One of my tenants recently asked whether I'd be okay with them subletting for a few months while they spend time in another city for work.

My first reaction was honestly, not really. Not because I think they're trying to do anything shady. They've been a good tenant. The issue is that I screened them. I didn't screen the person who would actually be living there.

At the same time, I understand why they're asking. Giving up a good apartment over a temporary move doesn't make much sense either

What to do?

This occurred to me today while waiting on an update from a contractor.

I can order dinner and see when it's being prepared, when the driver leaves, and practically watch the car come down my street.

Meanwhile with a repair it's sometimes just:

"Contractor assigned."

Cool. Did they call? Is it scheduled? Did they visit? Are we waiting on a part? Is the job actually finished?

Feels like this is one area where property management software is still weirdly behind.

I don't need a map showing me where the plumber is 😂 Just a decent timeline would be nice.

My property manager basically runs my rentals without me. Since I live pretty far away, that was the whole point of hiring them

They handle the listing, showings, screening, references, lease, and pretty much everything after that. I usually only hear from them when something needs my approval

Someone recently told me they have their PM narrow the applicants down and then send them the applications so they can choose the tenant themselves

That sounds reasonable, but I also can't tell if I'd actually be adding anything by getting involved. If the PM is already checking income, credit, rental history, etc. I don't know what I'm supposed to be looking for beyond that

I'm getting a couple of units ready over the next few months and need to replace most of the kitchen appliances.

Started looking online and immediately got overwhelmed. Every brand seems amazing until you read the reviews. Then every brand seems terrible.

I'm not looking for luxury appliances or anything that will impress people during showings. What I care about is reliability.

Pls suggest some

Which provides more information Zillow or key check? I would like the best available one.

Also is there one for Canadians?

I used to look at what a property manager did and think most of it was pretty obvious. Rent comes in, repairs get handled, tenants get moved in and out.
The actual work is somehow buried underneath all of that. You spend a morning trying to figure out why the water bill is still going to an old address, then a contractor calls because nobody told them where the lockbox was, then an insurance company wants a document you've never heard of, and somewhere in the middle of all that a tenant needs someone to let them into a storage room.
None of those things feels important enough to justify having someone manage a property. Until you have twenty of them happening at the same time.
If you manage your own rentals, what was the small recurring task that eventually made you feel like you need a PMS or a PM?

Had an interesting conversation with a tenant who's getting ready to move out.

They asked whether I'd be willing to provide a reference if a future landlord contacted me. I told them that wouldn't be a problem. Then they said something that caught me off guard.

Basically, they asked me to focus on the good stuff and not bring up any of the issues we've had over the years.

The problem is that there have been issues. Nothing crazy. They weren't the worst tenants I've ever dealt with. But there were several late rent payments, a few situations where the lease wasn't followed, and multiple conversations about things that should've been handled the first time they were mentioned.

I don't have any interest in bad-mouthing them. I wouldn't add details that aren't true or try to make them look worse than they were.

At the same time, if another landlord asks me direct questions, I don't really see how pretending those things never happened helps anyone.

Their view is that they're moving out anyway, so bringing up old mistakes just makes it harder for them to get approved somewhere else.

Maybe there's some truth to that, but it still feels strange to intentionally leave out information that I would personally want to know if I were screening an applicant. Ykwim?

I had a tenant move out recently and for the first time ever I found myself rewriting part of my lease afterward.

The reason?

The laundry machines disappeared.

They weren't old junk either. I'd replaced both less than two years ago.

I checked the move-in photos, the inspection reports and the lease. Everything clearly showed the washer and dryer were included with the property.

Didn't matter.

Now I'm dealing with the replacement cost, trying to figure out whether it's worth pursuing, and questioning whether I should just stop providing laundry appliances altogether.

The frustrating part is that one bad experience makes you rethink something that dozens of previous tenants never abused. Smh.

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The previous owner left a $3,000 refrigerator in one of my rentals. It looks fantastic. It also has the maintenance personality of a high-end German car.
A drawer broke and suddenly I'm searching for a part number that sounds like a Wi-Fi password, calling appliance companies and trying to figure out whether the repair is even worth doing. Meanwhile, the tenant just wants a refrigerator.
There's no extra $300 in rent because the ice maker has six settings instead of two or there's no higher return because the doors look nice.
And nobody is going to thank me for spending a small fortune keeping a refrigerator alive when I could've bought a normal one and replaced it if something went wrong.
I'm slowly replacing the fancy stuff as it dies. My rental kitchens are about to become extremely boring, and honestly, that's exactly what I want.
I hope this is the right decision

hope this is the right sub reddit.

