What do landlords do when they travel?

[Valerie King]

I've always wondered what landlords who, say, house hack a multifamily and/or manage their property(s) themselves do when they're out of town. What's the best way of handling vacations, keeping potential tenant/property emergencies in mind? 

[JD Martin]

I should have added emergencies generally fall under one of the following:

1. Plumbing issue - clogged toilet, broken water line, no hot water.

2. HVAC - no heat/ac, gas leak in house.

3. Structural - tree fell on house; house is being flooded with rainwater.

4. Self-inflicted - renter locked themselves out of house; kid broke the window.

If you have the phone numbers for a good plumber, heating contractor, locksmith, that covers 95-99% of anything you will be hit with. Not all of them should be your cost, either, but a lot of tenants don't know what to do in any situation so you can act as the instigator of the help brigade.