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House hacking is buying a property, living in part of it, and renting out the rest so your tenants help cover the mortgage. It works because of the loan, not the rent. Kevin and I have never done it. We have recommended it to our three kids, their friends, and others who may or may not have asked. Our batting average is zero. So when a 23 year old listener in Wisconsin asked for this episode, we finally said yes.

Everybody explains the shiny part. Buy a duplex, live in one side, rent out the other, your tenant pays your mortgage. Nobody explains the middle part, and the middle part is where people go quiet. Kevin ranks the property types by privacy instead of by cash flow, and his rule of thumb is the opposite of what your spreadsheet will tell you.

Then I take on financing, starting with what I deliberately will not give you and why. What I will give you is the one question that reveals whether a lender has ever closed a deal like yours, plus the short list to bring to every one of them.

From there, the numbers you run twice, the inspection people skip and regret, what separates a legal second unit from an expensive problem, and the zoning, HOA, insurance, and fair housing checks that come before the offer. Plus screening when you share a wall, and how to live there without being on call in your own driveway.

Hit play. By the end you will know whether house hacking fits how you actually want to live.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

•  What house hacking really is, and why the loan matters more than the rent

•  The occupancy promise you make in writing, and why getting creative is a bad idea

•  How to rank property types by privacy, and the rule we would give our own kids

•  The question that tells you whether a lender has closed a deal like yours

•  Why you run the numbers twice, and which version most people never run

•  What reserves protect you from, and why the rent is not your money

•  The inspection people skip and regret, plus the one Kevin adds

•   What makes a converted unit an asset instead of a liability

•   Why your homeowners policy may not respond once a tenant moves in

•   Individual leases versus joint leases when you rent bedrooms

•   The systems that keep maintenance requests out of your driveway

•  Your three exit paths in year two, and the tax questions to ask first

Episodes & Resources Mentioned

Episode 11: Inheriting Tenants with Your New Rental Property?

Episode 20: The Nuts and Bolts of Residential Rental Property Insurance

Episode 28: The Cash Reserves Blueprint

Episode 32: Our Lease and Addendum Breakdown

Episode 51: The Hidden Dangers of Using Cash Apps to Collect Rent

Episode 61: Emotional Support Animals

Episode 63: Owning a Rental in an HOA

Episode 75: The Due Diligence and Inspections We Complete Before Buying a Rental Property

Episode 83: Fair Housing for Criminal Background Checks

Episode 128: AI Is Your New Business Partner

DoorLoop: The landlord management software we recommend for larger portfolios

TurboTenant: Great landlord management software for newer landlords

Avail: Free Landlord Software

Innago: Free landlord software with online rent collection

EZ Landlord Forms: State-specific lease documents, notices, and addendums

Connect with Us: 

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👆 FREE Landlord Forms and Doc’s

🤳Text Us: 650-489-4447

📩Email us at: [email protected], [email protected] 

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Garbage disposals in rentals are the only appliance I can think of that costs a hundred dollars and can quietly turn into a several thousand dollar problem. And nobody requires you to provide one at all.

Kevin opens with the distinction that decides how fast you have to answer that late night text. A disposal is an amenity, not a habitability item. Except there is one specific moment when it stops being either of those, and it is not the moment most landlords assume.

Then he makes the case for skipping them entirely. Five reasons, and only one of them is really about money. Two apply to buildings and systems most of us never connect to that little motor under the sink.

From there I walk through what we actually do, because we have disposals in every one of our units and no plans to change that. It has almost nothing to do with the brand we buy. It is about what a tenant gets in the first twenty minutes they are in that unit, plus one small item taped where they cannot miss it. Since we put this in place, our replacement rate dropped seventy five percent. I show you the math.

Plus what a replacement really costs us, the trick that saves fifty dollars every single time, the shop towel trick our contractor uses to catch a leak months before it soaks a cabinet, and the one thing to tell every tenant before they ever reach for a bottle under the sink.

