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The Book on Managing Rental Properties: Find, Screen, and Manage Tenants With Fewer Headaches and Maximum Profits

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From the top-selling author ofThe Book on Rental Property Investing, this companion book will be your comprehensive guide to effectively managing tenants in your rental properties.

No matter how great you are at finding real estate deals, you could lose everything if you don’t manage your properties correctly. However, being a landlord doesn’t have to mean middle-of-the-night phone calls, costly evictions, or daily frustrations with ungrateful tenants. Being a landlord can be fun―but only if you do it right!

Learning to effectively manage your tenants means more freedom, less drama, and higher profits from your real estate business. Written with both new and experienced landlords in mind, this comprehensive book takes you on an insider tour of the Turners’ management business. Discover exactly how they’ve been able to maximize profit, minimize stress, and have a blast doing it. Through personal stories of the mistakes and successes they’ve experienced, you’ll learn every trick, tool, and system you need to manage your rentals―and change the way you think about property management altogether.

Inside, you’ll discover:
- The subtle mindset shift that will increase your chance at success one hundred times over
- Low-cost strategies to attract the best tenants who won’t rip you off
- Seven types of tenants you should never rent to
- Nineteen provisions that your rental lease should include in order to protect yourself
- Practical tips to assure your tenant pays on time and stays long-term
- How to take the pain and stress out of your bookkeeping and taxes
- And much more!

392 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 1, 2020

770 people are currently reading
3407 people want to read

About the author

Brandon Turner

38 books366 followers
Brandon Turner is an author, entrepreneur, and active real estate investor with more than 500 rental units and dozens of rehabs under his belt. He is the Vice President of BiggerPockets, co-host of The BiggerPockets Podcast, and author of four books, including The Book on Rental Property Investing and How to Invest in Real Estate. Brandon has also been featured in numerous online and print publications—like Forbes.com, Entrepreneur.com, and Money Magazine—where he enjoys showing others the power and impact of real estate investing and financial freedom. A life-long adventurer, Brandon (along with his wife and daughter) splits his time between his home in Maui, Hawaii and various other destinations around the globe.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
Profile Image for Zaerdy.
4 reviews
August 18, 2017
Grab something to take notes, because you're gonna need it. This book is as comprehensive as it gets, filled with solid concrete advices, tips, systems, techniques. Everything to bring your landlording game to its best. If you've ever listened to the biggerpockets podcasts, I'll recognize the same tone and approach know from Brandan. While jam-packed with information, it's a light and easy read, illustrated with a lot of real-life anecdotes and exemples. I even LOL'd a couple of times.

Every landlord, big or small, should read this book. Even if you're subcontracting to a management company, it will help you manage your manager in a way that may just propulse your real estate investing career to a higher summit.

A must-read.

Profile Image for Kevin Siedlecki.
52 reviews5 followers
January 3, 2016
Very thorough overview of the aspects of managing rental properties. As he does on his podcast and blogs, Turner manages to emphasize the importance of taking real estate very seriously, without taking himself too seriously. His prose is clear and approachable, and he even tries to make you laugh occasionally, all while delivering excellent straightforward information.
Profile Image for Tyler.
4 reviews1 follower
October 16, 2018
A wonderful resource for landlords. I've only just recently become a real estate investor buying my first rental property and I've used this book as a reference multiple times already and I'm sure I will use it again in the future. A must have in your library for rental property owners!
Profile Image for Hussam Al Husseini.
62 reviews32 followers
May 28, 2021
The book is amazing however I didn't like as I did The Book on Rental Property Investing: How to Create Wealth with Intelligent Buy and Hold Real Estate Investing. Maybe because I am already organized in the way I think and the way I do things so I didn't learn a lot from the book. However, it is a very good book to read before starting your real estate business. One of the things I really liked about the book is the appendix, which contained a lot of forms that will help a new landlord to be professional. I summarized the book as follows:

