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This Q&A guide will walk through some of the most common questions around becoming a landlord and the time commitment of self-managing your own rental property.

How Do I Manage My Own Rental Property? Your Questions Answered

Homeowners new to the rental market often ask "how do I manage my own rental property?" This Q&A guide will walk through some of the most common questions around becoming a landlord and the time commitment of self-managing your own rental property. 

Question: How do I find quality tenants without a property manager?

Finding the right tenant is the single most important task a homeowner has. Generally this is handled by a property manager, but if you're going it alone, you will need to get a real understanding of the way that real estate platforms work, like Zillow, Trulia, and  Realtor.com. 

You will also need high-quality, professional images of your property and for maximum results, a video walkthrough or virtual open house. This will help hook prospective tenants. 

Once you’ve mastered the underlying processes, you will have to post your property, review applications, show the house, and make your decision. All that can eat a couple of hours a day, for as long as it takes to rent your place. 

During the “find and secure a tenant phase,” depending on whether you have a broker to show the property or if you are doing it yourself, you should budget between 15% and 40% of your time to the task, with the expectation that the process will take at least a month.

Question: How can I screen tenants myself?

Before accepting a new tenant and having a lease drawn up, you will need to spend the necessary time and money on credit and background checks and identity verification as well. 

Your tenant screening process needs to address the following:

Reviewing applications and looking out for errors and omissions

Investigate and verify self-employment financials 

Arrange a background check to look for a history of evictions or criminal activity

You can hire a tenant screening company or use software to assist with these tasks, which we have outlined in this post.

Question: How much time does it take to manage my own rental property?

The answer of the time commitment for self-managing a rental isn't a straightforward calculation. The amount of time you need to set aside for property management not only includes the time required for the expected obligations you will have, but also for the unexpected.

The expected requirements are reasonably obvious to everyone who has owned a rental property; they range from having to find great tenants and screen for them, to making necessary updates and repairs, to collecting rent and maintenance. But it is the unexpected demands that are the most troublesome and vexing for homeowners and managers, because they appear unexpectedly and can disrupt your daily life.

Whether it is something you can plan for – or otherwise – every responsibility you take on has sub-tasks and sub-sub-tasks beneath them. It is these layers of work that many homeowners fail to take into account when they are deciding whether to hire a property manager or take the task upon themselves.

Question: How long will it take to prepare my property for rent? 

We all know the complexities involved in renovations and repairs; even relatively minor “freshening” tasks like painting, or having the floors done, or deep cleaning of kitchens and bathrooms, takes time: you have to find contractors, check their backgrounds, and then manage the process. 

During the most intense period of this work – when you are getting your place in shape, and are under pressure because the longer your place remains vacant, the less money you’re taking – you should allocate for as much as half your time on a combination of taking bids from contractors, supervising the work, and acting as a mini-general contractor, as you manage painters, plumbers, and electricians.

During the renovation and repair phase, time demands vary wildly, depending on how much work the property needs, or how much staging is required. If the property only needs some light work and staging, you could be away with 10% of your time. But if you’ve inherited a place that hasn’t been touched for years – or if it needs a ton of work to bring it up to market standards – it could take half your time for a month, or more.

Question: Is their software for landlords I can use to self-manage my rental?

Yes,  there are a number of platforms out there that can assist self-managed landlords. For example, Quicken offers a landlord package, as do dedicated platforms like Doorloop.

Keep in mind, though, that like any software, it takes time and effort to learn and acclimate yourself to these systems. And it is not going to eliminate the manual work since many local contractors don’t have e-billing, so you will need to manually enter the paperwork, and scan the invoices into the system. Accurate record-keeping is essential to make sure you’re prepared when tax season rolls along; we’ve heard many stories about “shoebox” filing systems, and how homeowners who tried to save time during the year-end up spending hours upon hours organizing a year’s worth of records for their accountants.

Once the tenant is in place, assuming your work will involve collecting the rent and normal maintenance, you should get by with between an hour and two hours a week.

Question: Is there an alternative to hiring a property management company without doing all the work myself?

There’s a lot to keep track of as a landlord, so getting into that business solo isn’t for the faint of heart. Belong is redefining what it means to work with a property manager. We’re not a traditional property management company, but rather a long-term rental platform dedicated to reinventing the home rental experience.

So if you’re ready to become a successful landlord, but don’t want to deal with all the time-consuming nuts and bolts from tenant screening and property taxes to understanding the rental market and bookkeeping, let’s get started.

Renters are just people looking for a place to call home. Here's how treating them with a more humane approach can have better results for your rental property.

