN'T crazy after all when I was doing the job, though it sure felt that way sometimes.

When I was managing apartments I was always so worried that it would be unprofessional to blog about the daily goings-on in my buildings and among my tenants. Of course I write under my real name -- right there in the upper right hand corner (oh hey, hi there) -- so that was probably a valid concern.

Not so for "TxAptMgr" (Kaos) and "Apartment Manager" (Stories), who were both smart enough to stay anonymous so they can give you the uncensored lowdown on crazy tenants, scammy landlords and all the reasons that property managers might sometimes come across as anal, evil, uncaring b*tches when really they're mostly pretty normal, nice people doing a hard job in which you can never make everyone happy.

Highly recommended reading for others in the apartment industry!