CHAPTER 2 THE 8 BUSINESS ATTRIBUTES OF A SUCCESSFUL LANDLORD
Treat your landlording like a business, not a hobby by:
1 Implement systems and repeatable processes (simplifies decision-making, frees up management’s time, ensures customer satisfaction, and maintains financial stability)
2 Strive for continuous improvement
3 Firm but fair
4 Use outsourcing and delegating
5 Keep strict financial control
6 Focus on customer service
7 Understand the rules and laws that govern their business
8 Ask for help

CHAPTER 3 INITIAL STEPS
Do these steps before signing a lease contract:
1 Consider asset protection
2 Get insurance (full replacement coverage vs actual cash value, liability coverage, umbrella insurance policy)
3 Set up two business, not personal, bank accounts, a checking account (handles the income and expenses) and a savings account (holds the security deposit)
4 Gather forms and documents (list p44-5)
5 Create a company policy binder (list p46)
6 Get to know the neighbors
7 Set up your bookkeeping

Inherited tenants
Review existing leases (compare them to the financials and get Estoppel Agreements).
Put yourself in inherited tenants’ shoes
Search the market to price your rent.
Security deposit is important. Don't accept check for security deposits and first payments. Have it paid in full prior to moving in.

CHAPTER 4 FAIR HOUSING Know the laws.

CHAPTER 5 ADVERTISING YOUR VACANCY
In marketing, first know your target audience and make your ad preferable (rental features and benefits) to them without discriminating against others.

Where to advertise:
1 Yard signs
2 Flyers
3 Craigslist
4 Zillow
5 The local newspaper
6 Social media/Facebook
7 Existing tenants

Track your advertising results weekly by asking interested callers where they heard about your property. So you know where to keep and not keep advertising!

Take good pictures.

CHAPTER 6 TENANT PRE-SCREENING
Great tenant qualities:
1 Their ability to afford the rent payment
2 Their willingness to pay on time
3 Their long-term outlook for their job stability
4 Their cleanliness and housekeeping skills
5 Their aversion to crime, drugs, and other illegal activities
6 Their Stress Quotient

Pre-screening a tenant:
1 through your ads
2 through first communication
3 In person

Prospect tenants should fill an application of a minimum qualification standards:
1 Income must be 3 times the monthly rent
2 Tenant must have good references
3 Tenant can’t have evictions
4 Tenant must pass credit requirement
5 Tenant must pass background check

Before showing the property:
1 Phone pre-screening (ask them what they would like to know about the property, make sure they are aware of all the terms for the rental, make sure they are fully aware of the qualification standards for the home, let them talk)
2 Have them drive by the property
3 Group showings vs individual showings (or make schedules 15 mins apart)

Always confirm showing appointments to improve the show-up rate.

Make your property rent-ready.

Your safety is important as prospective tenants are strangers to you (tips on p104).

Touring: It should be in your lease that you have the right to show property while existing tenants are living in it.

11 most common questions asked by tenants:
1 I can pay six months up front. Can I move in this weekend?
2 I know you said you don't allow pets, but would a small dog be okay?
3 Can I pay my deposit in installments?
4 Can I take possession in two months?
5 Can I due date be the 15th?
6 Do you accept the ….. program?
7 Are you the owner?
8 Will you consider a short-term lease?
9 I’m in a hurry. Can I pay the rent and move in today?
10 My boyfriend/mom/sister wants to live with me, but I don't want them on the lease. It that okay?
11 What if I don't meet all of your criteria?

7 tenants we will never rent to:
1 Entitled Tim
2 Dirty Dan
3 Lazy Laura
4 Dave the dealer
5 Steve the stoner
6 Larry the lawyer
7 Dramatic Darla

CHAPTER 7 THE APPLICATION PROCESS AND TENANT SCREENING Didn't summarize!

CHAPTER 8 SIGNING THE RENTAL CONTRACT
“Make sure possible vacancies always take place when the market is perfect for a new tenant,” between June and September.

