Practical notes for self-managing landlords—portfolio structure, leasing workflow, applications, and listings—alongside finance guides.
Practical notes for self-managing landlords, delivered when a new post drops.
Everything small landlords need to know about security deposits—from collection and accounting through deductions, disputes, and return. A comprehensive guide to doing it right.
Read articleA practical guide to move-in condition reports for small landlords: what to photograph, what to write down, how to involve the tenant, and how to keep the file useful at move-out.
Read articleA practical guide for small landlords when a tenant asks to skip the final rent payment and have the deposit cover it instead, including legal risks, accounting, scripts, and safer alternatives.
Read articleCracked tile and failing caulk can be normal wear, tenant damage, or an early warning sign of water getting where it should not. Here is a practical way for small landlords to triage the report, communicate with the tenant, and decide who pays.
Read articleA practical response plan for small landlords when a tenant leaves before the lease ends, owes rent, and stops communicating.
Read articleHow to properly account for security deposits—why they're not income when received, how to handle deductions, and what the tax implications are.
Read articleWhen a tenant skips salt for years and a $4,000 softener dies, you're stuck with scale on every faucet and a lease clause that says they were supposed to keep up with it. Here's how to think about deposit deductions, proof, and when eating the cost is the smarter move.
Read articleTrusted friends rented cheap. You got the keys back to a split-level that smelled like a kennel. Three dumpsters later you're at 20% smell left. Here's what works, what's left, and when to stop throwing enzymes at structural problems.
Read article