Author: Hank Rossi

If a tenant has frozen pipes and calls the landlord or property manager to come fix the issue, who is supposed to pay for the maintenance?  Veteran landlord and property manager Hank Rossi answers questions like this and many more from landlords and property managers around the country about their rentals. Dear Landlord Hank: We just had pipes freeze for the first time in one of our rentals this week. Tenants called to report, so I sent guy who handles our maintenance out to thaw the pipes, but who should pay for this maintenance call? Seems tenants should have been…

The definition of what is normal wear and tear in a rental can be somewhat subjective at times. That’s why veteran landlord and property manager Hank Rossi answers questions from other landlords and property managers around the country about their rentals. Dear Landlord Hank: When do you have maintenance replace tenant light bulbs vs asking tenants to replace bulbs themselves? Some light fixtures can be difficult to work with. And, are you replacing with LED bulbs when you do it? What are you putting in leases about this these days? -Nancy Dear Landlady Nancy, I make sure initial walk through…

Dear Landlord Hank: Where Do You Draw The Line On Normal Wear And Tear? The definition of what is normal wear and tear in a rental can be somewhat subjective at times. That’s why veteran landlord and property manager Hank Rossi answers questions from other landlords and property managers around the country about their rentals. Dear Landlord Hank: Where do you draw the line on what is normal wear and tear, what is not, and what tenant should pay for? We had a long-time tenant who lived alone and recently moved into an assisted living facility. While cleaning his rental,…

Dear Landlord Hank: How Do You Handle Evictions? How do you handle evictions which can be a sometimes messy part of our business? Veteran landlord and property manager Hank Rossi answers questions from other landlords and property managers around the country about their rentals. Dear Landlord Hank, How do you handle evictions? Is there an easier way? Unfortunately, we just had to do the first one in 10 years and had to show up at the rental with the sheriff, plus tenant left a bunch of stuff which we now have to clean out and store. -Ellen Dear Landlady Ellen, Evictions are…

Defining whether a person is a guest of your tenants or an unauthorized tenant living in your rental property can be a very stressful situation without an easy answer. This week a landlord asks veteran landlord and property manager Hank Rossi this question. Hank has some short, quick advice on this one. Dear Landlord Hank, I had a unauthorized tenant move in to a building under the cloak of authorized tenants. I did not notice when he moved in as an unauthorized tenant that he had a dog in a no-pet building. Upon confronting the issue, the tenants said that…

Dear Landlord Hank: Can I Ask A Tenant Behind In Rent To Just Leave? If a tenant is behind in rent and the lease is up next month, can a landlord who does not want to renew the lease just ask the tenant to leave?  Veteran landlord and property manager Hank Rossi answers questions from other landlords and property managers around the country about their rentals. Here is this week’s question Dear Landlord Hank: I have a tenant who is behind on rent and his lease is up in January. I do not want to resign the lease. Can I…

Dear Landlord Hank:  Tenants Have Frozen Pipes Do I Have To Pay To Fix? If a tenant has frozen pipes and calls the landlord or property manager to come fix the issue, who is supposed to pay for the maintenance? Each week veteran landlord and property manager Hank Rossi answers questions from other landlords and property managers around the country about their rentals. Here is this week’s question Dear Landlord Hank: We just had pipes freeze for the first time in one of our rentals this week. Tenants called to report, so I sent guy who handles our maintenance out…

Dear Landlord Hank: Do You Give Holiday Gifts To Tenants? Do you give holiday gifts to tenants? How do you decide? Each week veteran landlord and property manager Hank Rossi answers questions from other landlords and property managers around the country about their rentals. Here is this week’s question: Dear Landlord Hank: My wife suggested I should be giving holiday gifts to our tenants. This is not something I have ever done with the eight current tenants we have. What do you think? And, how do you decide which tenants to give to as we have a couple of them…

Dear Landlord Hank: Do You Conduct Rental Inspections? How Often? How often should a landlord or property manager conduct rental inspections of their property?  Veteran landlord and property manager Hank Rossi answers questions from other landlords and property managers around the country about their rentals. Dear Landlord Hank, Do you conduct rental inspections? How often? Hello Landlady Dorothy, How often do I conduct rental inspections?  It depends. I do a very thorough vetting process to clear a prospect to become a tenant. The most important criteria for me is good rental history. When I put a tenant into one…

Each week over on ARPOLA, veteran landlord and property manager Hank Rossi answers questions from other landlords and property managers around the country about their rentals. Dear Landlord Hank: What Is It Like To Go Through A Hurricane As A Landlord? What is it like to go through a hurricane as a property manager and landlord? Each week veteran landlord and property manager Hank Rossi answers questions from other landlords and property managers around the country about their rentals. This week he talks about his own hurricane experience. Dear Landlord Hank: What happened to your tenants and rental properties in…