Transferring Fee: Is it a good idea?

[Angela Tanudjaja]

If your tenant's lease is up, and they want to transfer to another of your property. Do you charge a fee? I know the costs involved in apartment vacancy and preparation for move-ins. But is it fair to charge a transfer fee that's hundreds of dollars when the tenant could easily go to somebody else to rent?

[Steve Babiak]

Let's pose this a bit differently.

Tenant wants to move. So, you have two choices: move tenant into one of your other units, or let tenant go to another landlord. If it is a good tenant, wouldn't you WANT that person to fill one of your vacancies, rather than going to another landlord who will now be happy with that good tenant?

Sort of a "use them or lose them" ...