Does your landlord live upstairs? Or next door?

Question

Hi everyone, I'm researching an article that I'm writing about situations when the landlord lives upstairs from a tenant (or next door in a duplex, for example) and the pros and cons of this kind of setup. Does maintenance get done faster, for example?

Does anyone live in this situation? Or has lived in this situation in the past? Would you be willing to talk with me?

Thanks for your help!

Does anyone live in this situation? Or has lived in this situation in the past? Would you be willing to talk with me?

Thanks for your help!

Kimberly Taylor · Answer

We own the house next to us and rent it out.  Yes, I would say the repairs get done faster in our situation because of the proximity and seeing the property is a reminder that something needs to be done.

Dustin Collett · Answer

I'm the landlord and I live upstairs.  My policy is to live in the least expensive unit.  I am a tightwad.

Leah Culler · Answer

Thanks, Tylor. Good luck in your new landlording venture! What about any tenants out there? Do you have experience living in the same building as a landlord?

Tylor K. · Answer

I have only been in this situation for a couple of months now, but I own a duplex and live next door to my renters and though there has not been a great need since I did a lot of work on the rental before listing it, the few maintenance items (e.g., replacing a beeping smoke detector, fixing a broken window lock, etc.) that have come up I have generally done within a day of being informed.  Not sure how this compares to 'average', but it is definitely a lot faster response then we ever got from our LL in college (though that is also a college rental).