By Jerry L’Ecuyer & Frank Alvarez Dear Maintenance Men: We [...]

Ultimately, it's up to you whether allowing e-cigarettes is worth the extra cleanup effort or the potential fire hazards, much like allowing pets could mean more work after tenants move out.

When your property can't seem to keep reliable tenants, you might start to consider ways of sweetening the deal, such as offering an incentive for new tenants. Between discounts, flexible leases, and property upgrades, there are several ways to appeal to renters and fill a costly vacancy. The benefit of filling the space may very well be worth the added expense once you run a cost-benefit analysis and figure out which incentives work best for your property.

It’s difficult to know what to look for or to know whether you inspected everything you should, so it helps to have a checklist with you. Landlords often provide tenants with a checklist, but if yours doesn’t, you can use this one.

There's no need to stress out the moment that bathroom sink faucet starts to drip. Before wondering if you're in charge of such repairs, check your rental agreement. In most cases, the contract discusses which repairs are the landlord's responsibility and which may be yours.

When getting a unit ready to rent, habitability issues come first. Four essential tasks can be completed without much investment of time and money, but five others may require a modest investment.

You can’t just move out and declare your home a rental. There are some things you need to do first to convert your home. Find out what they are.

Landlord and tenant responsibilities can be complicated. This guide will outline which party is responsible for common landlord/tenant issues.

If you have a rental property in a snowy climate, you're responsible for snow removal, although you can make tenants responsible by adding a lease clause. The tools you need include snow shovels, scrapers, brooms, salt and sand spreaders, and possibly a snow blower.

Landscaping, painting, cleaning, and updating appliances are some of the things you can do to increase the rental price of your property. If you raise rent incrementally when the property is occupied, you have a better chance of meeting your financial goals without a lot of work.