Where to find a good rental lease:
1 Ask an attorney
2 Purchase from online legal websites
3 Use property management software

22 things every lease should contain:
1 Names
2 Dates
3 Month-to-month or term
4 Address of the property
5 Guest policy
6 Subletting policy
7 Pet policy
8 Smoking policy
9 Rental price
10 Where to pay rent
11 Security deposit amount
12 Utilities
13 Rent due date
14 Late fee amount
15 Access
16 Attorney/Collection fees
17 Rules/Regulations
18 Lawn care/Pool requirements
19 Miscellaneous addendums
20 Move-in/Move-out checklist
21 Initials and signatures
22 Legal language

Where to sign the lease:
1 Your office
2 Attorney office
3 At the property

Bring new pens, take pictures and videos of the property condition and do not forget to give the new tenant his/her copy of the lease.

Keep everything in tenant file in chronological order and label the front of the file with “Quicklook Information”:
1 Name, address and contact information
2 Names of all occupants
3 Move-in date
4 Lease term
5 Deposit amount
6 Rent amount


CHAPTER 9 MANAGING TENANTS
1 Setting Office Hours. No need to make them 8 hours. A voicemail is reached outside these hours. Put another phone number just for emergency.

2 How To Collect Rent.
1 In-person cash. Don’t ever never forever!
2 Drop the rent off at the landlord’s house. Don’t ever never forever!
3 Mailing rent. Cons: tenants may lie that they mailed the rent claiming it was lost in the mailing process! Don’t let tenants mail cash.
4 A local dropbox. Too risky and low security.
5 Automated Clearing House (ACH) payments via banks but fees are expensive when you own few rentals.
6 Online payments
7 PayNearMe

3 Grade Period: “is additional time given to the tenant to pay their rent before they will be charged a late fee or given an eviction notice.” Like the rent is due on the 1st of the month and considered late after the 5th. Make all tenants have the same grace period.

4 Raising the Rent.
Make sure you are at your market rent (or slightly lower).
A slight raise annually is better than a huge raise every 5 years.
Always check landlord-tenant laws.
Try this trick: “Don’t tell them what the new rental price is going to be, but give them 3 price options to choose from. (small medium, large; basic, premium, platinum; bronze, silver, gold; regular, premium, plus). By offering 3 choices, individuals tend to compare the choices given, rather than comparing the price to other businesses.”
Tenant may complain about the raise and you may consider negotiating with him that the raise will be postponed one year!

5 Periodic Inspections.
Regular inspections every 6 months by handymen “a third party” not yourself.
State in the rent contract that “any maintenance issues that are not reported that result in further avoidable damage will be billed to them.”

Have a form “Property Inspection Checklist” and inspect the following and more:
1 Mold and mildew
2 Undocumented pets
3 Broken window blinds
4 Holes in doors or in walls
5 Evidence of extra people living in the unit
6 Smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors – make sure they exist, are up to code, and work
7 Leaks under the kitchen and bathroom sinks
8 Dripping water from the bathroom or kitchen sink
9 Dripping water from the bathtub
10 Whether the toilet is continuously running
11 General cleanliness of the property
12 Items piled against heaters or other fire dangers

6 Communications. Should be kept for 10 years. Make them documented by mail letters, phone texts or e-mails.

7 Hiring a Resident Manager.
“A resident manager is someone who lives at your property and has certain duties to carry out in exchange for either a salary or reduced/free rent… [They] are typically less expensive than hiring a professional property management company.”
Know how to manage managers.

8 6 Ways to Keep Yourself Free From Lawsuits
Beside insurance do:
1 Provide housing that is habitable
2 Provide housing that is reasonably safe
3 Get repairs taken care of quickly
4 Maintain the property well
5 Disclose and handle environmental concerns
6 Follow the lease

9 Generating Extra Income and Reducing Expenses
Increasing income: raise the rent, charge fees, charge for extra services, laundry income, extra storage
Decreasing expenses: water, sub-metering, cheaper advertising, challenge tax assessment, electricity, trash

Books to read:
1 John T. Reed’s book How to Manage Residential Property for Maximum Cash Flow
2 Al Williamson’s book 40 Ways to Increase the Net Income of Your Rental Property

