How to be a Good Landlord
Bought your first rental property or thinking about investing in residential income property? A series of articles to help you learn the basics of property management and avoid common pitfalls.
Years ago, my partner and I started writing a book called How to be a Good Landlord. Instead of publishing a book (which clearly ain’t happening), I’m going to create a series of articles on Medium.
Who We Are
Hi! My name is Aviva Gittle. I, and my long-time partner David, have decades of real estate investment experience between us. Our background is in residential income properties. Tony’s earlier experience, starting in the 1960s, was mainly in buying, upgrading, and managing fourplexes. In 1998, he purchased a 10-unit building and today owns and manages an 18-unit building and 13 individual condos in one community. We are considered small investors.
“For several years I assisted a real estate agent…”
My experience is exclusively in single family homes and condos. At one time I was a licensed Realtor® first in California, then later in both California and Texas. For several years I assisted a real estate agent in Houston, Texas. My duties included research and analysis of residential income properties and marketing.
(From here forward we may use the term “rental” instead of “residential income property” which is a mouthful.)
Who This Article Series Is For
This article series is for the small investor starting out or a person considering buying residential income property. We assume that you already own a rental or just want to know what’s involved in managing a rental should you decide to invest in one.
What You Will Learn
Our goal is to provide you with the basic tools for managing rentals. More importantly, we want to help you set realistic expectations.
What You Will Not Learn Here
Buying an investment property is much more involved (but don’t let that scare you) and is a topic for another article series. This is not comprehensive information but an overview of property management basics and common pitfalls. There are country- and state-specific laws that we couldn’t possibly cover in any detail. You will need a lawyer who is well-versed in real estate law in your property’s location.
Some Topics Covered Include:
-Realtors and Property Managers
-How to set the rent and security deposit
-Advertising
-Selecting and Dealing With Tenants
-The Lease
-Preventative Maintenance, Repairs and Upgrades
-Evicting Tenants
-Selling Your Property — Rights and Responsibilities
Want More?
Please let me know if you want me to discuss a particular topic related to being a landlord.
I’m new to writing on Medium. Please clap for this article — or better yet, leave a comment! Clapping and commenting help me to grow my audience here on Medium. Thank you!
Aviva Gittle publishes children’s books in English and Spanish. She’s back in her blue California, happily cooking and baking. And eating.
