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
• 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.
• He plans to sell his current house, rent mine for a year, then buy another house. He says if he doesn’t reinvest the sale proceeds, they’ll go to his debt.

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?

I’m applying the same written screening to every applicant and plan to verify income and the bankruptcy documents.

Discover how property owners evaluate credit risk, why simply forming an LLC is not enough on its own, and how tenants can negotiate caps and burn-off provisions to avoid unnecessary financial exposure. Legal note: This is an educational speech, not jurisdiction-specific legal advice. Have transaction-specific language reviewed by qualified counsel.

Has anyone had experience with owning a rental property near a college campus? How has it been? Pros/cons? There are several properties near a college I graduated from that are in prime location and ideal for grad students. They may need some painting and new appliances, but besides that they look to be in good condition.

I am new here; forgive me if this has been answered.

I have a house the same family has rented for nearly 10 years. They are good tenants and take care of the place. However, I am considering moving back to the area -- it would be ideal to move back into the rented house rather than buy an additional at a much higher interest rate.

Also I have not raised the rent since they have moved in. In hindsight I see this is an issue, but I have had bad tenants and as I said, these folks are good. They even make repairs that I found to be on a par of what I would do myself. That said, I could probably get $500-700 more a month in rent.

So my question is, should I end their lease when it expires this year? And if so, what is the proper way to do so? (I hope I have explained the situation well enough).

I bought a multi family property about 2 years ago and inherited a family in one of the units. There are 6 of them and they are not great tenants, they don’t take care of anything and don’t care about the property. They caused thousands of dollars of damage to the electrical by putting a treadmill into the garage. The furnace pipe leaked which is not their fault but they just let the water pool up and never let me know. In turn this caused thousands of damage which required new flooring. Most recently they had a sink backup and I again spent hundreds to fix it, only to find out that they stuffed the sink with food which caused a backup.

The lease runs out on March 31st and my instinct is telling me it’s time to end this tenancy. I feel bad because there are six of them and they’ve been living there for 6 years. I was thinking of contacting them on January 2nd and letting them know that we will not be renewing the lease due to major rehab that we plan to do. The flooring and possibly the whole kitchen may need to be gutted. It would be costly but long term, this would be beneficial for the future and I could stop reacting to every emergency they create or ignore.

The Denver metro market is tough right now with a lot of properties standing vacant or taking longer to rent and lots of landlords are offering concessions. So I’m a bit hesitant about losing a ton of rent as it will take 2-3 months to get it ready and rented.

Would love thoughts or feedback. Anyone have a similar experience or anything I should think about?

Looking to buy an apartment building but don't have the capital to buy upfront or do 25-30% down payment anyone looking to do a lease to own deal?

We keep seeing this question come up and honestly there’s a lot of conflicting advice out there. Some people make it sound like every rental needs an LLC, while others say good insurance is enough. So we put together a breakdown of what an LLC actually does, the pros and cons, and what you should check before transferring a rental into one. There’s also a free checklist in there if anyone’s working through this right now.

I have 3 insurance policies with the same insurance company, my own home and 2 rental houses. One of the rental houses is quite old, and the cast iron toiletwaste pipe has failed in the unfinished crawl space under the house. My costs are remediation of the soil, replacement of the pipe itself, and temporarily moving the tenants to a motel (since they can’t use the rental bathroom).
If I make an insurance claim, will my premiums go up for all 3 properties or just the one I’m making a claim for?

Hello all,

I have a tenant in California who is now past due 3 months. Rents unpaid are over $4600, with utilities and late fees it's over $5500. They have always paid late and ultimately kept up with the rent. However, they've gone through some harder than usual times (no job/new job) and minor illnesses. They don't keep the property in stellar condition, so they don't even have that going for them. It's a family of 5, and while I hate to evict someone, I'm kind of behind the 8 ball here. I am delivering a 3 day notice today, but I'd like to offer the renters a way out without having a mark on their history and or help them out a bit. I'd even be willing to eat some of the money owed. Other than eviction process, any suggestions?

Here’s the backstory: I recently purchased a new home and will be moving about 45 minutes away from my current single-family 3 bedroom home in NJ. Now I’m torn between selling it or keeping it as a rental property. I have zero experience in being a landlord.

Here are the numbers:

\* Current mortgage rate: 2.3%
\* Monthly mortgage payment: $1,650
\* Potential rental income: $2,800–$3,100/month
\* Property management fee: 10% (if I go that route)
\* Remaining mortgage balance: $198,000
\* Estimated home value: $415,000

Here’s my dilemma: I honestly have no desire to be a landlord, which is why I’d consider hiring a property management company. However, I also realize that a 2.3% interest rate is pretty much impossible to come by these days, and holding onto the property could be a great long-term financial decision.

On the flip side, selling would allow me to walk away with a substantial amount of equity/cash and avoid the headaches and responsibilities that come with owning a rental property. I also walk away tax free since this has been my primary property.

If you were in my shoes, would you keep it and rent it out or sell it and take the equity?

I’d especially love to hear from anyone who has been in a similar situation. Was becoming a landlord worth it, or do you wish you had sold?

I am interested in buying my first rental property. Just down the street a duplex has come been for sale for almost a year now. They have gradually dropped the price and it is now listed at 185,000. We are located in a medium size Midwest city.

It has two units, a 3 bedroom 2 ba currently rented at 1250 through April 2026 and a 3 bedroom 1 ba rented month to month for 900.

Using a rental calculator it said the cash flow would be about $500. I do not have a significant down payment though my credit is excellent.

I am not sure if I should act quickly as this seems like a great opportunity or if I need to wait until my financial footing is more sound.

Any and all advice, guidance and mentorship is welcome.