Renters Are People Too, Let's Treat Them As Such

Renters are more than just ‘tenants’ — they’re people looking for a place to call home. It’s time to ditch your property manager for a company that can see beyond the numbers and take a human approach to finding a person who will adopt your home as their own. 

Even if you’re currently a homeowner, there was probably a point in your life when you were on the other side of things — when you were living in a rental. Think back to what life was like then. Did you act as if your home belonged to someone else? Did you ever invite a friend over to see “the landlord’s house?” Or did you simply say “let’s have dinner at my place”? 

Belong thinks it’s important to keep that dynamic in mind — to remember that when you own a house or apartment on the rental market, you’re not leasing out a dead space. You’re inviting someone to make themselves at home. 

The danger in property managers that treat people like numbers

Property managers rarely refer to the people behind the financial transaction. They’re known simply as ‘prospects’ or ‘tenants’. If your property manager is viewing people this way, they’re not seeing the big picture. Property managers that treat people like numbers won’t find the right people to occupy your home, because they’re not considering the emotional connection that people have to the places they call home. If you experience this when meeting with a property management company, we suggest you run the other way! 

Taking a human approach to renting your home

Looking for great tenants means taking a human approach to renting your home. By treating people in the rental market with the respect they deserve and inviting them to make themselves at home, they’re more likely to treat your house as their own. 

This creates a win-win situation for everyone involved. Renters can feel safe and comfortable in a space that feels like home. As the landlord, you reap the benefits of having a stable rental income from people that are in for the long haul and are in no hurry to move.

That’s why Belong refers to people who rent homes as ‘residents,’ to underline the fact that these are places in which they reside. Residents adopt a home as their own. Similarly, Belong refers to you not as “the landlord”, but as a homeowner. Belong tries to create a mutual respect between our homeowners and residents, with a shared appreciation for a property you’re both invested in.

Turning the rental experience into a hospitality service

Think about the lengths that large hotel brands and even vacation rental services like Airbnb go to make people feel comfortable and even “at home” when they’re staying with them. And yet traditional property management services — the very businesses who are supposed to be finding everyday living accommodation for people — do the complete opposite. 

Belong’s changing that. Its human approach is turning the rental experience into a world-class hospitality service for both you and your residents. Unlike traditional property management services, Belong provides a complete end-to-end service with full transparency. Belong matches houses with residents that are looking for a long term place to live — somewhere to call home. Belong currently offers services to homes in the Bay Area, the LA area, Orange County, Seattle, Miami, Orlando, and Tampa (with many more to come!). See if you qualify today at Belong.com.

These 4 inspiring trends are easy to integrate into your home – and will make potential residents line up at your next open house.

4 Design Trends Every Landlord Needs to Be Aware Of

As the calendar turns to 2022, it’s time to consider what design features can make your home more attractive on the rental market. These 4 inspiring trends are easy to integrate into your home – and will make potential residents line up at your next open house.

It’s true in fashion, music, and movies: with every new year comes new trends. It’s also the case with interior design and décor, which is a subject that our readers care a lot about. After all,  how a home or apartment looks, the visual impression it makes, can determine how much it will bring on the open market. 

Keep in mind, though, that at Belong we don’t fashion ourselves as experts when it comes to design. But we are alert observers, and given how carefully we follow what’s happening in the real estate world, we have naturally developed a sense of what’s cool and what’s not. 

The trends that we predict for 2022 look both forward and back. They are practical and psychological reactions to the seemingly endless pandemic cycle we still find ourselves in, while also anticipating what life will be like once COVID’s firmly in the rear-view mirror. 

Understanding these trends will help you understand the state of mind of your residents, so you can anticipate their wants and needs. 

Design Trend #1: Flexible Layouts/Multi-Hyphenate Rooms

As we’ve spent more and more time at home over the past few years, we’ve begun to re-think what the home is really for – and how it satisfies us - on both a macro and micro scale. 

It’s been happening for a while but is even more true today. The names you typically see assigned to the interconnected boxes on a floor plan are no longer relevant: the “dining room” isn’t used just for dining, nor is the living room reserved exclusively for family time. 

The lines have been blurred permanently. People who are looking at your house aren’t just considering how they’re “supposed” to use each individual space — they’re wondering what else they’ll have to use it for. A kitchen that doubles as a teleconferencing hub, a bedroom that acts as a home office, a playroom that can also be used as a home gym. The landlords and homeowners that can anticipate the needs of their renters and accommodate them will be the ones that have the happiest — and longest-term residents. 

For some inspiration, consider this article from Good Housekeeping, that shows how a simple trundle bed can turn a kids’ playroom into a second bedroom, or how a folding table can turn a dining room into a living room with the drop of a leaf. 

