Landlords and Negative Connotations

[Al Williamson]

I'm troubled by the negative emotions associated with the title "Landlord". Why do you think landlords are the butt of jokes and casted as villains?

I believe it's because many landlords want to passively extract money for communities and don’t want to contribute their pro-rata share towards advocating for the neighborhood. Is there an expectation for owners to do more than just keep up their property, but to actively be good neighbors as well?

[Jon Klaus]

A "bad apple" minority of landlords give a bad name to the profession. The proverbial slumlord that won't fix what's broken and takes advantage because he can. Deferred maintenance is his middle name. He knows the law and intimidates because he knows where he can skate and where he can't. He's greed driven. That reputation spreads.

We have the opportunity to build a great reputation for ourselves in the face of this. Always do what you say you are going to do. Treat your tenants the way you would like to be treated. Shoot for a fair profit that the market allows, but never venture into the gray to make a few bucks more. Do whatever you can to provide rentals that are clean, safe, and repaired quickly when needed. See and treat your tenants as valued customers who are signing your paycheck.

Together, BiggerPockets landlords can work to change the stigma. Choose excellence and get paid for it in the long run.