By Ryan Green
Tenant moved out and left a smell behind? Here’s how landlords can remove cigarette smoke and bad odors before the next tenant tours the property.
There are few things more disheartening at tenant turnover than opening the door, taking one breath, and realizing the property smells. Cigarette smoke, lingering pet odors, a damp musty note from a closed-up bathroom – whatever the source, a bad smell will tank a showing faster than a stained carpet or a chipped countertop.
Smell is the one thing photos can’t capture and a quick walk-through can’t fake. Prospective tenants will notice it in the first ten seconds, and most won’t come back for a second look.
This guide walks you through how to get rid of cigarette and other common odors, when to bring in a professional, and how to stop the same problem happening again at your next turnover.
Common Rental Odors and How To Clean Them
In a hurry? Find your odor in the table below and jump straight to the fix. Costs are rough estimates for a typical 1–2 bedroom rental and will vary by region and severity.
| Odor | Difficulty | Cost (DIY) | How to Remove | Pro Needed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cigarette smoke (light) | Moderate | $100–$300 | Ventilate, wash hard surfaces, replace HVAC filters, deep-clean carpets. | No |
| Cigarette smoke (heavy) | Hard | $500–$1,500 DIY / $1,500–$6,000 pro | Full clean, then odor-blocking primer (Kilz/Zinsser B-I-N), then repaint. Often needs duct cleaning and carpet replacement. | Often yes |
| Pet urine | Moderate | $50–$200 (cleaners) / $500+ if pad or subfloor needs replacing | Enzymatic cleaner on carpets, baseboards, and subfloor. Blacklight test to find missed spots. | Only if pad/subfloor is soaked |
| Cooking grease & food smells | Easy | $30–$100 | Degrease vent hood, wash inside cabinets, clean behind appliances, repaint kitchen if needed. | No |
| Mold & mildew | Hard | $50–$200 surface / $500–$6,000+ if remediation needed | Find the moisture source first, fix the leak, then clean with a mold-killing solution. | Yes, if black mold |
| Garbage & fridge smells | Easy | $10–$30 | Deep-clean fridge with baking soda, run disposal with ice and citrus peel. | No |
| Showing tomorrow — no time for a full clean | Easy | $20–$150 | Bake cookies, simmer cinnamon, run an activated-carbon air purifier overnight, ventilate. Buys time, doesn’t fix the underlying problem. | No |
How to Get Rid of Cigarette Smell in a Rental Property: Step by Step
The order of operations matters here. Skipping ahead – for example, painting over smoke-stained walls without sealing them first will cost you the work twice. Smoke residue bleeds straight through fresh paint within days.
1. Ventilate the property aggressively
Open every window. Set box fans in window frames pointing outward to pull air through the property. Run ceiling fans. If it’s safe to do so, leave windows open overnight. This won’t remove the smell on its own, but it clears the airborne particles before you start scrubbing them off surfaces.
2. Remove anything soft that the previous tenant left behind
Curtains, drapes, rugs, fabric blinds, and any leftover furniture all hold smoke. If you can launder them on a hot wash with a cup of white vinegar, do that. If you can’t, throw them out. Trying to deodorize a smoke-saturated curtain costs more in time than replacing it.
3. Wash every hard surface in the property
This is the part most landlords underestimate. Smoke residue is sticky and lives on every surface that wasn’t sealed, including:
- Walls, ceilings, baseboards, doors, and door frames
- Window frames, sills, and the inside of window tracks
- Inside cabinets, drawers, and closets
- Light fixtures, ceiling fan blades, and outlet covers
- Interior of appliances (refrigerator, oven, microwave, dishwasher)
Use a strong cleaner. Trisodium phosphate (TSP) works well, mixed per label instructions. A cheaper option is a 50/50 mix of warm water and white vinegar with a splash of dish soap. Wear gloves and eye protection. Wipe top-to-bottom so dirty water doesn’t run over surfaces you’ve already cleaned.
4. Replace HVAC filters and clean the system
Your HVAC system has been circulating smoke for the length of the tenancy. At minimum, replace every filter and wipe down visible vent covers. For moderate to heavy contamination, hire a duct-cleaning service – otherwise the system will keep recirculating the smell into a clean property.
5. Deal with the carpets
Carpet is one of the worst smoke absorbers in any property. Sprinkle baking soda generously across the carpet, leave it overnight, then vacuum thoroughly with a HEPA-filter vacuum. Follow with a professional steam clean.
If after a deep clean you can still smell smoke when you press your nose to the carpet, the smell has migrated into the carpet pad and subfloor. At that point you’re better off pricing out a replacement than fighting a losing battle. Hardwood, vinyl plank, or tile is easier to maintain between tenancies.
6. Seal walls and ceilings with an odor-blocking primer
This is the step that makes regular paint actually work. A stain-and-odor-blocking primer (Kilz Original, Zinsser B-I-N, or similar) forms a barrier that seals smoke residue under the wall surface so it can’t keep off-gassing into the room. Apply two coats. Don’t skip the ceiling – that’s where most of the residue collects.
7. Repaint
Now you can paint. Two coats of a quality interior paint over your sealed primer will reset the walls. This is also a good moment to refresh trim and ceilings for the next tenancy.
8. Final deodorizing pass
Once the property is cleaned, sealed, and painted, run a final neutralizing pass. Options include an air purifier with an activated-carbon filter (running for several days), bowls of white vinegar or activated charcoal placed in each room, or an ozone treatment performed by a professional. Ozone treatment is highly effective for heavy contamination but the property must be unoccupied during treatment.
Other Common Turnover Odors and How to Tackle Them
Cigarette smoke is the headline problem, but it’s rarely the only one a landlord finds at turnover. Here’s how to handle the other usual suspects.
Pet urine and pet odors
Skip household cleaners – they won’t break down the proteins in urine that cause the smell. Use an enzymatic cleaner (Nature’s Miracle, Rocco & Roxie, etc.) on carpets, baseboards, and subfloor.
For heavily soaked carpet, the pad and sometimes the subfloor below need replacing. A blacklight in a dark room will show you every spot you missed.