As a result of our being shut in to such a degree over the past few years, biophilic design – design that reflects our desire to be in contact with nature – is trending up this year. That means you should expect to see more skylights, wall-wide windows, and houseplants beautifying your Instagram and Pinterest feeds all year.  The Nordroom also expects to see more natural materials being used in interior design – everything from cork boards to terra cotta floors. These kinds of touches can serve as a reminder of the world we’re missing out on, the world outside our doors; they make us feel warm and nostalgic for the lives we were leading only a few years ago. At their most inspiring, they make it feel like you’re bringing a bit of the out-of-doors into your life.

Speaking of bringing the outdoors inside, we see a return of the sort of natural and earthy tones that were prevalent in the 70s. Not just your browns and oranges (which, according to Vogue, are in this year), but greens, too — seafoam, mint, and sage. Etsy’s most searched color is emerald green – in fact, they’ve named it their color of the year!

We’re not saying you’re going to see a big revival of shag carpets and drug rugs and lava lamps. Instead of feeling retro and passe, we predict these colors will feel soft and subtle, warm and inviting. So if you’re looking for new residents, don’t be afraid of painting the walls a color other than white — at least not this year. In this article from Good Housekeeping, interior designer Beth Diana Smith namechecks Sherwin Williams’ Evergreen Fog. People are looking for interiors that remind them of nature, and subtly evoking that feeling through a smartly chosen wall paint can be a cheap and easy way of accomplishing just that. 

Because we’ve spent so much time indoors — and because whenever a new COVID variant emerges, the only safe place to have social interactions seems to be outside — making the most of whatever outdoor space you have will make your home more attractive. 

But how can you make your outdoor space feel as homey and welcoming as a living room or a den? A new patio or deck, a gazebo or a firepit, a bright shiny new barbecue or grill, fashionable, comfortable outdoor furniture— anything that makes it easier for your residents to spend time outside with their friends will make your home that much more lovable. 

Making your rental home more attractive 

Obviously if you’re self-managing your own rental property it isn’t as important to be on-trend as it is if you’re running your own design consultancy. But still, in order to make your home as desirable and marketable as possible — and to attract the best possible tenants —  it’s smart to be aware of what’s in, and what’s out, when you’re staging and photographing your house.

First impressions matter, whether in-person or video, the photographs and video tours that Belong can create for you. Keeping your property up-to-date signals to potential residents that the house is loved and looked after.  Even your future resident decides to move in their own furniture, who among us doesn’t want to be inspired?

All that makes it that much more likely that they themselves will love and look after it.

Want to learn more about how Belong can help make your home more attractive to potential residents? Click here.

Looking to attract more views at an open house for your rental property? Get inspiration from four trends that are easy to integrate into a rental home.

This simple guide details your responsibilities and common landlord obligations (that you won’t need a legal degree to understand). 

6 Key Responsibilities of a Landlord: How to Rent Your Home Like A Pro

Becoming a landlord doesn’t need to be a daunting experience. We’re here to show you how, with this simple guide that details your responsibilities and common landlord obligations (that you won’t need a legal degree to understand). 

Is there anything more grown up than owning real estate? There sure is — it’s the double responsibility of owning a home that someone else will live in. Suddenly you’ve got the obligation of being a property owner, as well as a legal responsibility with its own set of requirements. But becoming a landlord doesn’t need to be a daunting experience. We’re here to show you how, with this simple guide that details your responsibilities and common landlord obligations (that you won’t need a legal degree to understand). 

Providing a safe and habitable home for others to enjoy        

Your basic responsibility as a landlord is to provide a safe and habitable space for someone to enjoy as their home. This is known as a “warranty of habitability” that applies to all leasing on a residential property. This legal standard makes perfect sense and is eminently fair: if you couldn’t live in your rental property, no one else should have to either. Of course, there are specifics and even legal requirements that make up this warranty, so let’s dive into them now. 

Landlord responsibility #1: A home that is sound and secure

It’s common sense that any property you want people to live in must be structurally sound and capable of providing basic shelter. But beyond that, it’s also your responsibility to ensure that the building complies with all state and local building codes. 

Before listing your home on the rental market, you need to ensure that everything is in good working order. When we work with homeowners, the first thing we do is prepare their homes for future residents — which includes having our own professionals come in to complete any property maintenance and repairs so you don’t have to worry about nasty surprises for your new tenant. 

