Our home is up for rent. We are using our realtor who is also a property manager to manage it. We have an applicant, good credit above 750, clean records, works close, makes over 3x the rent per month. Only the applicant and the 8yo dog will live there.

She asked before she applied if we would consider renting to her with such a large dog, and we agreed we would with a pet deposit and monthly pet rent so long as her application looked good. No lease has been drafted yet, but we were ready to move forward.

Well, we now know that she works 12 hour shifts. Well asked our realtor to find out what her plan is for those hours with no one else living there to let out the dog. She said the dog is used to being able to go out of a dog door into a fenced yard. Our yard is not fenced. Would it be extremely stupid to allow her to put up her own fencing for her dog? What advice would you give us?

Edit: Thanks all for all of the really helpful information. I now know about my FHA exemption, and info for when it is time for renewal or not, and if there are damages or not. This is my first post here, and it is a very responsive and helpful subreddit. Thanks all!

I am renting my townhome and had an applicant, did background check, all looked fine, they said no pets.

After I approved the application and provided a lease and they signed it they said oh they have an ESA dog. NC looks like I cannot restrict an ESA, cannot charge a pet deposit or pet rent, and there’s nothing I can do?

Can I ask for proof of ESA documentation? Any other recourse? My rental allows pets so it’s strange they lied about it until after. I proceeded to rent to them since the other applicants had horrible credit and criminal backgrounds and this applicant was otherwise good. But now wondering the state of the apartment and how to handle move out / potential security deposit damage or potential lease renewal if they want to extend.

Hi everyone! I’m helping my aunt rent out her 1bd/1ba unit in the Silver Lake area, and I’d love to get some advice from our experienced landlords here.
The unit has been listed on Zillow for about a month now. Her previous tenant lived there for 10 years and just moved out last month so she is kind of new to the whole market now. Unfortunately, the listing hasn’t gotten nearly as much traction as she’d hoped. She’s received a lot of ghost inquiries, had people no-show for scheduled appointments, and dealt with some very unqualified applicants (low credit scores and criminal backgrounds).

She’s already lowered the rent to below market value, and I feel bad seeing how stressed she’s become trying to figure out what to do next.

I’d really appreciate your thoughts on a few questions:
Should she take down the Zillow listing and repost it? She already paid for Zillow’s Boost feature, but in my opinion, it hasn’t made much of a difference.

What other platforms would you recommend? Are there any good alternatives to Zillow for finding quality tenants in the LA/Silver Lake area?

Any other tips or strategies? What would you do differently to help the unit get more visibility and attract better-qualified applicants?

Any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much in advance!

Hello,

I purchased a property from a family member a couple years ago. It includes two units with a shared parking lot of 3 spaces in the front and 2 handicap, and on the side of the building there is another 4 spots.

One is a mechanic shop that is very busy, these customers park all over including the spots in front of the other establishment. Owner of the other establishment has been furious and has been consistently pressing me to fix the issue recently since the mechanic has been so busy. The lease’s I took over from my family member does not state anything about parking or say what’s allocated to each unit, my family member told me the lot is supposed to be shared but the first two parking spots are for the other establishment. The other establishment attempted to put signs on those spots for her customers and the mechanic shop did not like that and prevented it, what could I do in this situation? I’ve tried finding the land survey to see if it shows any information but that’s been impossible, I’ve contacted zoning and they haven’t been any help, I just want to settle this and be done with it

Thanks

In northeast Ohio.

Have been renting with my ex (bf at the time) for 2 years now. We signed the lease together. The lease was for 12 months and then after the 12 months it goes to month to month. So we are currently on a month to month lease. (We did not sign a new lease after the 12 month lease if this matters)

Our place changed management and since then it's been shit.

So the bf and I broke up, toxic situation. I emailed the landlord office exactly one month ago explaining the situation, and that I'm needing to leave and be taken off the lease. He intends to stay.

They tell me we both need to put this in writing and sign it. Cool. We did that. I faxed it in. They now tell me I have to wait for him to reapply on his own, be approved, and sign the new lease. (Soo... The signed paper was... to waste our time? Cool.)

So he applied. Sent everything they asked of him. And then they replied to him that they will be sending the lease for him to sign. Awesome I thought! Finally going somewhere.

No.

It's now been several days they have not responded to me, OR him. They have NOT sent him the lease to sign. It's now been 30 days since I've mentioned my wishes to move out and end my tenancy. I've literally explained to them that this is a toxic situation for me to be in and I need to leave.