Cooking grease and strong food smells
Most of this is concentrated in the kitchen. Degrease the vent hood and filter, wash inside cabinets, clean behind and underneath the stove and refrigerator, and replace any grease-stained ceiling tiles.
A coat of paint in the kitchen is often enough to finish the job.
Mold, mildew, and musty smells
A musty smell means moisture. Don’t just clean – find the source. Check bathrooms, around windows, under sinks, and behind washing machines. Fix the leak or ventilation issue, then clean affected areas with a mold-killing solution.
If you find black mold, get a professional assessment. Landlords have habitability obligations around mold in most states.
Garbage and fridge smells
Usually solved by a deep clean. Empty the refrigerator, wipe it down with a baking soda solution, and leave a box of baking soda inside with the door propped open for 24 hours. Check garbage disposal drains and run them with ice and citrus peel.
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When to Call a Professional
DIY works for most light-to-moderate odor jobs, but bring in a pro if:
- The property is heavily smoke-contaminated: if walls and ceilings are visibly yellow, you’re looking at a multi-day job with specialist equipment.
- You have a tight turnover window: the math often favors paying for a one-day professional clean over losing two weeks of rent to a slow DIY.
- There’s biohazard or mold contamination: don’t handle either yourself.
- You’ve cleaned, sealed, painted and the smell is still there: that’s usually a duct or subfloor issue and needs specialist equipment.
Professional remediation typically runs $1,500–$6,000 depending on property size and contamination level. Track every dollar – you may be able to deduct it from the previous tenant’s security deposit if smoking was prohibited by the lease, and it’s a deductible operating expense either way.
Quick Hacks for a Tight Turnaround (When You Can’t Do a Full Clean)
Sometimes the showing is tomorrow and the smell is today. These won’t fix a real smoke problem – for that you need the full process above but they’ll buy you a cleaner first impression while you book in the deeper work.
A few that actually move the needle:
- Bake cookies or simmer something on the stove an hour before the showing: the old realtor trick still works because it does two things at once: it puts a strong, pleasant smell in the air and signals “lived-in and looked-after.” Cinnamon sticks, orange peel, and cloves simmered in water on low heat are the no-effort version if you don’t want to bake.
- Run a reed diffuser or plug-in in each room: place them near doorways and in hallways where prospective tenants first walk in. Skip anything overly floral or chemical-smelling- clean linen, citrus, and light woody scents read as “clean” rather than “covering something up.”
- Open a box of baking soda in each closet and under sinks: Cheap, invisible to the eye, and genuinely absorbs odors rather than masking them. Bowls of white vinegar left out overnight work the same way and won’t leave any smell of their own by morning.
- Run an air purifier with an activated-carbon filter for 24–48 hours before the showing: this is the single best short-notice option. Carbon filters actually pull odor molecules out of the air rather than just masking them. A mid-range purifier will make a noticeable difference in a small unit overnight.
- Wipe down the entry points: front door, door frame, light switches, the inside of the entry coat closet. The smell that hits a prospective tenant in the first five seconds matters more than the smell in the back bedroom. Even a quick wipe with a vinegar-and-water solution on these surfaces resets the first impression.
- Open every window for an hour before the showing: then close them 15 minutes before tenants arrive so the property isn’t cold. Fresh-air ventilation right before a viewing is the closest thing to a free trick that actually works.
One word of warning: don’t rely on quick fixes for an actual smoke-damaged property. Prospective tenants who like the property will come back for a second viewing, and the masking smell will be long gone by then. Use these to bridge the gap to a proper clean – not to replace it.
How to Prevent This Happening at Your Next Turnover
A bad-smell turnover is a problem that’s much cheaper to prevent than to fix. A few things to put in place before the next tenancy starts:
1. Include a no-smoking clause or smoking addendum in your lease
A clear no-smoking clause makes smoke damage a breach of the lease, which lets you charge against the security deposit if it happens. A standalone smoking addendum spells out what’s covered (cigarettes, vapes, marijuana, anything else you want to include) and the consequences of breaching it.
2. Screen tenants properly
Smokers and heavy pet owners aren’t a protected class, so it’s reasonable to ask about smoking habits during screening. Pair that with full credit, background, and rental history checks. Past landlord references are the best signal for how a tenant treated their last property.
3. Run a thorough move-in inspection with photos
Document the property’s smell-free starting condition with date-stamped photos and a signed move-in checklist. If the property comes back at move-out with smoke damage, you have a clear before/after record to support any security deposit deduction.
4. Schedule routine inspections during the tenancy
Most leases allow for periodic inspections with reasonable notice. Catching a lease violation six months in is far cheaper than discovering it a year later at turnover. A periodic walk-through also signals to tenants that the property is being looked after.
5. Itemize and charge for damage at turnover
If smoke damage occurs and your lease prohibits smoking, you can typically deduct cleaning, sealing, and painting costs from the security deposit, provided the costs are documented and the smoke damage is beyond normal wear and tear. Use an itemized damages list with receipts attached, and always check your state’s security deposit laws before sending the deduction notice.
Can a landlord charge a tenant for cigarette smoke damage?
Yes, in most cases – provided the lease prohibits smoking and the damage goes beyond normal wear and tear. You can typically deduct the cost of cleaning, sealing, repainting, and replacing damaged carpets or fixtures from the security deposit. Keep itemized receipts, and review your state’s security deposit laws before issuing the deduction.
Does painting alone get rid of cigarette smell?
No. Standard paint won’t seal in the smoke residue, and the smell will bleed back through within days or weeks. You need to clean every hard surface first, then apply an odor-blocking primer (such as Kilz Original or Zinsser B-I-N), then paint over that. Skipping the primer is the single most common mistake landlords make.
How long does cigarette smoke smell last in a rental?
If untreated, smoke residue can off-gas for months or even years. Even after the property is aired out, the smell will return on humid days because moisture reactivates the residue. The only permanent fix is to clean, seal, and repaint affected surfaces — ventilation alone won’t solve it.
Is cigarette smoke damage considered normal wear and tear?