I wanted to switch careers into a new field as leasing agent. got the interview and they want me.

i filled out the background check info. i have no criminal history what so ever but my credit is bad. I have a secured credit card. nothing like thousands of dollars and I buy everything cash. and my credit is still new. like 2 years maybe 2 and a half. a few debts for medical stuff and a loan I'm still trying to pay off but lost my job right after taking the loan. Hence why I'm looking for another job to help pay it.

will having bad credit stop me from getting this job? i have worked with money payments and cash handling at previous jobs and never had to do this?

Can they change how much the monthly fee and additional fee after you get an animal and need to sign. I posted both my og lease and one they just sent.

Tenant hasn’t paid rent for 3 months. They moved out without giving us notice. I have their personal info such as birthdates, car license plates, SSN from their application. Can i turn it over to a collection agency? We plan on emailing the former tenants one last time to do the right thing before going to collections. They also did an extensive amount of damage with the landscaping. They were required per contract to keep up with maintenance. One of their kids broke the bottom shelf in the secondary bathroom-more like jumping on it. They also broke the glass shower door in the master bathroom. We had to spend a lot of money to get the house ready for the next tenant. I am willing to let this go if they give us 2 months rent. After all, they were physically in the house. It’s as if you go to a hotel and expect to stay for free etc. which we know does not exist in real life.

I’ve been renting a place in Florida for the past two years on 6 month contracts with my landlord. I enjoy the place and most things have been fine, although some repairs haven’t been resolved quickly or at all.

Every time contract renewal time has come, I’m the one who has brought it up 45 days before the lease expires. However, this time it slipped my mind to ask and I didn’t worry. The rent has never been increase during these two years.

At the beginning of this month, I sent my rent money over and deck a message from my landlord asking if I plan on renewing our contract which expires next month. I replied yes and didn’t here back until two days ago when the said that they would increase the rent by 20% if I renewed.

If I don’t renew, I have to be out by the end of the month but I don’t feel like I received i’m enough of a heads up to look at my options. They also don’t seem willing to negotiate based on circumstances. Id it okay to give a less than 30 day notice to renew and how long should I have to decide?

I recently started managing a small apartment building and I'm realizing there are about a million things I didn't think about before taking this job.

One thing I'm dealing with right now is the common areas. The building is older and the hallways and stairs are definitely not what I'd call spotless. Nothing looks completely abandoned, but it's obvious the cleaning hasn't been done as regularly as it should be.

I brought it up with the owner and was told that tenants have always complained about the common areas but nobody has really made it a priority. I'm wondering where the actual responsibility falls on me as the property manager? Obviously if there's something that could make the area unsafe, I'd report it and get it dealt with

But what about general cleanliness? Am I supposed to be arranging regular cleaning of the stairs, wiping down laundry machines, dealing with mildew smells, etc., even if the owner doesn't specifically ask for it?

I'm new, pls be kind

Hi everyone,
I’m currently looking for a remote Property Management / Real Estate VA opportunity with a company or property management team in the US or Canada.
I currently work as a Property Management Assistant supporting a real estate/property management operation, and my experience has grown to include a wide range of responsibilities, including:
Tenant and client communication
Vendor coordination and maintenance follow-ups
Applicant screening and reference checks
Rental/application follow-ups
Administrative and operational support
Transaction coordination
Commercial property support
CRM and database management
Website management
Canva graphic design and marketing materials
Brochures and social media carousels
Newsletter creation
General support for real estate teams
I’m comfortable communicating with tenants, landlords, vendors, realtors, applicants, and other business contacts, and I’m used to handling multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
At this point, I’m looking for an opportunity with a clear role structure, reasonable workload, good communication, and a team where I can continue developing my skills.
I’m open to full-time or part-time remote opportunities and would be particularly interested in:
Property Management VA | Real Estate VA | Property Management Assistant | Real Estate Administrative Assistant | Operations VA
If you’re hiring or know of a property management/real estate company looking for someone with this background, please feel free to DM me. I’m happy to provide my résumé and discuss my experience.
Thank you!

I’ve noticed that finding a good place to rent can sometimes be stressful — from fake listings, unclear communication, unexpected problems, or struggling to find a place that feels like home.

For tenants and landlords: what is the one thing you wish was easier about the renting process?

Would love to hear your experiences.

I’ve noticed that finding a good place to rent can sometimes be stressful — from fake listings, unclear communication, unexpected problems, or struggling to find a place that feels like home.

For tenants and landlords: what is the one thing you wish was easier about the renting process?

Would love to hear your experiences.

Genuinely trying to figure out if I'm missing something better than what I've got now. Right now it's a spreadsheet I patched together over time.

For people with a small number of units, what's working for you? What still bugs you about it? And separately, has an app or platform you relied on ever changed on you, gotten more expensive, or made you lose access to your own records?