Hit play. You will know by the end whether a disposal belongs in your unit or not.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

- Why a disposal is an amenity, and the exact moment it stops being one

- Five reasons some landlords refuse to install them

- The two building types where a disposal is a genuinely bad idea

- What your tenant class has to do with the decision

- The small item we tape inside every sink cabinet door

- How we cut our replacement rate by seventy five percent

- What a replacement costs us, and the fifty dollar trick

- The horsepower rule for anything going in a rental

- The one product to tell tenants never to use

- Our contractor's shop towel trick for catching a slow leak early

- Why a disposal will not raise your rent, but still earns its spot

Episodes & Resources Mentioned

Episode 59: Determining Wear and Tear Vs. Damage to Your Rental Property — named on air, Kevin asks listeners to check it out

Episode 137: Emergency Maintenance vs Routine Repairs — what is urgent and what can wait

Episode 96: Tips From Our Contractor — everything Jim has taught us

Kevin's Disposal Reset & Jam Video — the video we send tenants

InSinkErator Badger 5 — the unit we buy, Amazon affiliate link

Disposal Hex Wrench — the backup wrench Kevin mentions we keep on hand for insinkerator disposals

DoorLoop: Landlord software for larger portfolios

TurboTenant: Landlord software for newer landlords

Avail: Free Landlord Software

EZ Landlord Forms: State-specific lease and notice forms

Connect with Us: 

🌎 Visit our website 

📧 Subscribe to our newsletter.

👆 FREE Landlord Forms and Doc’s

🤳Text Us: 650-489-4447

📩Email us at: [email protected], [email protected] 

➡️ Give us a review: Apple or on Spotify or YouTube 

✔️Course Waitlist

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The best time to renovate a rental is almost never the moment you finally get sick of looking at the kitchen. Timing is the variable nobody talks about, and it quietly decides whether your money ever comes back.

Kevin opens with a framing that clears up half the confusion on this topic. There are only two kinds of rental renovation, and landlords get into trouble when they apply the rules of one to the other.

From there we get into the window we actually use, why an empty unit is dramatically cheaper to work in than an occupied one, and the seasonal play that lets you burn vacancy days you were going to lose anyway. I also walk through what happened when a bathroom flooded in Chico and we had no choice at all, plus the three week vacation that turned into the best renovation window we have ever had.

Then Kevin covers the Idaho unit we poured a small fortune into and got almost nothing back on in rent. We would still do it again. There is a reason, and it is not sentimental.

Hit play. You will finish knowing whether your next project is a business decision or a preference.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

●     The two categories of rental renovation, and why mixing them up costs you

●     Why turnover is the single best window, in three stacking reasons

●     The seasonal play that turns weak vacancy days into free renovation time

●     How to find your own peak season instead of guessing at a general rule

●     What livability rules mean mid-renovation, and the hotel question nobody can answer for you

●     The one phone call to make before a repair ever displaces a tenant

●     What actually fits into a one, two, four, and eight week timeline

●     How to calculate the ceiling on what a renovation can earn you

●     The appliance we stopped buying entirely, and why

●     The relationship worth more than any discount you will ever negotiate

Episodes & Resources Mentioned

Episode 91: We Renovated 2 Out-of-State Units, Would We Do It Again?

Episode 117: Why We Installed Smart Locks (And Would Do It Again)

Episode 96: Tips From Our Contractor — everything Jim has taught us

Episode 139: Landlord DIY vs Hire Out — what to handle and what to delegate

ENERGY STAR Rebate Finder — check local utility rebates by zip code

DoorLoop: Landlord software for larger portfolios

TurboTenant: Landlord software for newer landlords

Avail: Free Landlord Software

EZ Landlord Forms: State-specific lease and notice forms

Connect with Us: 

🌎 Visit our website 

📧 Subscribe to our newsletter.

