Many people who are involved in real estate management, who are landlords, think that it is a great way to make money. The first thing that you should know, before you read about the problems that come up, is that it really can be a lucrative business. You can make a lot of money since people will pay quite a bit of rent money in order to have the freedom of not owning the building. You can take advantage of this, using the rent money to pay off your mortgage so that you are getting the property for free. You should be aware of the problems, though, before you go into this business.
First of all, you may get tenants who will not pay the rent. They might not be able to afford it or they might just forget to pay you and never mail it in until you ask. This can make it so that you have to go to the property and demand it, threatening to throw them out. While you can technically throw them out, this is a long process that you want to avoid if possible. It can also lead to your losing money since no one will be living there. Dealing with tenants like this is the number one thing that landlords come to hate.
You may also find that you have tenants who want you to fix every little thing about the home. You might look at it and think that it is fine if the paint is only three years old, but they could want you to come through and touch up all of the scratches on the walls. Things like this can cost a lot of money. They will also cost you a lot of time. You need to be ready to provide for whatever the tenants need, though, since you are in charge of the home.
Lastly, you might have tenants who destroy the home. They could put holes in the walls when they are carrying furniture or break out a window when they are having a party. When they move out, you might have to take them to court for the damages.
No. It is a noun, although it might be used as an adjunct (landlord problems).
The landlord can correct the problems for which the house can be potentially condemned. But the landlord cannot evict the tenant just for saying that.
Being a landlord dramatically affects that individual's home owner's insurance policy. By being a landlord this individual is taking on/assuming a drastic increase.
You can get (sue) anyone for slander: your landlord is no different.
Without the tenant knowing? Certainly. Being sued often comes as a surprise. Without the landlord knowing? ... that would be more difficult, but it's possible that someone in the landlord's office initiated the suit based on standard policy without the landlord being personally aware of the details.
It depends on the laws of the state.
yes
Yes, after you are out a landlord can do anything with items you leave behind.
you can not with hold rent for any reason. write a letter to the landlord that is dated with the problem and if its not taken care of or addressed in 14 days then take the landlord to court.
Hidden costs associated with being a landlord include maintenance and repairs, property management fees, vacancies, property taxes, insurance, and unexpected expenses.
If that is a condition of your lease (in writing) then it's possible. Otherwise, you may have to take other recourse to convince the landlord that the problems needs to be repaired.
If the tenant's health issues are caused by the landlord's violation of health and building codes, then the tenant can sue the landlord. The landlord's insurance would normally get involved at this point, as opposed to being sued directly. If the tenant has special health needs that the landlord isn't meeting, then too bad, move. As long as the health and building codes are being complied with, tenants cannot force a landlord to take extraordinary measures.