If you want to maximise a refinance replacing windows could help with that, whether you would get your money back is debatable.

Best way to maximise investment income is to pull equity out of your properties and invest in more.

This is a business not a hobby, you need to give it your maximum time and commitment.If you switch to a SFH, which I do not advise, find one you can add a basement suit to in order to maximise the income.

I wonder if this divide comes from the realtor/investor who as a realtor has an obligation usually to serve the best interests of the seller and a straight investor who has an obligation to maximise the returns for his shareholders, typically himself.So one will tend to fall into the "should look after the seller" category and the other doesn't even consider that.I also wonder if we are confusing ethics and integrity.  

That is a major mistake new investors make...they over improve and over spend.Never get attached to a tenant, get attached to maximising profits.

I completely disagree.As a landlord, I am trying to maximise my return on the property, and not increasing the rent saves me a bunch of costs.If the tenant does decide to move on, then not only do I have to get the place cleaned, spend time fixing minor issues that people often live with (making sure all the light bulbs work for instance, still takes time), change the locks, then I have to readvertise the property, take calls, show the property several times, take applications, run applications, make up a new lease, go meet the tenant to sign new lease.Not to mention that the property will be down for a minimum of a month, so an increase of $50 may well take 18 months to recover, not to mention all the ancillary costs I mentioned above.And all of this takes time. 

Makes no difference to me at the end of the day.Whereas most of the landlords on this forum are doing their level best to maximise every penny from a tenant, I'm not exactly poor, I don't need to extract every penny out of tenants.We did have a couple move out this weekend, they spent two years with us, and not only will they get all their deposit back, we will send a house warming gift also.

To maximise your real estate income you keep your properties leveraged.

We do not ask tenants how much they would like to pay we tell them what they are required to pay.If you are not in business to maximise the monthly return on your investment then you should sell the property and find something else to put your efforts into.

If it did every tenant would control their landlord/business investor.For you to even consider not issuing a planed increase due to your tenants situation shows you lack the business head to maximise your returns and are tending toward operating your business as a social worker.