CHAPTER 10 DEALING WITH PROBLEMS
1 What To Do When Tenants Don’t Pay Rent

2 Handling Tenant Maintenance and Repairs
Prepare:
1 Have a reliable list of go-to contractors and handymen that you trust
2 Create a system for documenting and tracking maintenance requests
3 Keep a detailed record of all maintenance requests and their resolutions
Once you get a call, fill the Work Order containing: date/time, tenant name, address, phone number, e-mail, description of maintenance request, date of maintenance completion, description of maintenance completed, follow-up with tenant and date, notes from follow-up. Note in the Work Order that their permission was taken for you or your workers to enter the rental with or without their being present.

3 Bounced Rent Checks, respond like what you do with tenant not paying rent.

4 Abandonment. Check the law. Document the condition of the unit and items left behind by the tenant, in writing and with pictures.

5 What to Do When a Tenant Dies. Check the law.

6 Dealing with Drugs. Cash for keys ($300-$500 to move out within 7-14 days) or eviction.

7 Lease Compliance: The 10 Most Common Problems You’ll Encounter
1 Junk outside
2 Unapproved roommates
3 Smoking
4 Pets
5 Bugs
6 Mold
7 Housekeeping
8 Noise
9 Window coverage
10 Breaking the lease

CHPATER 11 GETTING RID OF BAD TENANTS
1 Not renewing the lease

2 Cash for keys; cheaper than eviction. Pay attention to:
1 Explain to the tenant in detail what they need to do
2 Give the tenant a specific date they need to move out by
3 Give a pay or vacate notice anyway
4 Meet with the tenant
5 Inspect the property
6 Sign the paperwork
7 Hand over the cash

3 Evicting a tenant

CHAPTER 12 DEALING WITH CONTRACTORS
Types of contractors:
1 The general contractor; most expensive and easiest
2 The handyman
3 Specialists

CHAPTER 13 WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR TENANT MOVES OUT
1 Written Notice to Vacate
Tenant must provide a written notice to vacate (include it in lease agreement). It tenant didn't give sufficient notice; two options:
1 stay the extra month
2 move out but pay extra month but it new tenant comes in they receive rent refund
Except for military people, if tenant wants to move out before the term ends, he pays rent till new tenant comes in.

What if tenant wants to use deposit as last rent payment? No. ���Make sure your lease has a clause that states that the deposit may not be applied toward rent at any time.”

2 The Move-Out Packet

3 The Move-Out Inspection; with or without tenant after their stuff are out.

CHAPTER 14 BUSINESS ORGANIZATION AND BOOKKEEPING
Organize:
1 File cabinet
2 Printer/Scanner/Copier
3 Fax machine
4 Inbox
5 Key box/System
6 Bill payment system
7 Mileage tracker
8 Tenant directory
9 Phone number
10 Maintenance tracker
11 Contractor list
12 Website

Bookkeeping basics:
1 Keep things separate
2 Track receipts
3 Itemize income and expenses
4 Reconcile with your bank
5 Create accurate reports

CHAPTER 15 THIRTEEN PRINCIPLES FOR BEING AN INCREDIBLE LANDLORD
1 Commit to taking your landlording seriously
2 Run your business like a business
3 Prepare your business before signing your first lease
4 Be mindful of fair housing
5 Find incredible tenants through smart marketing
6 Pre-screen to eliminate duds
7 Use your application to screen for amazing tenants
8 Sign a solid lease
9 Train your tenant from day one
10 Handle problems carefully and effectively
11 Have a system for dealing with contractors
12 Keep organized
13 Transition tenants out carefully
Profile Image for kz.
116 reviews10 followers
April 26, 2020
Although objectively well written, the position of Land-lording as a business of managing an investment, that investment being housing and private property doesn’t guarantee that they should make a profit from the ownership of that private property. An investment is going to fail sometimes because investing is another form of gambling, although safer. The whole idea of being a landlord is a feudalist premise at that. The world has moved on from the need of landlords. Humans have a right to housing and the proposed treatment of tenants in this book is honestly appalling.

