Notes on self-managing rental property, from someone who's been doing it for ten years.
A practical walkthrough of screening a tenant yourself, from application to decision, without hiring a property manager.
A thorough move-in inspection is what makes a security deposit deduction defensible later. Here's what to actually document.
Pricing too high costs you in vacancy. Pricing too low costs you every month you're occupied. Here's how to actually check.
The most common security deposit mistakes, and the habits that avoid them. Rules vary by state, so check your local law for specifics.
How much notice is typical, how to communicate an increase well, and why timing matters more than most landlords think. Check your local law for exact requirements.
Every feature in PrivateLets exists because I needed it for my own properties first. That's still the only reason anything gets built.
Every feature is a promise to maintain it forever. Here's the filter I actually use before anything ships.
Most of what I built in the first two years is gone. Here's what survived, and why.
A spreadsheet doesn't lie to you on purpose. It just doesn't know when it's wrong, and neither do you until it's a problem.
Vacancy doesn't feel like a number until you add it up. Here's the math most landlords never actually do.
Nobody tells you this part before you sign the paperwork on your first rental property.
What self-managing a small portfolio actually looks like, hour by hour, on an ordinary day.
One missed follow-up on a small repair cost more than the repair itself. Here's what it taught me.
There's a real gap between assuming rent landed and actually confirming it did. Most landlords live in that gap longer than they realize.
The job isn't tenants and toilets. It's the paperwork and follow-through nobody sees, and it's most of the actual work.
Most property management software is built for a business you don't run. Here's the actual gap.