So I'm seeking what my options are right now, because there's got to be some sort of legal protection I can take for myself when I'm basically being held hostage by the landlord not fullfilling their part in everything when we've done everything they asked.

How do I get out of here?????? Please.. I'm feeling so fed up.

I am so sick of banks not really understanding this stuff at best, and giving misinformation or outrageous fees at worst. Cap 1 took me hours in the bank every time and they always screwed it up one way or the other. Citizens Bank told me I could manage this from my desk at home, but it would cost me $2,000 a year! Chase told me that wasn't even possible, that I needed to submit multiple forms besides the W-9 and come in no matter what.

All I want is to be able to handle this from my desk instead of having to go to a bank branch and waste my time. I know for certain managers of 100 doors are not wasting their time screwing around like this. If it wasn't for the stupid New Jersey laws I would simply open a sub account in my Vanguard and give my tenants top money market rates on their deposits! But among the reasons why this can't be done is that Vanguard is not based in New Jersey, like the physical location of a bank matters for anyone anymore. /rant

This year property building insurance for 6 unit building went up 20% paying $4k now. No new claims over the past year. Roof 7 years old. Building is 48 years old. Deductible is $2k. Liability $1.1 million. Wind hail deductible 2%. Anyone else see a dramatic increase in coverage for their buildings? Located in Midwest. How to get better rates? We are already bundled for our home and auto with the company. It’s State Farm

Tenant 1: Has multiple non-violent felonies, no eviction history but they don't have rental history either. They have no credit, but they make well over 10 times the rent per month and have no debt.

Tenant 2: Has 3 pets and 3 kids. They had one eviction but it was over 5 years ago. They barely make enough income to qualify them.

Who would you rather rent a 2bdr house to?

Our rentals back on the market after nine years and in that time a lot of things have changed.
Need recommendations for listing our rental and programs to use for credit checks and backgrounds and all that good stuff
Thanks

My unit has been sitting vacant for almost four months. My realtor hasn’t brought in many serious potential tenants, and their contract ends in October. I’m leaning toward not renewing and trying to advertise it myself.
I’ve already lowered the rent, but my realtor says the market is just slow and there are about six other units available in my community.

For those who have successfully rented out property on their own, where did you get the best leads? Zillow, Apartments.com, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, or somewhere else? Also, any tips for making the listing stand out and attracting serious tenants?

We have had our home about 6 years. Bought it when interest rates were crazy low. 2.6% int. and mortgage 1400/mo. 3 br, bonus room, garage, in gated community. Up and up area in central NC. Home value has increased including rent.

We won’t be here much longer. Maybe 1-3 years tops. I hate to let the home go, and want it to be an investment property. We have replaced so much on the home (roof, deck, added fence, HVAC, carpets, etc) that it feels we’re just giving it away to sell it in the current market. It’s also a safety net for us, as it’s a very affordable home.

All that being said, we have no experience leasing property. Not impressed with local prop managers (plug and chug formula, not what I’m looking for). Looking into some boutique agencies or doing it myself. I want to be involved should we rent it, but am also extremely worried about getting in over my head, and landing in a bad situation. Money is not a concern at this point, just wanting to keep our home, possibly find a good property manager, and a great tenant. We are in no hurry to fill the home immediately when we leave, and want to take time to put the right safeguards up and the right tenant. A friend told me the other day if you want to rent your home, you have to let go. Best scenario is you rent it and you move far away and let whatever happens happen. Don’t rent if you’re emotionally tied to the home. I do feel invested in the house, so maybe this isn’t for me…but I can’t help but feel there has to be a way.

All and any advice or wake up call appreciated.

I contracted a company to renovate my rental. This is the estimate they sent with price. My property manager is saying it is not good enough to send to the tenants.

Tenants’ deposit is 2k, but the needed repair is 4.5k. She is saying the estimate needs to say specifically what part of their 2k is being used for what job.
I don’t think matters because the repairs needed will still be more than their deposit anyway.
Hoping someone with more experience can help with this. We need to get this out to the tenants.

We’ve rented the same house for about four years. The house is 120 years old, so obviously I don’t expect it to be perfect. I actually really like our property management company and we have a good relationship with them. My frustration is more with the actual owner, who seems pretty reluctant to approve repairs/spend money on the house.

