That way, the first guy becomes an advocate for your jobs, and he'll know that the other guy is not blowing smoke when he says he can handle the job or get it done on time.

It's a tight rental market right now but if you've got good credit and don't smoke you'll be at the top of most landlord's lists, especially if you can sign a 12-month lease.

If you have one floor chopped up into tiny apartments, despite the legality of it, are you sure each has 2 means of egress, are smoke detectors installed properly, are utilities metered separately, would insurance pay up if there is an issue etc.?

When I do a maintenance check, I check under all faucets for leaks, look around elsewhere for obvious leaks, make sure no furniture is blocking vents, change air filters, check for junk in the yard, check smoke detectors, etc.

.}, but could work if you are close enough to The Big Smoke.  

The "stuff" left behind is comprised of personal belongings: furniture, clothes, books, a whole closet full when we have yet to look into and the range (appliances were theirs).They did take the light fixtures - except the ugly chandelier in the dining area - so I need to go back in the daylight to make an inventory ;-)We have been making visits to the unit on a semi-regular basis: we replaced windows, fixed the toilet, changed backup batteries in the smoke detectors, etc. - so I do get the picture.

I thought I had found a smoking hot deal, but this is not what I had in mind.

As for smokers, some states actually have protections surrounding smoking laws, but as far as I know, those are mainly based on employment law not fair housing.

@Brendan O. pass that pipe over here bro, cause you must be smoking some good sh*t!

My tenant somehow started a kitchen fire that was pretty isolated but smoke damage spread through-out most of the unit.