What I have learned from this book is that now I know what a landlord can be potentially thinking while they are trying to contract me into legally stealing my wages for something that should be provided to me for free.
Profile Image for Aimee Sarchet.
129 reviews1 follower
March 15, 2024
This is THE book to get started with managing rental properties. I can’t believe something this comprehensive exists for the price of a book. Don’t do what I did and take multiple years to read this. There’s a lot of good info, so it feels like you should tackle the suggestions step by step, but I think it’s probably better to breeze through the audio and refer back to sections as it is applicable.

The accompanying forms online are incredibly helpful. I refer to & use them often!

📚: Consumed via Audible and the narration is great. Picked up the print version to reference.
Profile Image for Christy Benami.
18 reviews
December 31, 2021
Super informative and helpful!! Highly recommend for anyone considering becoming a landlord or already is. This book offers great examples and scenarios to consider and ways to handle sticky situations you may not even think you’d have. The bonus documents and forms with the provided link are awesome too.
Profile Image for Brittany Lindvall.
155 reviews23 followers
February 17, 2023
This book can be a bit like drinking from a fire hose and that’s part of why it took me so long to finish. You could use it as a reference guide as you come across certain things, but I found it helpful to read all the way through. I learned quite a bit and I have no doubt I will be referencing it often (hopefully not too often). The forms in the appendix are really helpful as well.
Profile Image for Gus.
31 reviews2 followers
November 12, 2018
Wow! What a great book! I'm so glad they decided to write this book. It will help my journey to becoming a better landlord. If you any rental property this book is a must. Enough said just go buy this book already!
Profile Image for Tina Sui.
12 reviews1 follower
October 5, 2018
Educated myself about rental property management from expert who did this a thousand times. I use this book and the method in this book to guide myself on manage my own property. No BS. Very valuable.
Profile Image for Alex Anderson.
366 reviews4 followers
July 30, 2023
So informative! Highly recommend to anyone thinking about renting property. It is very comprehensive and gives detailed steps about how to do it, peppered with fun anecdotes so it wasn’t dry. The sample documents provided in the appendix and online are also helpful. While not everything is directly applicable to specific cities with more stringent tenant laws, I learned a lot!
Profile Image for Douglas Henrie.
1 review2 followers
January 3, 2019
Bought this book two rentals too late.

I have been renting to others for about three years just off of the advice from another landlord. This book went into more details than I’ve learned thus far. It is important to get advice from others in your local area but this is a great starter. I also recommend people to read this book before their first rental buy to make sure they are willing to deal with the headaches that come with the territory of being a landlord. The book goes through good and bad scenarios and how to deal with them.
Profile Image for Martine.
206 reviews3 followers
March 21, 2017
I really liked this book. It gets down to the nitty gritty and doesn't waste your time with paragraphs you don't need to read and all the forms are worth the price of the book thrice over! I was reading this while closing on our first property...so it was priceless when it came time to send the inherited (no wonder the owner wanted to sell the place) tenants on their ways. I highly recommend this book and the biggerpockets podcasts!
1 review
July 9, 2017
Thorough & Actionable

This is not like most real estate books. Many others read like a sales pitch: frustratingly repeating how great real estate is and how you'll get rich if you (insert general statement). This book is about action. It's a handbook. Do this. Here are the resources you need. Watch out for these common pitfalls. Here are the alternative solutions and why each might be best for different situations. Thank you!
Profile Image for William Lewis.
19 reviews
January 6, 2018
The nuts and bolts!

This book didn’t disappoint. It’s a readable reference with examples, stories, guidelines, and references that are beneficial for any landlord. I’ll be reading it annually to refresh myself.
2 reviews
February 25, 2016
The Best

Chock full of practical knowledge. Highly recommended. The Turners give each clear and concise actionable items to help manage your properties and your business.
Profile Image for Harry Harman.
843 reviews19 followers
Read
February 22, 2023
from a mill worker to a millionaire, but without good management, you’ll be back at the mill in no time.

Setting minimum qualification standards

Selling the property’s features (yes, landlording is about sales!)