No. Normal wear and tear covers minor deterioration like faded paint or worn carpet. Smoke damage requires specialized cleaning and sealing to remove, and is generally treated as tenant-caused damage – especially if the lease prohibits smoking. That makes the cost deductible from the security deposit in most states.
What’s the best way to prevent smoke and odor problems in the first place?
Include a no-smoking clause in the lease, screen tenants thoroughly, run a documented move-in inspection, and schedule routine inspections during the tenancy. Catching a problem six months in is much cheaper than discovering it at turnover.
Bad Odors Turn Off Prospective Tenants
A bad smell during tenant turnover is one of the most frustrating problems a landlord can inherit -but it’s also one of the most fixable, as long as you tackle it in the right way.
Beyond the cleanup itself, the smartest move is preventing the problem next time around: a solid lease with a no-smoking clause, proper tenant screening, documented inspections, and a system for tracking every expense at turnover so nothing slips through the cracks.
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For landlords, raising the rent can be a touchy subject. There are times when rent increases are necessary to keep up with rising costs of property ownership, yet a rent raise can spook renters from renewing their lease. There are ways to raise the rent while decreasing the sting for renters. If you can keep renters happy and protect your interests, your renters will be more likely to stay.
How to Handle a Tenant Rent Increase
Savvy landlords are always keeping their rents in line with market rate by adjusting rent amounts every year. Tenants are less likely to balk at a slight rent increase ($50 or under) than they are when the rent goes up by hundreds of dollars overnight.
A good rule of thumb is to raise rents by 2 to 4 percent annually. For a $2,000 apartment, this works out to $40 to $80 — a number not likely to spook renters.
When you increase the rent by a small amount each year, you acclimate renters to this trend. If they don’t like it, they’ll leave. Otherwise, they will come to accept a small rent increase each year and will be much less likely to complain.
While you should strive to be competitive with market rates and recoup the costs of maintenance and mortgage payments, you will lose renters if you increase the rent by more than 8 percent in a year. This may be unavoidable if you’ve delayed a rent increase for several years. If that happens, start fresh with new tenants who can afford the higher rate. Then, commit to incremental raises each year so you don’t fall behind again.
If tenants try to negotiate with you, consider an incentive that benefits everyone. Rather than renewing their lease for 12 months at your higher rent rate, ask them to sign a two- or three-year lease at a number that splits the difference between the old rent and the new rent. They’ll be relieved they don’t have to pay as much, and you’ll enjoy stability for the foreseeable future.
Apartment turnover is a common time to lose money, as landlords often use the occasion to make property improvements, spend money advertising, and invest a larger amount of time in managing their property. The less often you turn over apartments, the more profitable every property is — even if you could be earning $25 or $50 more in rent.
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Invest in Your Tenants
Always be cordial and responsive when you see or hear from your tenants. A smile and greeting go a long way in building a positive relationship. Most tenants have had shady landlords, so they appreciate renting from someone who cares about the property and his or her renters’ satisfaction. Even if they dislike a rent increase, tenants who have warm feelings toward their apartment and their landlord are more willing to pay a little more to maintain their quality of life than move out over a bit of cash.
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So, the lease is signed, the confetti’s basically falling, and then… what? If you’ve ever found yourself scrambling three days before move-in trying to remember whether you actually collected the security deposit, this episode is for you. Kevin and I are walking you through exactly what to do after a tenant signs their lease, starting with the money you need in hand before you ever hand over a key, and the one rule we refuse to break, no matter how much we like a new tenant.
We’re also getting into our pre-move-in walkthrough process, including a California law that changed how many photos we now take of every single unit, and why it’s actually in our best interest, even though it felt like a hassle at first.
Plus, I’m sharing what’s actually inside our welcome email and our tenant unit binder, the small welcome gift we leave for every new tenant, and a story about a garbage disposal habit that cut our repair calls almost to nothing.
And toward the end, we give an honest, unsponsored rundown of the landlord software platforms people ask us about most, so you can decide what’s actually worth paying for.
Hit play, because by the end of this episode, you’ll have a repeatable process for everything that happens between signing day and move-in day.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
- The exact order of operations for funds, documentation, and rent setup after a lease is signed
- The one rule we never break, no matter how much we like a new tenant
- Why California now requires landlords to photograph every unit before, during, and after a tenancy
- What’s actually inside our welcome email and tenant unit binder
- The simple habit that’s cut our garbage disposal repair calls to almost nothing
- An honest, unsponsored comparison of Innago, TurboTenant, DoorLoop, and RentRedi
Links & References Mentioned in This Episode
Episode 8: Our Best Tips for a Smooth Tenant Move-In
Episode 26: Welcome Gifts — Why They’re Important for Your Rental Property Business
Episode 67: Renters Insurance — What Every Landlord Needs to Know
Episode 123: Landlord Systems — The Unit Binder
FREE Move-In / Move-Out Inspection Form
BLOG: 10 Things Tenants Need to Know at Move-In
BLOG: The What and Why of Move-In and Move-Out Inspections
Innago: Completely FREE landlord management software
TurboTenant: Great landlord management software for newer landlords
RentRedi: Management software that syncs with QuickBooks Online
DoorLoop: The best landlord management software for larger portfolios
Connect with Us:
🌎 Visit our website
📧 Subscribe to our newsletter.
👆Click this LINK to select from our FREE Landlord Forms and Doc’s
🤳Text Us SMS text to 650-489-4447. We love questions and love letters, hate mail not so much!
📩Email us at: [email protected], [email protected]
✔️Course Waitlist: From Marketing to Move In, Place Your Ideal Tenant
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Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
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If you have ever stared at a lease wondering whether you need a lease addendum vs new lease entirely, you are exactly who this episode is for. It is one of the questions Kevin and I get asked often, and it makes sense why. The wrong call does not just feel messy; it can leave your paperwork unable to hold up when you actually need it to.
In this episode, we walk through the simple test we personally use every time something changes mid-lease, whether that is a new pet, a new fee, or a tenant situation nobody saw coming. We share a few of our own stories along the way, including a routine mold inspection that turned up something unexpected in a supposedly empty closet, and the time complete strangers tried to rent one of our units with zero intention of ever actually living there.
