Tips, Tools & Lessons

How-to advice plus checklists, leases, and other helpful tools for landladies (and landlords).


Problem Preventors for Freezing Pipes

This winter we rented our Florida vacation condo to a lady from Connecticut, where it snows. And snows. And snows.

"What if the furnace breaks while you're away?" I asked. "Won't the pipes in your house freeze and burst?"

"Not a chance," she said, and told me her secret...

Cures for an Ugly Driveway

Cracks

Image by gtrwndr87 via Flickr

My driveway needs help. Parts of it sank. Other parts heaved up to form jagged craters.

An enormous hump scraped the bottom of Susan's Volkswagen, so she went at the driveway with a sledge hammer.

The driveway is flatter now, but mud oozes up through the asphalt.

Okay, so what are my options?


Renter's Remorse

A landlady's greatest joy is a gleeful tenant. After weeks of painting and scrubbing, nothing is more satisfying than the words, "Thank you! The apartment's beautiful!" But, despite my best efforts, there's no escaping renter's remorse.

Bathroom Refacing

Image via Wikipedia

Call me crazy, but whenever I prep an apartment for new tenants, I spend a little bit extra accessorizing the bathroom. Tenants like a bathroom that's bright and appealing, but that's not the point.

These finishing touches are must-have for preventing damage and avoiding emergency calls.

I Love Craig

Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist, transformed my life.

Apartment Turnovers (Yum!)

Tenants packing. Moving vans parked across lawns. And a zillion empty apartments to prep for new arrivals. Where to begin? Here’s my recipe for worry-free Apartment Turnovers.