One of the bigger issues right now is the windows. I’ve reported issues with multiple windows over the years. They’re super drafty, we get a ton of ice buildup on them in the winter, and one of the living room windows is actually broken and has been for quite a while. I can literally feel the draft while I’m sitting on the couch.

The property management company did have a window company contact me in the spring/summer. They called to schedule a time to come out, but then never followed up. Even then, they were only planning to fix the one broken window, not address any of the other windows I’ve mentioned.

Now we’re heading into winter again and I’m looking at our hydro bill thinking about how much it’s going to cost to keep this place warm.

We also have ongoing moisture issues. During our first winter here, we were given a dehumidifier for the basement and told to run it continuously. It runs 24/7 and we’ve been paying the electricity for it for four years.

There have been a few other situations that have added to my frustration with the owner. This summer we had water getting into our bedroom and it got to the point that there were literally mushrooms growing out of the baseboard. His initial suggestion was basically to put another dehumidifier in the bedroom. Thankfully, they did eventually do the actual exterior/wall repairs that were needed.

More recently, we had work done around our kitchen sink and the person doing the work wanted to replace the sink because of its condition. The owner didn’t want to approve a new one, so the old sink stayed. Now it’s leaking.

So I guess that’s where my frustration is coming from. It feels like the cheapest/temporary solution tends to be the first choice, but we’re the ones living with the consequences of it.

I’m thinking about emailing the property management company and asking if the owner would be willing to cover SOME of our additional hydro costs, either as a monthly contribution or rent credit. I’m absolutely not asking him to pay our whole hydro bill. We’d obviously have heating/electricity costs regardless.

I’m talking about the extra cost of trying to heat a house with extremely drafty windows, plus the electricity for a dehumidifier we’ve specifically been asked to run 24/7 because of moisture issues with the house.

I also understand that it’s basically winter now and they’re probably not going to be able to suddenly replace a bunch of windows. I’m trying to be realistic about that.

We take good care of the house, report issues when they come up, make ourselves available whenever contractors need access, etc. I’m also not trying to start a fight with the property management company because I genuinely like them and would happily rent another property through them when we eventually move.

I’m just getting tired of feeling like we’re absorbing the costs of the owner not wanting to put money into his property.

Would you think this was a reasonable request from a long-term tenant? And if not, what would you consider a fair solution?

TL;DR: We’ve rented a 100+ year old house for four years. The windows are extremely drafty, one is broken, and we’ve been paying to run a dehumidifier 24/7 for four years because of moisture issues. We’ve also dealt with water damage bad enough that mushrooms grew out of our bedroom baseboard, and there seems to be a pattern of the owner choosing the cheapest/temporary fix. Would it be unreasonable to ask him to contribute toward the extra hydro costs caused by these issues?

Kendall County

We're new landlords and we go through a managment company who got a maintenence request for a broken screen door.

Renters want it replaced but we said no and we proceeded with removing the door.

Now they're demanding a storm door stating that because the door was included with the property, its obligated to them.

Advice?

Good morning all I have a quick inquiry that I'm hoping most won't mind helping with. To those landlords that don't accept vouchers or those whom are hesitant about it, what would change your mind? In your eyes what would be the ideal voucher candidate for you if there is one? I'm a voucher holder and I want to cast a wide net and approach landlords or smaller management's that might not be familiar with our turned off by the idea of accepting a voucher holding tenant. What could I possibly say, explain, show them that would ease any worries.

I know some flat out will say no regardless, but to those that might say yes... what would be the best approach? Should I lead with the voucher amount and portion?

Thank you all in advance

Upon move in, kitchen kinda gross with food drips/splatters/crumbs all about. Now I’m very upset with what appears to be mold on the dishwasher drawers. How do I proceed with asking my landlord of 1 month to fix this without sounding like an asshole?

I’ve had an LLC for years for my few rental properties, my personal credit is great and I would like to start building a credit profile for my business LLC. I know that not all credit card companies report your business credit to the credit bureaus, right ??

I’m at a point in my business where I don’t currently need any debt, but I would like to start building the credit anyway. How can I do this? Which credit cards should I look into?

I'm a relatively small landlord (10 doors), and the property in question is a modest single family home (3 Bedrooms/1 Bathroom) on slab.

My long term tenant "John" has been living on the property for eight years and has always been a reliable and communicative tenant. When he first moved in he had a great credit score, good career, presented very well, and always kept the house in great condition.