Responding to legal threats against the landlord

for a single family house or small multifamily property, you’ll be looking at 8–12 percent of the rent in a monthly fee and a large, onetime fee each time the unit is rented . This placement fee is often 50 percent of the first month’s rent all the way up to the entire first month’s rent. In other words, if your property will rent for $1,000 per month, the property manager might earn $100 per month for their management, plus a n additional $500$1,000 each time the property is rented. Some managers also charge a “renewal fee” each year, as well as “marking up” the maintenance costs.

Of course, the other side of the coin is that by allowing a manager to look after your property, it frees up the investor to do “higher value” tasks, like finding more properties. If a management company costs $2,000 per year, but the time saved helps an investor buy one more property per year that nets him or her $5,000 in cash flow, then the savings might be worth it.

They also may negotiate “bulk rates” on their services, which could bring down the cost of some m aintenance.

don’t be afraid to fire a bad manager.

There are few “right and wrong” questions in real estate, but a whole lot of “right for me, wrong for me” questions.

When you have a system that guides how your decisions are made, there is far less chance that something could be screwed up. For example, a tenant calls and asks for an extension (more time) on the rent. If you have no sy stem for dealing with this question, you’ll be forced to make a decision on the fly, which may not be the best choice for your business. Instead, if your system has identified this potential question and determined a process for dealing with it, the stress ful situation becomes just a routine answer.

a construction worker doesn’t need to bug the foreman to ask where the wall needs to be nailed, and the tenant doesn’t need to ask the landlord if they can hang a picture on the wall.

Firm But Fair

Ask yourself: “By outsourcing certain tasks, could I achieve more money doing other tasks?”

For example, we decided early on that we didn’t like talking on the phone with tenants. So we created a system that could easily be transferred to another when desired. To do this, we created a Google Voice phone number and wrote down numerous scripts and policies to deal with 99 percent of the issues that come in. When we could finally afford to outsource that task, it was fairly painless because we had built the system with an attitude of delegation.

if you plan to be l the manager of your rentals, we’d recommend starting with the owest “dollar per hour” tasks on your todo list, as well as those tasks that you absolutely hate or are terrible at doing. Here are a few tasks you may want to take off your plate:

The most common form of income is obv iously the rent, but it doesn’t stop there. You may also receive security deposits, late fees, pet fees, storage fees, laundry fees, and more.

Expenses will range from the normal (like utilities, repairs, mortgage, etc.) to oneoff expenses (refunding security deposits, legal costs, etc.)

We like to ask tenants during the screening process, “Why are you moving?” The number one reason given is because their landlord wouldn’t respond to maintenance i ssues.

You probably want to discriminate against someone who was just evicted. You might want to discriminate against someone who has no income source. These are forms of discrimination that are allowed and encouraged.

protected classes. There are seven federally protected classes (race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, and national origin)

With 28 million real estate investors walking around America, there are plenty of investors around to talk with, to ask advice from, to get referrals from

if that LLC or asset protection entity was not set up with 100 percent accuracy or has not been maintained following 100 percent of the rules, a judge could “pierce through th e corporate veil” and go after your personal assets anyway.

Most residential banks do not loan on properties owned by an LLC. Some investors choose to transfer the property into an LLC after purchasing the property with their own name, but that can have some serious ramifications as well involving the “due on sale” clause in a mortgage. The “due on sale” clause says that if the title is transf erred, the bank has the right to call the loan due.

Typically, insurance policies will cover either $300,000 of liability, $500,000 of liability, or $1,000,000 of liability. It’s usually not too much more expensive to go with the higher levels of insurance, and the extra protection in case of a lawsuit is probably money wellspent. Another option to help protect yourself from lawsuits is through the use of an umbrella insurance policy. A n umbrella policy is used for liability purposes and is meant to extend above your property insurance policy limits. In other words, if you have $300,000 in liability coverage on your property but you get sued for $1,000,000 and lose, the umbrella policy w ill kick in on the remaining $7 so you don’t need to pay that outof-pocket.

