Favorable landlord states Minnesota? Nevada? Arizona? Ohio?

[Amanda Larson]

Hi guys, 

Another question! I'm in California- where I hear has the WORST landlord friendly laws. It sounds miserable. If anyone has any horror stories, please share! even though it will probably scare me and add to my fear of owning a rental property in SoCal. I'm wondering which states are most landlord-friendly? I'm grew up in Minnesota so I'd love to buy something there. I also have family in Arizona so that's a somewhat close-by option... Then there are other states I've been considering based off of Kathy Fettke's Real Wealth Network-like Ohio, Alabama, Florida and Nevada. Anyway, I encourage and appreciate users to share any stories, thoughts, or experiences they have. :) Someday soon I'll be able to pull from my own experiences. 

[Timmi Ryerson]

I have had multiple properties in the State of Washington and also in Idaho.  I have never had any issues with tenants in Idaho but did in Washington. I like the choices and laws in Idaho better but would like to speak to this problem of getting tenants out.  There are two things that are very important for self-directed owner managed properties.  If you do these things, you will all but eliminate the need for evictions.  First, you must do a thorough tenant screening and discovery before you rent to someone.  I have been in this business for over 30 years and can honestly say that the only times I ended up having to evict a tenant was when I did not do a thorough tenant screening or allowed a tenant to stay in the property after I purchased that property.  Along with getting a credit report you must also verify income with the employer and contact the previous landlord to find out if there were any problems.  You want to choose a tenant who has a history of caring for rental  property and has always paid rent on time.

The second most important this every owner must do is inspections.  I set them up every 3 months to start and if the tenant passed with flying colors, meaning that the place was clean and there was no sign of ongoing damage (like dogs scratching at the doors) then I made the interval longer.  Doing inspections lets you tenant know that you will be watching for problems and that you are professional about management.  This practice is especially important in multifamily properties, as it basically protects neighboring tenants against problems before they can arise.  

Doing these two things will greatly reduce the risk of ever having to evict a tenant no matter where you decide to invest.