👆 FREE Landlord Forms and Doc’s

🤳Text Us: 650-489-4447

📩Email us at: [email protected], [email protected] 

➡️ Give us a review: Apple or on Spotify or YouTube 

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Rental appliance repairs are one of those things you never decide until you are forced to. The refrigerator quits on a Friday night. The dishwasher waters the floor instead of the dishes. The washer starts walking across the laundry room like it owes somebody money. And so you ask yourself, how do I handle this?

That was me with our first rental. When that fridge died I had no idea whether it was our problem or the tenant's, and no idea what our lease said either.

Here is what I wish somebody had told me sooner. You have more than one option. Landlords can handle appliances about five different ways, and most of us never look at four of them.

So I walk through the three tiers of appliances and the one rule that hangs over them. Kevin touches the legal side lightly, then covers tenant-provided appliances, including the clause almost nobody writes down and the one that gets expensive when its past closing time. I cover wear and tear versus misuse and how we word our own lease exceptions. Then Kevin lays out all five options, honestly, including how each one fails.

Hit play. You will walk away knowing which of the five you are actually running, instead of finding out the next time something breaks.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

·         The three tiers of rental appliances, and which tier you actually control

·         The one rule that decides almost every appliance repair question

·         Why a lease that says nothing about appliances never works in your favor

·         The four things to put in writing before a tenant's appliance arrives

·         The tenant-supplied clause that turns a repair into a water damage claim

·         How to prove misuse instead of just deciding it was their fault

·         The exceptions we spell out in our own lease, word for word

·         All five ways landlords handle appliance repairs, and how each one fails

Episodes & Resources Mentioned

Episode 128: AI Is Your New Business Partner

Episode 131: Landlord vs Tenant Maintenance Responsibilities

Episode 137: Emergency Maintenance vs Routine Repairs

CPSC Recall List: Check your appliances for active recalls

EZ Landlord Forms: State-specific lease addendums and notices

TurboTenant: Landlord software for newer landlords

DoorLoop: Landlord software for larger portfolios

Connect with Us: 

🌎 Visit our website 

📧 Subscribe to our newsletter.

👆 FREE Landlord Forms and Doc’s

🤳Text Us: 650-489-4447

📩Email us at: [email protected], [email protected] 

➡️ Give us a review: Apple or on Spotify or YouTube 

✔️Course Waitlist

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This shorty is a checklist episode where we walk through the nine things (plus a bonus tenth) we do every single time between placing a vacancy ad and getting a prospective tenant through the door for a showing. It's also a preview of what's coming in our upcoming course, From Marketing to Move In.

In This Episode:

•  Writing an ad detailed enough that prospects can pre-qualify themselves before they call

•  Why photos are a form of communication, not decoration (callback to Episode 124)

•  The prescreening questions that come before every application or showing

•  Income, credit, guarantee standards — and why consistency is what protects you

•  Why they keep initial contact on the listing app, then move to text once prescreening's done

•  Scheduling showings back to back, and running a first-come, first-qualified process

•  The one-hour confirmation text that ended their no-show problem

•  What to do (and not do) during the showing itself

•  Everything that belongs on your property information flyer

•  Bonus: the 24-hour follow-up text that tells you who's actually interested

Mentioned in This Episode:

•  Episode 124: Shop Talk — The Importance of Rental Property Photos

•  Join the waitlist for From Marketing to Move In

DoorLoop

TurboTenant

EZ Landlord Forms 

Affiliate Disclosure: This episode may contain 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 legal or financial advice. Always consult a licensed real estate attorney or CPA for guidance specific to your state, city, and situation.

Connect with Us: 

🌎 Visit our website 

📧 Subscribe to our newsletter.

👆 FREE Landlord Forms and Doc’s

🤳Text Us: 650-489-4447

📩Email us at: [email protected], [email protected] 

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Every landlord has to make the decision to DIY a task or hire it out. Something breaks, you have got your phone in one hand, ready to call the tech, and a YouTube tutorial in the other to see if you can manage the task yourself…and you are doing the math.

The idea for this episode came from a listener who asked what he should be doing himself and what he should be paying someone else to do. Honestly? It’s a pretty vague question. That is exactly why it is a good one, because it is not just one question! It’s a maintenance question, a legal question, a bookkeeping question, and a do I even want to be a property manager question.

