Year in review: the best of 2018
Welcome to the new year! As we dive into 2019, we’d like to take a moment and reflect the highlights of the past year. Whether you’re a landlord or a renter, we’re glad you’re here. Please enjoy the best articles of 2018.
2018 summary:
- Over 4 million unique visitors
- 16,371 average daily page views
- 5,052 comments
- 10,118 landlord guides downloaded
- Published our 500th article
- Last but not least, Cozy, the company behind Landlordology, has joined CoStar
We’re proud to be a part of an amazing community of real estate investors, landlords, managers, and renters. Thank you for being there with us.
Without further ado, here are the best articles from last year, based overall on quality, popularity, engagement, and traffic.
Best articles of 2018:
How many pets are too many?
Some landlords believe that even one pet is one pet too many in their rental property. But if you allow pets, you should have a plan on how many to allow. It’s a good idea to have a pet policy in your lease that you go over with your tenants before they move in.
Umbrella insurance: can it replace an LLC?
Did you know there’s an alternative to an LLC that protects your finances? It’s umbrella insurance. Landlords can protect themselves from lawsuits with a simple umbrella insurance policy and avoid the problems involved with an LLC.
Offer incentives to current tenants so they stay
If you do your job properly when it comes to taking care of the tenants, they’ll ultimately take care of you by wanting to stay. After all, every renter wants and deserves a good landlord and a well-kept property.
Cleaning and repair rules when you move out
If you leave your rental in bad shape when you move out, your landlord can hold the cleaning costs from your security deposit. After all, it’s your mess. But the security deposit is your money. You want as much of it back as possible, right? So what are your responsibilities?
When can you withhold rent?
Tenants will learn when it is legal to withhold rent when the landlord is not making proper repairs. But this can be a very risky move for tenants: it can result in eviction.
Rental application fees: what you need to know
Experienced landlords, particularly those who’ve been burned by less-than-exemplary renters, always screen future tenants. And that costs money. Thus, the application fee, which pays for background checks and credit reports for each person on a lease.
9 maintenance issues tenants are responsible for
A landlord is required to provide a safe and habitable residence, but landlords and tenants share responsibility for keeping it that way. Tenants should maintain sanitary conditions and contact the landlord whenever repairs are needed.
Tenant move-out letter plus two other free templates
When your tenant plans to move, you should make the move-out process as smooth as possible. This benefits you and your tenant—when your tenant knows what to expect, they’re more likely to meet your expectations. Here are some templates you can use when your tenants’ leases are about to end.
What to do when your tenant is locked out… again
If you don’t mind being on call 24/7 to deal with every Mr. and Ms. Forgetful you rent to, don’t worry about it. But if you appreciate peace of mind and wish your tenants would learn to be more responsible, there’s a few things you can do about those lost-key situations.
Should I accept credit card payments as rent?
Is it a good choice to pay rent with a credit card? Learn the pros and cons of which payment method makes the most sense for your finances.
When is rent considered received?
It’s best not to push the limits on your monthly rent calendar if you want to avoid landlord-tenant friction, or worse yet, eviction. Although many mortgage companies offer a payment grace period beyond the listed due date, the same is usually not true for rental payments.
A basic guide to landlord and tenant responsibilities
Landlord and tenant responsibilities can be complicated. This guide will outline which party is responsible for common landlord/tenant issues.