Landlord responsibility #2: A home that has access to life’s necessities 

A house should be in good repair, but it also needs to be a livable space. As a landlord, it’s your responsibility to ensure that the home offers:

Shelter and protection from the weather with functioning roof, exterior walls, windows and doors

A supply of hot water and cold running water

Working lights and safe electrical system

Safe and maintained floors and where applicable, stairways and railing that meet the local building codes, including handicapped access

At Belong, we connect people with houses worthy of love. That’s a high standard, but it’s core to our community. We ask our homeowners not to turn a blind eye to things that you feel like tenants may put up with. If you would fix it in your own residence, fix it in your rental home. 

Landlord responsibility #3: A home that is free of hazards

Your home should do no harm to the people that live there. That means it's your responsibility to ensure that there are no hazards and that safety measures such as smoke detectors are installed and working. 

Some states, including California, also recognize that the presence of toxic mold in a home can lead to severe health problems. As a result, in such jurisdictions, it’s a landlord’s legal responsibility to provide written disclosure if you become aware of mold in a home you are renting out. This applies when there is a significant amount of mold in a home (visible or hidden) that exceeds safe exposure limits and is therefore a threat to health. 

Since it is often difficult to assess the level of mold presence, you might need a contractor who specializes in this work. When a house is listed with Belong, we take on that responsibility. 

Landlord responsibility #4: A home that is pest-free

US Tenant laws stipulate that it’s a landlord’s responsibility to provide a clean premises, free of rubbish and vermin infestation. Different jurisdictions have their own definition of what constitutes vermin, but it’s safe to say that if it’s creepy and crawly — it shouldn’t be in your rental home.

One offender that causes landlords headaches is bed bugs. Despite its reputation, NYC isn’t the place most prone to bed bugs — it can and does happen all over the US. Particularly if you’re renting out a furnished house, it could be the landlord’s responsibility to ensure that it’s free of bed bugs for incoming renters.

This is one of the many reasons why we recommend that homes be rented unfurnished — furnished homes open you up to more chances of damage and pest problems. If you’re looking to attract long-term residents, let them bring their own stuff to make it feel like their own. 

Landlord responsibility #5: A home that can be enjoyed in peace 

A tenant's right to “quiet enjoyment” is a common phrase used in landlord-tenant law. This doesn’t mean getting SFO or LAX to re-route their planes from over your home, but it does mean that you need to be aware of those things you CAN control.

First, as a landlord, you may only enter your rented home during occupancy in the following scenarios:

To make needed repairs or assess the need for repairs (applicable to some states)

To show the property to prospective new renters or owners, dependent on the language in your lease agreement

Most states require you to provide 24-48 hours’ notice (written notice, that is) to residents before you enter a tenanted rental property. You can’t show up whenever you want to check how things are going. Nor can you use the property for your own storage, unless that is a lease stipulation.

What about responsibility to the neighbors?

Did you know that as a landlord you can be found liable to your neighbors if your residents interfere with their own ‘quiet enjoyment’? While it might be hard to imagine being held accountable for the actions of other people, it is your responsibility to ensure that the residents of your home are being respectful. This means making sure that the people living in your home aren’t throwing lots of loud parties, or that they aren’t involved in any criminal activity.

In some cities, a landlord can be held accountable and fined for a range of infractions, so it’s worth keeping note of your local quiet hours and making them clear to tenants. Your rental agreement should include provisions for tenants to respect the rights of residents of nearby properties or face eviction. If complaints are made, take them seriously and address them before the authorities get involved.

Landlord responsibility #6: A home that is well maintained

Maintenance is key to keeping any property in habitable condition. If your lease agreement doesn’t specify who will mow the lawn and remove the snow, it could be your responsibility.

If any necessary repairs are ignored and turn into a safety hazard, there can be consequences. Depending on local or state laws, your resident could withhold rent if you did not respond to a maintenance request in a timely manner. They could also hire an expensive third-party contractor to make the repairs and leave you footing the bill. 

If your home is looked after with Belong, you will never have to worry about repairs or chasing contractors. With an extensive vendor network of over 10,000 professionals, we put help at your fingertips. To really make maintenance a 'set and forget' experience, we can also arrange regular services on monthly subscription so they take place like clockwork. 

If you are a homeowner looking to make sure your home is right for tenants (and stays that way), we invite you to join Belong. Belong goes behind property management to create a rental experience that is tech-enabled, with a human heart. 

Belong is simplifying the rental experience and helping more homeowners reach their financial goals through real estate. Visit our homeowner's page to find out more about how our services are helping people to ditch property management in Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Miami and many more.

Belong

Ale Resnik

Flora Fiorillo

Ashleigh Graf

Ale, Owen & Tyler Founders

Natalie McNeal

Ale Resnik

Flora Fiorillo

Ashleigh Graf

Ale, Owen & Tyler Founders

Natalie McNeal