We also pull back the curtain on where Kevin and I personally get our own leases and addendums from, and we give an honest, unsponsored rundown of the landlord software platforms people ask us about constantly, so you can decide what is actually worth paying for.
By the end of this episode, you will have a clear, repeatable way to know exactly which document to reach for, every single time something changes.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
- The simple test we use to decide between an addendum, an amendment, and a brand-new lease
- The difference between changing a term that already exists in your lease versus adding a completely new one
- Real examples of when an addendum is all you need, including pets, utility fees, and subletting rules
- Why a routine inspection once turned into a lease decision we did not see coming
- The near miss that almost turned one of our own units into a full time Airbnb, and the insurance detail every landlord should know about short-term stays
- When a rent increase, a security deposit change, or a new lockout fee only needs an amendment
- When occupancy or timeframe changes means you need to redo the lease completely
- Why getting this distinction wrong can cost you in front of a judge or with a confused tenant
- Where we personally get our own leases and addendums from, and what it actually costs
- An honest, unsponsored breakdown of the landlord software platforms people ask about most
Key Takeaways
1. Lease Addendum vs New Lease: The Simple Test We Use
Our rule of thumb is this: if you are adding something that was not in the original lease, like a new pet policy or a new utility fee, an addendum is all you need. If you are changing a term that already exists, like the rent amount or the security deposit, that is an amendment. And if the relationship or the financial terms have changed enough that a judge would need real effort to piece the story together from your original lease plus an attachment, it is time to write an entirely new lease.
2. Addendums Handle New Rules Without Touching What You Already Signed
We cover real examples from our own properties, including a pet addendum we personalized for a tenant’s new cat, and a utility fee addendum we rolled out when we started billing tenants for a portion of water, sewer, and garbage costs. We also share a story about a near miss with a couple who wanted to rent one of our units purely to sublet it on Airbnb, and why that pushed us to start offering midterm rentals ourselves.
3. Amendments Update What’s Already There, Redoing the Lease Starts Fresh
Sometimes you are not adding something new, you are changing a number or a rule that already exists, like raising the rent to offset a higher insurance premium. That is an amendment. But when the occupancy or the timeframe of the agreement itself changes, like a guest becoming a permanent roommate or a tenant’s child turning eighteen mid-lease, we walk through why that calls for a completely new lease instead.
4. Where We Actually Get Our Own Leases and Addendums
Kevin and I pull our own leases from the California Apartment Association, a paid membership that gives us far more than templates. We also talk through what to look for in a state or local rental housing association if you are outside California, and when it makes sense to simply pay a real estate agent to draft the lease for you. From there, we give an honest comparison of Innago, TurboTenant, RentRedi, DoorLoop, and ezLandlordForms, including which ones we actually use ourselves.
Legal Disclaimer: Nothing in this episode constitutes personalized legal or financial advice. Always consult a licensed real estate attorney or CPA for guidance specific to your state, city, and situation.
Links & References Mentioned in This Episode
Episode 32-34: Our Lease and Addendums Masterclass (starts at EP32)
Episode 115: Our New Utility Fee Breakdown
Episode 129: Should You Allow Smoking in Your Rental
Episode 130: Guest Policies — What They Are, Why They Matter, and How to Actually Enforce Them
Episode 22: The Pros and Cons of Renting to Pet Owners
Episode 61: Fair Housing and Emotional Support Animals (ESAs)
Episode 108: Navigating Reasonable Accommodation Requests
Innago: Completely FREE landlord management software
TurboTenant: Great landlord management software for newer landlords
RentRedi: Management Software that syncs with QuickBooks’s Online
DoorLoop: The best landlord management software for larger portfolios
EZLandlordForms State specific leases and addendums, over 400 forms available!
California Apartment Association Where we get our landlord forms
Connect with Us:
🌎 Visit our website
📧 Subscribe to our newsletter.
👆Click this LINK to select from our FREE Landlord Forms and Doc’s
🤳Text Us SMS text to 650-489-4447. We love questions and love letters, hate mail not so much!
📩Email us at: [email protected], [email protected]
✔️Course Waitlist: From Marketing to Move In, Place Your Ideal Tenant
📱 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, & join our private Facebook group
🎧 Listen & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app
*This post contains affiliate links. We may earn a very small commission (at no additional cost to you) if you purchase from here. These small commissions are to benefit our business so thank you for your support.
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
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Episode Summary
A turnover is one of those parts of being a landlord that quietly determines whether your rental is actually profitable. Do it fast and thorough, and you protect your income and set the tone for your next tenant relationship. Rush it, or drag it out, and you either miss something that costs you later or lose weeks of rent you’ll never get back.
In this episode, Kevin and I walk through our entire turnover process, from the moment a tenant gives notice to the day a new tenant gets their keys. We cover the safety and maintenance checks we never skip, how we make decisions on paint and flooring, the deep cleaning details that make the biggest first impression, and how we decide when to start marketing a vacant unit.
We also share several of our own real turnover stories along the way, including the one that’s still, hands down, our most expensive and nastiest turnover to date.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
- Why the days right after move-out matter more to your bottom line than most landlords realize
- The safety checks we run on every unit before handing over new keys, and why we photo-document them
- Our approach to re-keying locks, checking gas lines, and other non-negotiable safety steps
- How we decide between touch-up paint and a full repaint, and why we standardize our paint color
- When carpet needs replacing versus deep cleaning, and why we use an 8-pound pad
- The deep cleaning details that make the biggest difference to a prospective tenant
- What we include in our tenant welcome gift and unit binder, and why
- How we decide when to start marketing a vacant unit, and why we don’t always list early
- Why your tenant screening criteria needs a fresh look before every new listing
Key Takeaways
1. Safety and Maintenance Come First, No Exceptions
Every turnover starts with a full safety check: smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, re-keyed locks, working egress windows, fire extinguishers, and gas line checks. We test everything, photo-document our smoke detector batteries with install dates, and re-key every lock for every new tenant, no exceptions.
We also walk through leaks in every sink, toilet, and window. It’s the step we think gets skipped most, and it’s saved us from a serious problem before. We share the story of a washing machine leak that went unreported, and the mold remediation it cost us by the time we caught it.