Kevin opens the episode with the four-question filter we run before we touch anything. It takes about ten seconds, and question four is the one that surprises people, because it pushes back the other way.

Then I walk through the five things we will not hand off no matter how buried we get, including the one most landlords give away without realizing what they gave up. Kevin follows with the list where the best decision is to just spend the money.

Plus, the middle lane almost nobody knows exists, why our attorney's hourly rate makes us better DIYers, and the contractor who might be the best business decision we have ever made.

Hit play. You will walk away with a filter you can use on the very next thing that breaks.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

●     The four-question filter we run before deciding to DIY or hire out

●     Why "can I learn this on YouTube" was never the right question

●     The one rule about permits that ends the debate instantly

●     Five jobs we keep in-house no matter how busy we get

●     The work we always pay for, and the insurance risk if you don't

●     What changed in 2025 that gives your tenant twice as long to respond

●     Why holding property in an LLC removes an option you may think you have

●     The à la carte management setup most landlords never think to ask for

Episodes & Resources Mentioned

Episode 3: Spring Maintenance Checklist

Episode 109: Fall Maintenance Recap

Episode 14: Building Your Maintenance Team, Pt 1

Episode 15: Your Office Operations & Business Team, Pt 2

Episode 16: Is Holding Your Rental Property in an LLC Right for You?

Episodes 39–40: 50+ Must Ask Questions When Hiring a Property Manager

Episode 88: Should Landlords Get Their Real Estate License?

Episode 96: Tips from Our Contractor

Episode 137: Emergency Maintenance vs Routine Repairs

DoorLoop: Landlord software for larger portfolios

TurboTenant: Landlord software for newer landlords

EZ Landlord Forms: State-specific lease and notice forms

Affiliate Disclosure: This episode may contain 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. These small commissions are to benefit our business so thank you for your support.

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.

Connect with Us: 

🌎 Visit our website 

📧 Subscribe to our newsletter.

👆 FREE Landlord Forms and Doc’s

🤳Text Us: 650-489-4447

📩Email us at: [email protected], [email protected] 

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If you want to collect rent on time, stop thinking of it as something you chase. Almost every late payment we have dealt with in twenty-plus years was not a character problem. It was a design problem. And design problems you can actually fix.

We had a tenant who paid on the first of every single month, without fail. Her money did not reach our account until the fifth or sixth. She was not late. Her system was. Kevin and I walk you through what we changed after that, plus the four lease clauses we now consider non-negotiable.

Then we get into late fees, and I have to tell on my younger self a little here. We once restructured a fee and collected a few hundred extra dollars a month from one tenant for years. I called it free money at the time. Kevin explains what we know now about how California actually judges a late fee, and the one question to ask yourself before you write a number into your lease.

Plus the carrot almost nobody uses, a six-month mistake that cost nothing to fix and everything to notice, and why our software has to be able to say no when we cannot.

Hit play. By the end you will have a checklist you set up once, instead of a task you do every month.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

●     Why most late rent is a systems problem, not a tenant problem

●     The three payment methods we will not accept, and what we use instead

●     The float that turns your best tenant into a late one

●     Four lease clauses that quietly drive on-time payment

●     What California actually requires of a late fee, and the test to run on yours

●     The credit reporting carrot most self-managing landlords skip

●     Why we shut off invoicing the moment one roommate pays and the other does not

Episodes & Resources Mentioned

Episode 28: The Cash Reserves Blueprint

Episodes 32–34: Our Lease and Addendum Breakdown, A 3-Part Masterclass

Episode 49: Analyzing Credit Reports For Tenant Selection

Episode 51: The Hidden Dangers of Using Cash Apps to Collect Rent

Episode 87: Essential Communication Methods

Episode 128: AI Tools for Landlords

TurboTenant: Great for newer landlords

Innago: Completely FREE software

RentRedi: Syncs with QuickBooks Online

DoorLoop: Best for larger portfolios

Rental Kharma: Rent reporting for tenants — $10 off setup with our link LLResource25OFF 

Connect with Us: 

🌎 Visit our website 

📧 Subscribe to our newsletter.