He continues to be a reliable low maintenance tenant that pays his rent on time but over the years his life and living conditions have changed, and I'm beginning to get concerned about the potential condition of the house. He married a woman with kids from a previous relationship who now live in the home, gave up his career, and just generally doesn't seem to taking great care of himself.

The times that I've gone to the house for scheduled visits everything looked fine but workers who have gone out for emergency maintenance calls have mentioned that the house was extremely dirty and that there were trash and beer bottles everywhere, etc. He continues to pay his rent on time and doesn't often reach out to me, but he's become harder to communicate with and has been pushing back on any regular maintenance that requires inside access so I suspect that the house is probably hoarded and/or extremely dirty.

Now that I've painted the picture... I guess my question is... Should I just look the other way and plan on doing a major overhaul of this property when he eventually leaves (which I was already planning to do anyway), or should I take a more aggressive approach now and force an inspection which may likely result in a notice to cure or quit.

Normally I'd go with the later but this guys has always been reliable and will probably live there another decade if I don't bother him and just make my peace with the fact that the house will probably be in s**t condition when I eventually get it back.

I'm going back to my old aparment building and renting from my old landlord. He really likes me and wants me as a tenant. Previously I lived in #5 which had a couple german roaches that were coming from the neighboring unit, #6. I was very clean and did my best to handle the roaches myself.

Towards the end of my lease, the neighbors in #6 moved out and my landlord took it over and did a deep cleaning. When that happened I stopped seeing roaches.

Two years later I'm trying to move into #6 which was previously the source of the infestation, but has had my landlord living in it for a couple years now and has had the carpets stripped and replaced with hard wood. It looks clean as well.

My landlord has never admitted the pest problem and seems hesitant to talk about it over text for obvious reasons.

I want to ask him for a clause in the lease that states if pests are found, professional pest control will be provided. He wants me to do a 12month/60 day notice and I'm going to ask for 10month/30 day notice. I'm also thinking if I could ask him to get a professional pest control inspection before I move in.

He really wants me as a tenant so I have leverage. I also really would like to move back there. I want to be fair to both of us.

I need to relocate out of state for a new job and I’m renting out my primary residence. Leads this time of year have been weak, so I was glad to get one strong applicant. I’d like a gut check on whether he’s safe to lease to.

The good:

• 13+ years with the same large employer, recently promoted

He is relocating

• for the job with a ~50% raise, about $13K/month gross (more than 3x rent)
• Property manager reports zero late payments on his mortgage and student loan
• Offered a cosigner and an extra security deposit

The flag:

• He disclosed up front that he filed Chapter 13 earlier this year. His score dropped from ~680 to ~600. He says he has never missed a payment and can’t take on new debt, and that his budget is set by the plan.

Over the next one year they plan to sell their current primary house and then buy another one here and end my lease.
My questions:

1. For those who’ve rented to someone in Chapter 13, how did it go? Any late rent or surprises when the plan changed?
2. Doesn’t selling a house during an active Chapter 13 need trustee or court approval? Should I ask for proof of that before signing?
3. Does a cosigner actually help? I’ve read that the Chapter 13 codebtor stay might limit collecting from the cosigner.
4. What would you ask for before approving: plan documents, trustee confirmation, extra deposit, ACH autopay?

For people who don't know, that's a tactic I've heard some landlords use with problem tenants who simply won't leave. They bring in a "tenant" whose sole purpose is to be obnoxious and annoying in order to motivate the existing tenant to leave.

Is this legal?

Hey Landlords!

Looking for some advice. I wanted to see if any of you would've charged me for my carpet? My lease had no move out fee for my carpet or any stipulation for needing to clean it so I just vacuumed it really well. Landlord is trying to hit me for damages but the image she provided was just a picture taken in the hallway. These are the ones I took before I turned over my keys Aug 28th. (Lease was up Aug 31st)

I've never been charged for damage before and I even filled and spackled my holes (my LL and maintenance director asked me to do that.) I was told I didn't need to texture or paint so I didn't do that but I'm really irked about the carpet situation.

I did have water intrusion from the AC closet next to my bedroom in July 2026 and I moved out August 2026. I didn't even get the notice until Oct 10th (it's even postmarked Oct 8th.)

I have an applicant who is here for a contract job for 2 years. They asked if I will give them a rent break for signing a longer lease? They asked for $200 monthly.

I’m of the mindset to say yes when I can but more inclined for a much smaller amount. My rent is on the lower side for the area already.

Thoughts?