Being a Good Landlord and Doing Your Due Diligence

[Matt Madar]

I bought my first duplex (owner occupant) last July, and upon purchase inherited a "bad" tenant. Upon purchase she had also not paid July's rent, so the previous landlord told me that I could collect it after closing from her. Naturally I thought no big deal; I had met her while moving and thought she was nice enough, and during the purchasing process walking through her unit she kept it clean & tidy. Finally when I went to collect I got my first "sob story", so me being the newbie I am gave her an extra week. Well one week turned to two weeks, then to three weeks, and finally after five weeks (I was a pushover) I began the eviction process. Luckily in Kenton County Kentucky (Covington) the courts are relatively favorable to landlords as long as you can show you followed the guidelines/timelines (also came to find out she was two months behind on the previous landlords). After this experience I thought to myself this will never happen again (no more Mr. Nice-guy!) This time when I chose the tenant I followed the screening process carefully, looked into their past (criminal and credit), reviewed as much about their lives as possible. Because I took the time to find a good tenant, I was able to place someone that I believe to be a near-perfect fit. She always paid on time and never gave me any trouble, so to show my appreciation I purchased a little "welcome basket" for her upon moving in, and on her birthday gave her a card and gift card to a local restaurant. Since doing these little things a near-perfect tenant, became a perfect tenant. She cleans-up around the property, and even pays rent early now (typically a week before it's due!) Little acts of kindness, can lead to enormous results and don't be afraid to reward those worth rewarding!