2. Paint and Flooring: Spend Smart, Not Everywhere
We don’t repaint every wall on every turnover. We touch up scuffs and only repaint a wall if more than about 40% of it is marked, using one standardized, neutral paint color across all of our units so touch-ups always match. For flooring, carpet typically lasts five to fifteen years, and when we do replace it, we always upgrade to an 8-pound pad, which extends the carpet’s life and helps with noise between units.
3. Deep Cleaning Is the Detail That Sells the Unit
Cleanliness is, in our opinion, the single biggest factor in whether a prospective tenant gets excited about a unit or turns around and walks out. We clean every surface, inside every appliance, every vent, every light fixture, with no exceptions. We also leave a small welcome gift and a unit binder with move-in essentials, which sets the tone for the entire tenancy.
4. Get Ready for the Next Tenant the Right Way
We talk through when it makes sense to start marketing a unit before the old tenant is even out, and why we generally prefer to wait until we know exactly what work is needed. We also cover why your tenant screening criteria needs a fresh look before every new listing, since landlord tenant law changes often enough that an old listing can create real legal risk.
Legal Disclaimer: Nothing in this episode constitutes personalized legal or financial advice. Always consult a licensed real estate attorney or CPA for guidance specific to your state, city, and situation.
Links & References Mentioned in This Episode
Episode 7: A Guide to Move Out Procedures and Security Deposits
Episode 23 & 24: Marketing Your Rental Property (2-Part Series, starting at EP23)
Episode 28: The Cash Reserves Blueprint: Protecting & Expanding Your Portfolio
Episode 32-34: Our Lease and Addendums Masterclass (starts at EP32)
Episode 55: Preventative Maintenance That Brings Peace of Mind
Episode 124: How to Shoot Rental Property Photos That Get Attention
Episode 128: AI Tools for Landlords
“Welcome” Toilet Paper Stickers
Connect with Us:
🌎 Visit our website
📧 Subscribe to our newsletter.
👆Click this LINK to select from our FREE Landlord Forms and Doc’s
🤳Text Us SMS text to 650-489-4447. We love questions and love letters, hate mail not so much!
📩Email us at: [email protected], [email protected]
✔️Course Waitlist: From Marketing to Move In, Place Your Ideal Tenant
📱 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, & join our private Facebook group
🎧 Listen & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app
*This post contains affiliate links. We may earn a very small commission (at no additional cost to you) if you purchase from here. These small commissions are to benefit our business so thank you for your support.
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
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Episode Summary
February is too late for tax prep. By the time most landlords think about taxes, the tax year is already locked — and whatever deductions they missed, whatever decisions they wish they’d made differently, that window has closed.
In this episode, we make the case for why summer is actually the most strategic time of year to get your rental finances in order. With several months still left in the tax year, there’s still time to track expenses, run a mid-year financial check-in, clean up your records, and have a real planning conversation with your CPA before year-end — not a post-mortem one in January.
We also share a personal story about missing a significant expense on one of their own properties — and why by the time they caught it, it was too late to do anything about it.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
- Why summer — not January — is the best time to focus on your rental finances
- The three things every landlord should be doing right now to get ahead on taxes
- How to do a mid-year financial check on your rental property (and what questions to ask)
- Why clean books in the fall means a strategy conversation with your CPA instead of an expensive cleanup
- How accounting tools like QuickBooks, TurboTenant, DoorLoop, RentRedi, and Innago can make this easier
- Why QuickBooks works great for some landlords — and why it’s not the right fit for everyone
Key Takeaways
1. Get Your Expense Tracking Current — While It’s Still Fresh
Summer is when most of your maintenance and repair expenses are happening: HVAC servicing, painting, fence repairs, appliance replacements. If you’re not logging those expenses as they happen, you could be sitting on deductions you don’t even know you have. Legitimate rental expenses are generally deductible in the year you pay them — but only if you track them.
Stacie and Kevin share a personal example of missing a couple-thousand-dollar deduction because an expense was charged to a personal credit card and never logged against the property. By the time they found it, amending the return wasn’t worth the cost.
2. Run a Mid-Year Financial Check on Every Property
Getting your expenses current is just the start. The real value is pulling an actual profit and loss number — money in, money out, by property — so you can make informed decisions before December instead of discovering problems in February when most people do their tax prep.
Questions to ask yourself mid-year:
- Are you holding adequate cash reserves? (Rule of thumb: 10–15% of gross rents)
- Are all security deposits held separately and in the correct amounts?
- When does your insurance renew — and is your coverage still adequate?
- Are your property taxes assessed correctly? (If values have fallen, reassessment may save money)
- Who pays utilities? Is there room to add fees or recapture expenses?
- What planned maintenance or improvements could be completed before year-end to be deducted this tax year?
3. Build Clean Records Before Your CPA Conversation
If you walk into a fall planning meeting with messy books, your accountant spends their time — and your money — on data entry instead of strategy. If you walk in with clean, current financials, that conversation can actually be about decisions.
QuickBooks Online allows you to invite your CPA directly as an Accountant user, giving them full view-and-edit access to your books. Many CPA firms already use QuickBooks, which means a clean QuickBooks file can eliminate a significant amount of manual data transfer at tax time.
Accounting Tools Mentioned in This Episode
We use QuickBooks to invoice tenants and auto-code income directly to the right accounts — no manual entry, no end-of-month reconciling. However, we’re clear that QuickBooks works well for us specifically because Stacie has an accounting and finance background. For landlords without that background, the setup learning curve is real.
Property management platforms that build accounting directly into their products — like TurboTenant, DoorLoop, RentRedi, and Innago — may be a better fit for landlords who want Schedule E categories and income/expense tracking built in from day one. DoorLoop and RentRedi also offer QuickBooks sync for landlords who want both systems working together.
Affiliate Disclosure: This episode contains affiliate links. Your Landlord Resource may earn a commission if you purchase through our links, at no additional cost to you. We only recommend products and services we believe in.
Legal Disclaimer: Nothing in this episode constitutes personalized tax, legal, or financial advice. Always consult a licensed CPA or real estate attorney for guidance specific to your situation.