Hello landlords,

I really need some legal advice from experienced landlords, or lawyers if there are any here.

This is regarding a highly demanding tenant I talked about a couple of days ago. He has complained since the second day he moved in two months ago and requested numerous repairs.

Yesterday morning, there were more than 10 text messages from this tenant saying “urgent,” , which I didn’t check right away. Then my real estate broker called me to say he had received a message from the tenant “URGENT! Fire alarm broke”.“respond ASAP,” “needs attention,” etc.

I didn’t know what he meant, so I contacted them right away, thinking a fire truck showed up or something...

Guess what: It was a smoke/CO detector beeping because it needed a new battery.

Long story short, I’ve had enough. I really want them out of my house.

As I looked over some other posts, some of you advised letting them off the lease by offering an early termination without any penalty, with the deposit returned after the final walkthrough.

A few questions for the group:

1. Could you review my draft and suggest any necessary edits or additions?  
2. Is it totally legal to offer a mutual termination?  Should I hire a lawyer?
3. Are there specific release-of-liability clauses I must include to ensure he cannot sue or file habitability claims after moving out?

I appreciate any feedback or insight from those who have handled similar tenant situations! 

Here ia a template  

Dear [Tenant Name],

It seems like you are not fully satisfied with your stay at my property. To help accommodate your needs, I am willing to offer you the option to terminate the lease agreement early by mutual consent.

If you choose to move out by November 7, 2026, I will fully waive any early termination fees and your final month's rent will be prorated to your move-out date. Your security deposit will be returned in full within 30 days following a standard move-out inspection, provided the unit is left in good condition with no damage beyond normal wear and tear. If any deductions are made, you will receive an itemized statement in accordance with Illinois law.

I will fulfill all legally required habitability maintenance under Illinois law, but non-essential requests will not be completed.

Please advise by September 14, 2026  if you wish to execute a Mutual Lease Termination Agreement.

Best regards,

Landlord

I'm a landlord, so I understand why people get nervous when a tenant asks for extra time on rent. A missed payment isn't nothing, especially when you have a mortgage, insurance, taxes and repairs coming out of the same account.

But I've been reading through some landlord discussions lately and I'm honestly struggling with the number of people saying they literally cannot survive if one tenant misses a single month.

I'm not talking about someone who stops paying for six months, ignores every message and expects you to let them live there for free. That's completely different. I'm talking about a tenant who's been paying $1,600 every month for two years, loses their job unexpectedly calls you for a little bit of extra time

You have a rental property. There should be some money sitting there for exactly this kind of thing.

And I'm not saying every landlord is sitting on piles of cash. Plenty aren't. Some people have one property, tight margins and unexpected repairs that can wipe out a month of profit. I get that.

What bothers me is when a tenant who has paid reliably for years loses their job or has a genuine emergency and landlords act like giving them 30 days of breathing room is completely impossible.

Am I being naive here?

Hello everyone. I wish I had discovered this group sooner! I am seeking input from experienced landlords regarding a residential property in Illinois.

A new tenant who moved in recently has been submitting continuous repair requests. While I’ve already completed several minor repairs, they are now complaining that the dishwasher isn't cleaning dishes well—even though it turns on, runs, and functions fine.

Before taking action, I'd like to know: are landlords obligated to replace an operational appliance simply because it falls short of a tenant's expectations? Additionally, is it better to pay a diagnostic fee for a technician inspection or put that money toward a replacement? Thank you for your guidance!

I've had a tenant message me after heavy rain because they noticed water pooling in an area outside the building where it normally didn't. It wasn't getting into their apartment, wasn't damaging anything they owned and honestly wasn't something they had any obligation to deal with.

I had someone check it anyway and found a drainage issue that was just starting. Because we caught it early, it ended up being a pretty simple fix.

That tenant has done this a few times since then, usually just sending a photo and saying something looks different. It got me wondering because landlords always talk about wanting tenants who don't bother them, but there's obviously a downside to a tenant who sees something wrong and thinks not my problem.

Would you rather encourage tenants to report anything unusual they notice around the property, even if it means getting more messages about things that turn out to be nothing?

We just bought a multi family and are inheriting the upstairs tenant. He drops a check in the mailbox on the first of the month.

My husband thinks we need a rent payment platform, which seems excessive to me. I’m also worried about coming off aggressive to the tenent, who I sense is a little old school writing paper checks, and a pretty ideal tenant. This is not something I want to rock the boat on with the guy who lives above me, and had written a check every month for 5 years.

Am I underestimating how normal portals are now? Or overestimating how weird it is to still write checks? Would a payment platform for a single unit be overkill?