A policy binder helps in several ways. First, it helps YOU remember that this is a business, just like any other, and will help to keep you from falling into the “hobby mentality.” It also helps you organize your thoughts on how you want to operate your business. Third, it allows you to make fewer “on the fly” decisions, and instead base your decisions on the policy. And fourth, a policy binder gives you a third party to blame (besides the lease) when tenants complain about issues, such as, “Sorry, but our company policy does not allow for pets.” The policy becomes the bad guy, not you.

We recommend building a relationship with several of the neighbors around your property. Simply stop by, introduce yourself, and give them your business card.

let’s say you purchased a triplex and the seller claimed to get $500 per month, per unit. If the lease shows just $400 per unit, you have a problem. This is actually not as rare as you might think, as sellers like to tal k about their opinion of “fair market rent” (what they think it COULD rent for) rather than what they are actually receiving. This is known as the “pro forma” rental income.

Leases can easily be altered or forged. Imagine purchasing a property, only to find out (after closing) that the lease was changed by a shady landlord. This kind of thing does happen, so you must verify the terms of the lease with each tenant before purchasing the property. This is done through an Estoppel Agreement.
Profile Image for Amandeep Bassi.
10 reviews
March 12, 2021
The review below is actually from the time I reviewed Brandon's other book which I had read first. However, that same review applies here with Brandon and Heather's books because there are not enough words out there to do justice to the amount of time, effort, resources and content put into this book for our benefit. I believe this is a pretty complete guide and it might be one of the best books I've ever read. Each page is knowledge after knowledge. So thank you to both of you.

Now going onto the previous review that applies here also...

All I can say is wow, this book is 1000% helpful with so much knowledge. There is so much knowledge!!! I virtually knew nothing about Real Estate but after reading this book I have a much better understanding and I can't thank Brandon Turner and Heather Turner enough for putting so much time and energy into this book putting down all of their knowledge because you can see it. You can feel it. This book was excellent.

I would say this, this is not a one time read. This book I believe needs to be read again and again until you know all of this of the top of your head because this book will save you from running your business into the ground and help you with becoming the most effective, most resourceful, most legal and most efficient landlord.

Thank you.
10 reviews
March 29, 2025
If you’ve ever dealt with a nightmare tenant, you know the types of headaches that come with rental property management—late rent, surprise repairs, and the ever-dreaded 2 a.m. "my toilet exploded" call. Thankfully, Brandon and Heather Turner’s book is like aspirin for your landlord struggles!

This isn’t just another dry real estate manual—it’s a lifesaver packed with practical advice on finding good tenants, screening out the bad ones, and keeping your sanity (and profits) intact. The Turners break down everything from lease agreements to handling evictions without turning your hair gray.

Key takeaways?
✔ Fewer tenant headaches (because prevention is cheaper than eviction)
✔ Maximized profits (no more leaving money on the table)
✔ Clear systems (so you’re not winging it when things go sideways)

Whether you’re a newbie landlord or a seasoned investor, this book will save you time, money, and stress. And let’s be real—in real estate, avoiding the wrong types of headaches is half the battle.

A must-read for anyone who wants to manage rentals like a pro—not a frazzled amateur. Now, if only it came with a free bottle of wine for those extra challenging tenant moments…
Profile Image for David Jr..
Author 5 books1 follower
April 11, 2021
There is a lot more to managing rental property than I could have imagined. This book wasn't around years ago when I owned a few rental properties, neither was the Bigger Pockets community.

I purchased this book over a year ago, and I'm JUST getting around to reading it now in 2021. It took me this long, as I no longer have rentals and wasn't a priority on my reading list. However, I still love the concept of owning residential rentals as a means to building wealth and enjoyed reading this book.

Recently, I spent time reflecting on all the mistakes I made as a novice landlord. Having a book like this would have been great to have. Too late to turn back time and correct all the mistakes I made, Kudos to Brandon and Heather for putting into book form all the items to think about BEFORE jumping into land-lording.

