Top Ten Landlord Tips

Simple advice to help your landlord or property management company function effectively.

1. Conduct a tenant screening.

Never rent to anybody without first investigating their credit history, references, and background. Too frequently, haphazard screening and tenant selection lead to issues, such as a renter who pays the rent late or not at all, trashes your house, or allows unpleasant acquaintances to come in. To effectively screen renters, use a written rental application. See the How to Screen and Select Tenants FAQ for additional details.

2. Have it written down.

Use a written lease or month-to-month rental agreement to document the important facts of your relationship with your tenants, such as the fundamentals of rent payment and tenant responsibilities, as well as when and how you handle tenant complaints and repair issues, how much notice you must give to enter a tenant’s apartment, and so on. See Ten Terms to Include in Your Lease or Rental Agreement for further information on what to include in a lease or rental agreement. Are you unsure which to use? See the FAQ on Leases and Rental Agreements.

3. Take excellent care of security deposits.

Establish a fair mechanism for determining, collecting, retaining, and returning security deposits paid in advance by renters. In order to minimize conflicts over security deposits when the tenant moves out, inspect and record the state of the rental unit before the renter comes in. Check your state’s laws to be sure you’re processing security deposits properly.

4. Perform any required repairs.

Maintain an eye out for maintenance and repair requirements, and make fixes as needed. You will alienate excellent renters if the property is not maintained in good shape, and they may be legally allowed to withhold money, correct the fault and deduct the cost from the rent, claim for injuries caused by defective circumstances, and/or move out without notice. See Repairs, Maintenance, and Entry to Rented Premises for further information.

5. Provide a safe environment.

Don’t make your renters or property easy targets for criminals. Assess the security of your property and take reasonable precautions to secure it. Often, the most effective solutions, such as good lighting and well-trimmed landscaping, are not prohibitively costly. See Criminal Acts and Activities: Landlord Liability FAQ for additional details.

6. Give advance warning before entering a unit.

See Repairs, Maintenance, and Entry to Rented Premises for further information about your renters’ privacy rights. Notify your renters anytime you intend to enter their rental property, and give them as much advance notice as possible, at least 24 hours or the minimum amount needed by state law. See Chart: State Laws on Landlord Access to Rental Property for state-by-state information.

7. Identify potential environmental dangers.

If there is a danger on the property, such as lead or mold, notify your renters either before they move in or as soon as you become aware of the situation. Landlords are increasingly being held accountable for tenant health issues caused by environmental pollutants in the rented premises. See the Rental Property FAQ for more information on lead disclosures. Other landlord disclosures may be required under state law.

8. Manage property managers.

Select and oversee your property manager with caution. You may be held financially liable if a manager commits a crime or is incompetent. Conduct a comprehensive background check and clearly define the manager’s responsibilities to assist avoid difficulties in the future.

9. Get insurance.

Purchase enough liability and property insurance. A properly-designed insurance coverage may protect you against tenant claims for bodily harm or discrimination, as well as damages to your rental property caused by anything from fire and storms to burglary and vandalism. See Tenant Injuries: Landlord Liability and Insurance FAQ for additional information.

10. Resolve disagreements.

Try to settle conflicts with your renters without the use of attorneys or litigation. If you have a disagreement with a tenant about rent, deposits, repairs, your access to the rental unit, noise, or any other issue that does not need an eviction, meet with the renter to see if the matter can be handled informally.

If it fails, seek mediation by a neutral third party, which is often available at little or no cost via a publicly supported program.

If your issue concerns money and all efforts to reach an agreement have failed, consider taking your case to small claims court, where you may represent yourself. Small claims court is useful for collecting unpaid rent or seeking compensation for property damage when a tenant vacates and the security deposit has been depleted.