Links & References Mentioned in This Episode
Episode 12: Our Experience With a 1031 Exchange, Would We Do It Again?
Episode 18: 7 Ways to Increase Profit for Your Rental Property
Episode 28: The Cash Reserves Blueprint: Protecting & Expanding Your Portfolio
Episode 45: Basic Tax Strategies For Real Estate Investors
Episode 46: Advanced Tax Strategies for Your Real Estate Portfolio
Episode 55: Preventative Maintenance That Brings Peace of Mind
Episode 79: Accounting Software Options for Real Estate Investors
Episode 99: 5 Oversights That Drain Your Income
Episode 111: Stop Guessing, Start Budgeting
Good Read: Basic Tax Strategies
Good Read: Advanced Tax Strategies Book
QuickBooks (30% off first 6 months):
TurboTenant Create a FREE account today!
DoorLoop: Syncs Directly to QuickBooks
RentRedi: Syncs Directly to QuickBooks
Innago: Create a FREE account today!
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Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
By Paul Smith (Rental Housing Journal)
Regular rental property inspections are one of the most important risk-management tools for landlords and property managers. They help protect the property, reduce liability, improve tenant relations, and preserve long-term asset value.
Professional property managers and rental property owners are busy. With leasing, maintenance coordination, resident communication, and daily operations, inspections are often one of the first things pushed to the back burner. Unfortunately, skipping inspections can allow small problems to turn into larger and more expensive issues.
Why Rental Property Inspections Matter
Regular inspections help housing providers identify lease violations, maintenance concerns, and property damage before they become more serious. They also help confirm whether residents are properly maintaining the interior and exterior of the property.
Inspections can uncover issues such as unauthorized occupants, cleanliness concerns, neglected landscaping, water leaks, or resident-caused damage. Catching these problems early is usually far less expensive than waiting until move-out or until repairs become major projects.
Inspections also help identify normal deterioration caused by time and weather so repairs can be scheduled before conditions worsen.
Inspections Encourage Better Compliance
Even the reminder of an upcoming inspection can improve resident compliance. When residents know management will be visiting the property, they are often more likely to address cleanliness issues, yard maintenance concerns, or other lease violations ahead of time.
Regular inspections also reinforce that the property is being actively managed and monitored.
Inspection Checklist
𝙄𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩!
How else do you know if your tenant is following lease terms and if any unreported maintenance is needed?
Our single-family home inspection checklist is very thorough and includes space for notations if an area is satisfactory, needs attention, or is damaged.
We cover all areas of your rental unit, up to four bedrooms and four bathrooms: Interior (up to second story), exterior, garage, basement, attic, etc.
It also includes inspections of appliances, smoke/carbon detectors, fire extinguishers, air filters, and HVAC.
Don’t forget places to complete the tenant information and places for them to sign off on the inspection results!
There is room at the top to place your company name and logo. Purchase once and use over and over again!
All forms are moderately priced and can be used by purchaser as many times as needed! Forms fall under copywrite laws, reproduction and sharing are not permitted.
Any Rental Property Inspection Is Better Than No Inspection
Many housing providers struggle to stay consistent with inspections because of time and staffing limitations. While quarterly inspections are recommended by the RHA, many members choose to conduct inspections semi-annually or annually instead.
The important thing is having some type of regular inspection process. Any inspection schedule is generally better than not inspecting the property at all.
Making Inspections a Priority
Inspections are one of the most valuable preventative tools in property management. They help protect the property, encourage lease compliance, and identify maintenance concerns before they become costly repairs.
No matter how busy operations become, regular inspections can save housing providers significant time, money, and stress in the long run.
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The moment a property manager issues a denial letter, the professional relationship enters a high-stakes phase. While automated screening tools provide a necessary first layer of defense, they often lack the nuance required by modern fair housing standards.
The core conflict lies in the tension between a property’s need for uniform safety standards and the legal requirement to treat each applicant as an individual. When an applicant chooses to appeal a denial, the management team must shift from a simple gatekeeper to a deliberative body, akin to a court of law, to ensure the final decision is both fair and legally defensible.
The Evidence Phase of Individualized Assessment
In a traditional courtroom, a judge rarely looks at a single piece of data in isolation. Similarly, the appeals process requires property managers to conduct an individualized assessment. This means looking beyond the “denied” status on a screening report to evaluate the human context.
For example, consider the scenario that the applicant has a report come back during their criminal background check. Managers must consider mitigating factors such as the nature and severity of the offense, the age of the individual at the time of the offense, and the total time that has passed since the conviction.
By treating these factors as evidence, the management team can determine whether a past mistake indicates a present risk to the community or whether the applicant has demonstrated a clear pattern of rehabilitation.
This phase of the process is not about being lenient, but about being precise. A sophisticated professional understands that a blanket “no-felony” policy is a significant legal liability that can lead to claims of disparate impact.
By inviting the applicant to provide additional documentation, such as proof of steady employment, letters of recommendation from previous landlords, or certificates from rehabilitation programs, the property manager builds a comprehensive file. This documentation transforms a subjective “gut feeling” into an objective, evidence-based decision that can withstand scrutiny during a fair housing audit.
The Deliberation of the Appeals Committee
To maintain a high standard of professional integrity, the decision-making process should never rest on the shoulders of a single person. Just as a jury or a panel of judges provides a system of checks and balances, a property should utilize an internal appeals committee. This committee, typically composed of senior management or compliance officers who were not involved in the initial denial, ensures that personal bias does not influence the outcome.
A committee approach forces the team to articulate the specific reasons for a decision, ensuring that every appeal is handled with a level of consistency that protects the ownership from claims of favoritism or discrimination.
The work of this committee must be guided by a standardized checklist to keep the evaluation focused and professional. By using a set of predetermined criteria to weigh mitigating factors, the team can ensure that today’s applicant is treated the same way as a similar applicant will be six months from now.
This structured deliberation serves as a shield for the property, creating a clear paper trail that demonstrates a good-faith effort to comply with both the spirit and the letter of the law. When a committee documents exactly why an appeal was granted or denied, they are essentially writing the legal opinion that justifies their risk management strategy.
