All Forum Posts by: George White

I don't know about UT, but TX is a very Landlord friendly state.  Application fees and Application Deposits are only required to be refunded if the applicant had not been given a "Tenant Criteria Policy" form.  (I'm not a lawyer and that's not legal advise. It's just in the Texas Property Code.

We seldom complicate our lives with Holding Deposits.  We find it better to show the property until a lease is fully executed.

The best advice I can give you as a DIY landlord is to familiarize yourself with your states statutes regarding rentals.  You also need to know your municipal codes (usually available on the county or city website), and the important CFRs.  

It's a federalist system.  Federal government sets minimums.  State governments can be stricter (if constitutional).  And, municipal governments all the way down to HOAs can adopt stricter regulations.  Below that, the Hold Deposit Contract governs.  (Again, not a lawyer. Not legal advice. Just stuff I learned in my Civics and Business Law classes).

Hope this helps.  Good luck, and grow your pockets!

I've been doing some online investigating, and I'm totally confused.  There are a lot of great smart locks for vacation rentals, but I also have some Residential properties that are a ways away from my home base. 

I'm looking for a good lock system, that logs entries and exits, that doesn't rely on cable modem reliability (i.e. Cell Tower Link), that allows me to give access to contractors, and gives my tenants a sense of privacy.  

Any ideas?  I'm tired of showing or hiring people to show residential rentals.  The vacation solution has been mastered, but the residential solution seems to be lacking...

I've had no vacancy for two years; before Zillow purchased Postlets.  When I did discover postlets, I quit putting signs in my front lawns, and had tenants sign contracts sight unseen, from half the US away.  

I'm hoping it hasn't gotten as bad as I've heard, because I found it invaluable.  The ability to post to one site, and have it distributed to all of the major renter search sights was spectacular marketing.  

My policy, however, and how I end up getting most of my tenants, is by direct contact.  Since my wife and I make more in rent than we require for our lifestyle, we are able to work any jobs we want.  I'm an trained nuclear mechanic and dropped out of my civil engineering degree during my senior design project to begin investing.  I enjoy working thought, as does my wife.  But, the jobs we usually take are the types that our tenants also work.

They know that we are landlords, and good ones, so when they are looking for a place to live we are the first people they look to.  The only problem, is that I never have any vacancy.  I'm usually under a rental contract a month before my current tenant moves out.  I'm not sure if that is just because of my local market, or the type of landlord I am.  I do give a 10% discount in December so my family tenants can do a little more xmas for the kids.