TIP: Study this book before you decide to become a landlord, definitely worth the investment in your RE investing and landlord education.
Profile Image for Cristhian.
Author 1 book3 followers
October 8, 2021
Brandon Turner wrote great books about business, when referred to materia: house, money investment.

But humans, are not just pieces of stones to use for only our personal need and profit.

I agree that a business is not an hobby, but considering people as numbers and as part of parameters, talking about a primal universal need as shelter, is not the same.

I see Brandon as a tenantfobic, I would prefer live under a bridge that having him as a landlord. I'm not surprised that his fear gave him tenants as murders, thieves, psychopats, drug dealers, house destroyers.

I'm sure he is make a lot of money, but at what price? When dealing with humans, please don't forget about sense of humanity. You can reach much better result of him, with a fair equilibrium. That is the real strenght, not imposing our explotation on others (to whom law consider the weak part in our contracts).
Profile Image for Marissa.
144 reviews9 followers
September 2, 2023
August ✅️ Here is the month's book and coffee selections!
📚 - The Book on Managing Rental Properties - so this one was like a "work" read. I thought it was well written and organized. There are tips, tricks, and advice on almost every aspect of rental property management. And while some of it seems scary (i.e. evictions, late/no payments), their strategies and policies are well explained and seem easy to follow, taking some of the "scary" out 😉 I'm not as apprehensive going into this PM adventure as I was before. I learned SO MUCH from this book. If you are in Real Estate now and thinking of self managing, or thinking about getting into real estate and wondering if self management is the way to go, READ THIS BOOK! It definitely earned a 5 Star 🌟 rating from me!
Profile Image for Melody.
13 reviews
June 20, 2019
The Book on Managing Rental Properties is packed full of information to help your land-lording business. The book includes step-by-step information, real life stories of successes and failures, how to organize your business, how to screen tenants, how to evict them, and so much more. It even comes with all the forms you’ll need (just make sure they follow the laws in your state!) I really can’t recommend this book enough... thank you Brandon and Heather for writing this book. I know I will refer to it often!
Profile Image for Kevin Luo.
141 reviews4 followers
April 13, 2022
The Book on Managing Rental Properties is another book from BiggerPockets and it does not disappoint. Brandon Turner, along with his wife, wrote this book and discussed in great detail how to find great tenants, how to be a good landlord effectively, and also operate within legal boundaries.

I previously read his book on rental property investing and this one is a great pairing. There are plenty of gems in this book on screening tenants, criteria to look for, and so on. While this can be read through, it could also be used as a reference guide for aspiring landlords.
28 reviews1 follower
November 25, 2019
best book for first time owners

When I was the first time owner, i was searching for ways to manage my rental property. This book provides a great guide for pre screening tenants, applications and also a process to manage your properties. A great book to read and has good practical tips. it also has forms to use. if you are looking for a system to manage your properties and grow, this is a must book to read.
Profile Image for Michelle.
140 reviews3 followers
March 24, 2021
This book is packed with useful information, stories, and resources.

I alternated between listening to the audiobook and reading the physical copy, but I am glad to have the book to refer back to and use regularly while managing rental properties.

*I find that most self-help/skill-teaching books have some useful nuggets and a lot of extra fluff. Not so in this case--The book on Managing Rental Properties really is helpful from start to finish!
Profile Image for M.E. Kincaid.
7 reviews
April 30, 2021
Comprehensive must-read for prospective landlords. Also helpful for any early-term real estate investor (REI) seeking to build an understanding of property management in general, to further their investment practice. Brandon and Heather Turner write in an approachable way, to inspire their readers to find their own success in the REI space. This book is a real achievement, and a significant contribution to the real estate industry.
Profile Image for Ed Barton.
1,303 reviews
October 11, 2022
Must Read For A New Landlord

My first experience as a landlord, over 20 years ago of a 5 unit in Upstate NY was nothing short of a disaster. Had I been able to read this book then, I would have avoided a ton of mistakes and not been scared away from landlording for over a decade.

This book gives all the basics, as well as bonus web content and state specific resources as well. If you are thinking about moving into rentals as a business, this book is a good choice for you.
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