👆 FREE Landlord Forms and Doc’s

🤳Text Us: 650-489-4447

📩Email us at: [email protected], [email protected] 

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It’s 9:40 on a Tuesday night, your phone lights up, and the toilet in your rental is leaking. Do you get in the car, or do you go to sleep and call your plumber in the morning? Emergency maintenance requests are the one call almost every landlord gets wrong at least once, in both directions.

Kevin and I are walking you through the three-tier system we use to sort what gets fixed tonight from what can wait until Thursday. You’ll get our real lists for all three tiers, including one tier item that isn’t dangerous at all but still gets us out the door.

We also get into the part most landlords miss: the item never sets the tier. The context does. Same broken toilet, different household, different answer. Plus, why it is important to understand your state and local law on habitability violations.

And because we don’t just talk about theory, we’re telling you about the neighbor’s call that ended with an evacuated building, the tenant whose bidet project left him without a toilet, and the vacant house that turned a broken supply line into an expensive lesson.

Hit play. By the end, you’ll have a framework you can hand your tenants before the phone ever rings.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

•  The two-part test we run before deciding anything is a true emergency

•  Our tier one list, plus the item that isn’t dangerous but gets a fast response

•  Why context, not the item, sets your response time

•  The middle move between driving over now and making them wait days

•  Why tier three still gets a same-day reply

•  The four things we set up at move-in so after-hours calls go well

•  A QR code trick that cut our repair calls more than anything else

Episodes & Resources Mentioned

Episode 8: Our Best Tips for a Smooth Tenant Move-In 

Episode 123: Landlord Systems: The Unit Binder 

Episode 131: Landlord vs. Tenant Maintenance 

TurboTenant: Great landlord management software for newer landlords

Innago: Completely FREE landlord management software 

RentRedi: Management software that syncs with QuickBooks Online 

DoorLoop: The best landlord management software for larger portfolios 

California Civil Code 1941.1 (habitability standards) 

California Civil Code 1942 (repair and deduct)  

Connect with Us: 

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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 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 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

Episodes & Resources Mentioned

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.

👆 FREE Landlord Forms and Doc’s

🤳Text Us: 650-489-4447

📩Email us at: [email protected], [email protected] 

➡️ Give us a review: Apple or on Spotify or YouTube 

✔️Course Waitlist

📱 Instagram, Facebook, &  Private Facebook group 

Send us Fan Mail

If you've ever stared at a lease wondering whether you need a lease addendum vs new lease entirely, this episode is for you. Kevin and I get asked this question often, and honestly, guessing wrong can leave your paperwork not holding up when you need it most.

I'm walking you through the exact test we use to decide whether a quick addendum will do, or whether it's time to start completely over with a new lease. And once you hear what our contractor found in a supposedly empty closet during a routine inspection, you'll understand exactly why this distinction matters so much.

We also get into a couple of our own near misses, including the time strangers tried to rent one of our units with zero intention of ever actually living there. Plus, I'm sharing exactly where Kevin and I get our own leases and addendums from, along with an honest, unsponsored rundown of the landlord software platforms people ask us about most.

Hit play, because by the end of this episode, you'll never have to guess which document you need again.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

•  The simple test we use to decide between an addendum and a brand new lease

•  Why one routine inspection 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

•  Where we personally get our leases and addendums from, and what it actually costs

• An honest, unsponsored breakdown of the landlord software platforms people ask about most

Episodes & Resources Mentioned

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.

👆 FREE Landlord Forms and Doc’s

🤳Text Us: 650-489-4447

📩Email us at: [email protected], [email protected] 

➡️ Give us a review: Apple or on Spotify or YouTube 

✔️Course Waitlist

📱 Instagram, Facebook, &  Private Facebook group