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Navigating the Intersection of Appeals and Accommodations
Professional challenges often arise when an appeal reveals deeper complexity, such as a conviction or credit issue directly related to a disability. In these instances, the appeal process naturally evolves into a request for a reasonable accommodation.
For example, if an applicant explains that their past criminal record was a result of untreated post-traumatic stress disorder and provides evidence of successful ongoing treatment, the property manager must pivot. At this point, the conversation is no longer just about the background check; it is about the legal obligation to provide equal housing opportunity through a policy exception.
Handling these “hybrid” cases requires a high degree of empathy balanced with strict adherence to procedure. The professional must recognize that a disability-related disclosure triggers a specific legal timeline and a set of privacy requirements.
By treating these disclosures with the same formal gravity as a legal motion, the property manager ensures that the applicant’s rights are respected while maintaining the property’s standards. This careful navigation prevents the management team from accidentally dismissing a legitimate accommodation request as a mere “excuse,” which is a common and costly mistake in the industry.
The Long-Term Value of a Fair Process
The true value of a robust, judicial-style appeals process goes far beyond avoiding a lawsuit. It builds a foundation of trust with the community and demonstrates that the management company operates with a high level of sophistication and professional ethics. When applicants and advocates see that a property has a clear, accessible, and fair process for reviewing denials, it enhances the brand’s reputation as a fair-minded leader in the marketplace.
Ultimately, a well-managed appeals process serves as the ultimate risk management tool. It allows property managers to filter out genuine threats while welcoming qualified residents who may have been unfairly excluded by a rigid algorithm. By investing the time to perform these individualized reviews, professionals protect their assets, ensure long-term compliance, and uphold the professional standards that define the highest levels of the housing industry.
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The two-paystub standard works great — until it doesn’t. If you’ve been renting long enough, you’ve had an applicant who makes good money, has decent credit, and clearly intends to pay — but just doesn’t have a traditional W-2. Maybe they’re a freelancer, a contractor, or a self-employed business owner. Maybe they’re a college student supported by financial aid and a parent who hasn’t officially agreed to cosign anything in writing yet.
Renting to students and freelancers doesn’t have to mean taking on more risk. But it does mean screening differently — asking for different documents, applying adjusted qualification standards, and building your lease to reflect the financial reality in front of you. That’s exactly what we walk through in this episode.
We cover what to request from self-employed and freelance applicants (and why no single document tells the whole story), what to do when a student has little to no income of their own, and the surprisingly useful tool most small landlords have never heard of — lease guarantee insurance. Plus we share personal stories from both sides of the cosigner table: as the parents signing leases for our college kids, and as the landlords who required that same protection from students renting their own Chico property.
And because this kind of screening can go sideways fast without consistency, we also cover the Fair Housing basics that apply nationally — and why building a documentation-based screening policy is your strongest protection in every state.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
- Why average income and reliable income are two completely different things — and how landlords routinely confuse them
- The five documents to request from a self-employed or freelance applicant — and which one is the gold standard
- What to accept when a student genuinely has little to no income of their own
- How cosigners actually work — and why a letter alone is legally meaningless
- What lease guarantee insurance is, how the payout works, and when it’s the right call
- The federal Fair Housing Act’s seven protected categories — and what’s notably absent from that list
- Why your state and city may add protections beyond the federal floor (and why you need to check)
- How to structure a lease for roommates, cosigners, and freelancers working from home
- When and how to consider renewal re-verification for variable income tenants
Key Takeaways
1. Average Income Is Not the Same as Reliable Income
A freelancer can show you a tax return with $85,000 in annual income that looks completely solid. The catch? If $40,000 of that came from one big spring project and the remaining months were nearly dry, that averaged number doesn’t reflect the reality of monthly cash flow. The distinction landlords need to screen for isn’t how much an applicant earns — it’s whether that income arrives steadily enough to make rent every single month.
2. The Five-Document Toolkit for Self-Employed Applicants
No single document fully captures a freelancer’s financial picture. Stacie and Kevin recommend asking for all five together: two years of federal tax returns (specifically Schedule C), 1099s, three to six months of bank statements (personal and business if kept separate), a year-to-date profit and loss statement, and — the gold standard — a letter from a CPA or accountant verifying the income. A CPA is putting their professional license on the line. That’s a very different level of confidence than a spreadsheet the applicant assembled themselves.
3. Students Need a Different Approach — Not a Disqualification
Most students won’t qualify on income alone, and that doesn’t have to be a dealbreaker. Financial aid award letters, scholarship documentation, stipend verification, and proof of ongoing parental support are all acceptable forms of documentation — when properly verified. The most protective option is a qualified cosigner who is a named party on the lease itself — not referenced in a side letter, but actually signing the document with full financial responsibility. Cosigners should meet a five-times-rent income standard because they’re covering someone else’s obligations on top of their own.
4. Lease Guarantee Insurance: The Option Most Landlords Don’t Know Exists
When a student doesn’t have a cosigner who qualifies — or when no cosigner is available at all — lease guarantee insurance is a legitimate alternative. A third-party company acts as a paid guarantor: the tenant or landlord pays a fee (often a percentage of annual rent), and if the tenant defaults, the company pays out the landlord. Stacie and Kevin’s screening software, Tenant Alert, offers this as part of their standard tenant scoring process — with a discounted rate available in the first seven days after a report is generated.
5. Screen the Documentation — Not the Person
Federal Fair Housing law does not protect occupation, employment type, source of income, or student status. However, many states and cities add their own protected categories on top of the federal list — source of income protection is particularly common. The safest practice in every jurisdiction is to create one written, consistent screening policy and apply it identically to every applicant. You’re not saying “no students” or “no freelancers.” You’re defining what documentation you need to verify ability to pay — and requiring it from everyone equally.
Legal Disclaimer: Nothing in this episode constitutes personalized legal or financial advice. Always consult a licensed real estate attorney or CPA for guidance specific to your situation.
Links & References Mentioned in This Episode
Episode 119: Roommates — Do We Recommend Them?
