I'm about to rent out my former home for the first time. We bought a new primary residence this fall, so I won't be living there.

- Property: One 3BR condo on the North Shore of Massachusetts, in an association of about 40 units where only a few are rented. It's a 1970s building, but I already have the lead certificate.

- Numbers: Market rent is about $3,500/mo. My total carrying cost is roughly $3,000–3,500/mo, which includes a temporary HOA special assessment. I'm close to break-even, with a thin buffer for vacancy or repairs.

- Reserves: Moderate. We just put a lot of cash into the new purchase, so a 2–3 month vacancy or a payment gap would hurt but wouldn't sink us.

- Constraints: MA bans source-of-income discrimination, so I can't turn down vouchers. Condo bylaws also apply.

For those who've had Section 8 tenants in MA, what were the real surprises? With a thin cash buffer, I'm trying to work out:

1. How long did it take from approval to the first rent payment, and how long did the unit sit empty during inspection and paperwork?

2. How reliable is the housing authority's payment, and what happens if the tenant's share goes unpaid?

3. If it goes badly, what do evictions realistically cost in time and money?

4. How many months of rent would you keep in reserve?

Would you do it again, or hold out for a market-rate tenant?

TLDR: I think my tenant’s “service animal” is a pet, and my property manager doesn’t want to deal with it.

I house hack a duplex (live in one side, rent the other). I handed my unit over to a property management company last month because I’m just traveling way too much for work right now to be a diligent landlord. They found a tenant pretty quick, and they moved in on the 15th of September. I noticed the lease had a signed pet addendum but with no pet deposit or pet rent. Emailed my contact at the rental company and they inform me “the tenant has a service animal, and they provided paperwork, so we legally can’t charge pet rent or a deposit”.

I think ok fine, if it’s a legit service animal, fair enough. I get home a couple weeks later from a work trip and meet the tenant for the first time. I’m no expert, but after only a couple days, it’s pretty apparent to me this dog is a pet. It wears no vest, it barks all the time, it has no recall, and it almost seems a little reactive.

So I emailed my property manager to send me the paperwork the tenant provided for the service animal, crickets so far. My suspicion is they have an ESA cert from one of those bogus “ESA certified” websites.

-Where do I look to see if Indiana recognizes the dime a dozen “ESA certificate”? I know a lot of states have cracked down on the ESA stuff and have narrowed the lawful exceptions to certified service animals only.

-Is my property manager required to show me the paperwork? Do they have to produce it for me if i request it?

I listed my condo on Facebook mp and Zillow about a week ago, and honestly, the experience has been ridiculously exhausting. 90% of people won't respond soon as I tell them I ask all applicants background screening and credit check.

People ghost after scheduling a tour, ask for big discounts right away, or don't even read the decriptions. and there was an applicant I actually liked kept telling me they were interested but needed "a few more days." When the deadline came, they asked for more time again. This happened multiple times over a week, while I was turning other people away.

Geez, this is insane. I am just sick of people asking for preposterous bargains.

It is a long story, but I will keep it detailed yet brief. We bought a house in California during the pandemic with a 3% down payment, which was all we could afford. At the time, we understood little about favorable deals, brokers, or inspections. We purchased the home to live in first, then moved and arranged for a tenant. The issue arose because we selected a buyer agent simply because she seemed pleasant. When we submitted offers, she advised us on pricing and other details. She recommended waiving the inspection contingency to boost our chances of acceptance, noting that several offers had already been declined. We followed her guidance, removed the contingency, and moved forward with an older, remodeled property. Immediately after the purchase, we encountered major repairs that have caused significant strain. I felt pressured to act and was not warned about the inspection. A few years have passed, and new repairs have just emerged. Currently, we have a tenant whom we must displace because of this. Has anyone been in a similar situation? Can we sue the agent now, or is it too late for damages?

Me and my wife just bought a triplex in February this year. We just finished renovating the unit we will be living in and are currently in the process of moving. I have done almost all the work myself and will continue that way.

We just had our month to month tenant give their notice (which was expected around this time) and that unit is pretty clean and manageable. However our "suppose to be long-term tenant" broke their lease early and they've been living in the unit for 20+ years. The property was built in 1984 and has a lot of orginal things like doors, cabinets, windows, trim, shelving...ect.

What are some of reddits tips to help me navigate this unexpected stressful time to turn over these units fast, effectively, but also freshen them up to appeal to new tenants without going broke. Keep in mind most of the work will be done by me and my wife

My past tenants broke rules detailed in the lease such as no smoking, no pets, no washing machine, and have exceeded limit on number of occupants. Looking for a fresh start with a new tenant. My lawyer suggested house rules instead of a lease but I’m leery of those since it seems less legally binding to me.

How common are government-mandated rental inspections? On paper it sounds like a pro-tenant program, but it's clearly an unconstitutional search of the tenant's home.

I just purchased a property to renovate and rent, the tenant who was in there requested to keep a few things stored in the shed and I told him I would give him to the end of October to clear it out and now I can’t get ahold of him. If the end of the month comes and he hasn’t cleared it out what am I required to do (or not do) with it?