Make sure you’re checking in on your tenants, getting them to document any damage, and having solid insurance coverage.

Foreperson: “your honor, let me get this straight, the plaintiff lost the defendant’s money, didn’t tell them, ignored their calls, and left their voice mail box full so no one could reach them, and now the plaintiff is asking me to award them damages because the defendant complained about it?”  

@Mike TikhRecommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.Property Class will typically dictate the Class of tenant you get, which greatly IMPACTS rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a Class A property in Class D area, what quality of tenant will you get?

When they finally move out, you'll discover a ton of unreported maintenance and possibly damage caused by failure to maintain.Landlords should encourage tenants to report maintenance issues.

The last tenants did some damage to the interior of the house and repairs like, sheet rock, fixtures, paint, etc. need to be completed. 

For apartments, I prefer to provide them because many apartment renters make mistakes hooking them up, or they cause damage moving them in/out. 

I think guests hardly ever damage things intentionally, but when you have luggage coming in and out all the time and little kids running around a "new place," there IS a lot more wear-and-tear, scuffs/dents/scrapes, and broken glass. 

I haven't been expanding my business with LMHA since the end of 2016 per my posts above so I don't know exactly what changed, but I expect the outsourcing of inspections to private industry + some executive level leadership + replacement of staff with new faces excited to serve the needs of HUD/Landlords/Those In Need has resulted in an agency I will develop more business with.The HCVP will always be a double edged sword for landlords (See Section 8 Bible discussion) but for now I have discovered it is finally worth the effort to participate in the program.I specialize in Toledo's transition neighborhoods, discounted houses on the edge of nicer areas but also on the edge of trash...the Section 8 program allows me to get long-term tenants who are a good business model provided they are consistently managed and visited/inspected for additional "visitors" (relatives and random dogs/cats) and damage/housekeeping which can destroy a home if left unchecked.You need to know the rules, repair and renovate for long-term durability, prepare for inspections thoroughly and keep a team of contractors who will hold those standards...after 8 years we have been through a hundred inspections.

The upgrades that HAVE to be made for rentability vs. those that will hopefully increase rental income can definitely influence the response.What are people's expectations?

@Tyler Gilpin When you say "does pretty well", is that more of a commentary on the quality of the tenant (aka "lack of damages to your property") or the timeliness of payments (either via HUD or the tenant's portions)?