How to Place Your Ideal Tenant (Free 10-Page Guide)
From Marketing to Move-In Course Waitlist
Tenant Alert (tenant screening & lease guarantee software we use)
Connect with Us:
🌎 Visit our website
📧 Subscribe to our newsletter.
👆Click this LINK to select from our FREE Landlord Forms and Doc’s
🤳Text Us SMS text to 650-489-4447. We love questions and love letters, hate mail not so much!
📩Email us at: [email protected], [email protected]
✔️Course Waitlist: From Marketing to Move In, Place Your Ideal Tenant
📱 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, & join our private Facebook group
🎧 Listen & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app
*This post contains affiliate links. We may earn a very small commission (at no additional cost to you) if you purchase from here. These small commissions are to benefit our business so thank you for your support.
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
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You probably know that if your roof leaks, that’s on you. But do you know who’s actually responsible for landlord tenant maintenance responsibilities once you get past the obvious stuff — the slow drip a tenant never mentions, the air filter nobody changes, or the yard nobody can agree on? Most self-managing landlords learn these answers the hard way, usually in the middle of a dispute. In this episode of the Your Landlord Resource Podcast, Kevin and I walk through exactly who owns what, why the law backs you into certain obligations whether you like it or not, and where the real gray areas live.
The Legal Foundation: Implied Warranty of Habitability
Every landlord operates under something called the implied warranty of habitability, whether their lease mentions it or not. This legal standard requires landlords to maintain a property that is structurally sound, has working plumbing, electrical, and HVAC systems, includes functioning smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and is free from serious hazards like mold or pest infestations. You cannot write your way out of this obligation in a lease. Most states also require landlords to respond to maintenance issues within a reasonable timeframe after written notice, and for urgent habitability problems, that window can be as tight as 24 to 72 hours.
Landlord Tenant Maintenance Responsibilities: The Landlord’s Side
Structural elements, major systems, and safety items are always the landlord’s responsibility. That includes the roof, foundation, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and working locks. It also extends to major exterior items like structural fence failures, hazardous driveway cracks, and tree trimming when a tree poses a real risk. Appliances the landlord provides — refrigerators, ovens, dishwashers — fall under this same umbrella, with one notable exception: convenience appliances like a washer and dryer can be assigned to the tenant for repair and replacement, as long as that’s clearly written into the lease before move-in.
What Falls to the Tenant
Tenants are responsible for day-to-day upkeep: keeping the unit clean, proper trash disposal, replacing lightbulbs, and replacing consumable items like air filters and smoke detector batteries. They’re also responsible for any damage caused by their own negligence, misuse, or accidents — and that includes damage caused by their guests. Prompt notification matters here too. If a tenant sits on a maintenance issue and it turns into something bigger, that delay can shift liability in the landlord’s favor, but only if the lease clearly defines what “prompt” actually means.
Property Type Changes Everything
Yard maintenance is a perfect example of how property type reshapes these responsibilities. Single-family rentals commonly assign mowing and basic upkeep to tenants, but landlords should specify a maximum grass height and reserve the right to hire a service at the tenant’s expense if it’s exceeded. Larger or rural properties with extensive land are typically a landlord expense, not a tenant job. Duplexes with separate fenced yards can assign maintenance individually if the lease is specific. Multifamily properties with shared outdoor space fall to the landlord or a hired service, and HOA communities may already cover front yard landscaping — worth checking before you assign it to anyone.
Wear and Tear vs. Damage — and When a Tenant Should Never Make the Repair
The gray zone almost every landlord eventually lands in is the difference between wear and tear and actual damage. We cover the practical rule of thumb for telling them apart in the episode, along with why letting a tenant attempt their own repair — even with good intentions — usually creates more liability than it solves. If you want a deeper dive into the wear and tear question specifically, we covered it in detail in
EP59, Determining Wear & Tear vs Damage to Your Rental Property, and we connect that conversation directly to this one. Preventive maintenance plays a role here too — a tenant who fails to report a small issue can shift some liability for the resulting damage, which is exactly why we built out a full episode on staying ahead of these problems in EP55, Preventative Maintenance That Brings Peace of Mind.
We also share two real stories from our own portfolio in this episode — a late-night text about a leaking toilet that turned into a lease violation conversation, and a move-out discovery that ended up costing us thousands in mold remediation. Both illustrate exactly why documentation and clear lease language matter more than good intentions.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
- The implied warranty of habitability — what it legally requires of every landlord, and why you can’t write your way around it
- The full breakdown of landlord tenant maintenance responsibilities: structural systems, safety items, major exterior repairs, and provided appliances
- What tenants are responsible for day to day, including the air filter problem almost every landlord runs into
- How property type — single-family, duplex, multifamily, HOA — completely changes who handles yard maintenance and shared spaces
- The real difference between wear and tear and tenant-caused damage, plus a simple rule of thumb to tell them apart
- Why letting a tenant make their own repair almost always creates more risk than it solves — even when they offer
- Two real stories from our own properties: a late-night plumbing text and a move-out mold disaster that cost over $5,000
- Why a 24-hour notification clause beats a vague “reasonable timeframe” — and how to add one to your lease
- Tools that make documenting and enforcing maintenance responsibilities easier, including EZ Landlord Forms
Links & References Mentioned in This Episode
EP55 Preventative Maintenance That Brings Peace of Mind
EP59 Determining Wear & Tear vs Damage to Your Rental Property
EZ Landlord Forms State Specific Leases & Addendums for Landlordsanagement Platform — Free Demo Available
Connect with Us:
🌎 Visit our website
📧 Subscribe to our newsletter.
👆Click this LINK to select from our FREE Landlord Forms and Doc’s
🤳Text Us SMS text to 650-489-4447. We love questions and love letters, hate mail not so much!
📩Email us at: [email protected], [email protected]
✔️Course Waitlist: From Marketing to Move In, Place Your Ideal Tenant
📱 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, & join our private Facebook group
🎧 Listen & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app
*This post contains affiliate links. We may earn a very small commission (at no additional cost to you) if you purchase from here. These small commissions are to benefit our business so thank you for your support.
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes