Rentals.com Company Blog

This time of year, many parts of the country typically experience a slowdown in residential leasing. With the holidays fast approaching many renters postpone their moves until January. This practice frequently results in longer vacancies when they occur at this time of year. When drafting new leases during this slower part of [...]

When inspecting a property to purchase or to manage for rental purposes, always pay particular attention to the configuration of the laundry hook-ups. The following are items to check:
– Make sure that the dryer is properly vented to the outside.
– If the actual washer is provided, it is important that the supply hoses are [...]

The single most important interior amenity in an apartment is a washer and dryer or washer/dryer hookups. Data pulled from searches on ApartmentGuide.com over the last six months and other third party sources have consistently resulted in the same conclusion. With this knowledge an owner of a rental property with no laundry [...]

One of the privileges of owning and managing rental properties is the late night emergency calls. Reviewing emergency procedures prior to occupancy might just prevent a late night call from a panic-stricken resident. Always properly identify and preview with the resident the location of the following systems within a rental unit.
1) The water shut-off. This [...]

At the peak of the renting season, which is now for many markets around the country, everyone is usually at their busiest.  A disproportionate number of landlord-tenant disputes over the years have resulted from the handling, and sometimes mishandling, of security deposits.  In the world of social media today, it is especially critical to fairly [...]

In most parts of the country we have entered the peak renting season. With more people moving this time of year in most markets, we now have the luxury of getting more than one application on a given unit. Be sure to have established procedures for how you handle such situations. Even [...]

It is quite common to periodically receive requests from residents for upgrades to rental houses during the term of their leases. The best method for deciding how to respond can be determined by answering the following questions.
1) Is this suggested improvement something from which future residents will benefit?
2) Does this improvement add either rental or [...]

When it comes to selling an occupied rental house you should first address any concerns your renters may have. Before considering this arrangement, inspect the home and make sure that the residents are keeping it in reasonable, showing condition. If the home passes the suitability test then it is critical to get the residents’ cooperation [...]