The 12 Most Popular Articles from 2015

Landlordology and Cozy had another incredible year of education, service, and growth in 2015.

The following list showcases our most popular articles and tips from 2015, not including our state law summaries which continue to rank well, and are some of our most plagiarized content (example: ours vs. theirs). I suppose copyright infringement is the greatest form of flattery :)

Without further ado, here are the most popular articles published in 2015:

12. Require Your Tenants to Give 60 Days Notice of Non-renewal

I require my tenants to give me 60 days notice of non-renewal of their lease. This guarantees that I have 60 days to try to find a new tenant. It’s a great trick that has reduced my vacancy to near zero, and saved me lots of time and money over the years.
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11. Don’t Charge a Maintenance Request Fee or Repair Deductible

Many landlords and property managers charge a fee every time a tenant submits a maintenance request or a repair is performed. This is a HORRIBLE idea and if you charge a maintenance request fee or repair deductible, you will regret it.
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10. Add HTML Symbols To Your Craigslist Ad Titles

A detailed list of fun HTML symbols. Adding a few little HTML symbols to your Craigslist ad titles can help your post stand out and enable you to find a tenant more quickly.
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9. Can a Tenant Break the Lease After a Robbery?

Your tenant just called in a panic, telling you she was robbed. She no longer feels safe living in your rental property, and wants to break her lease! What should you do? Read More »

8. How to Get Rid of Squatters

When a person unlawfully occupies a building or unused land, and refuses to leave, they are a called a squatter. If allowed to remain there for more than a few days, a squatter can have the same rights has a tenant, making it very time-consuming and expensive to remove them.
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7. 7 Extraordinary Lease Clauses That I Can’t Live Without

A lease is the foundation for the entire landlord-tenant relationship. Learn about my very favorite lease clauses, and how they can help you. These clauses will protect you from unexpected situations and unruly tenants.
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6. How to Build an Emergency Fund for your Rental Properties

Learn how to calculate and build a minimum emergency fund for your rental properties so that you are prepared for unexpected expenses, repairs, and vacancy. When you have an emergency fund, unexpected expenses aren’t so scary. Be prepared, learn how.
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5. “Cash for Keys” will Motivate Bad Tenants to Move Out Quickly

Offering “cash for keys” is an effective method of motivating bad or delinquent tenants to vacate a property, and will save you a lot of time, money and headache. The formal eviction process is long and expensive. You can motivate your tenants to move-out voluntarily offering to give them some cash.
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4. The 10 Types of Notices for Every Landlord

Landlords are required to give “proper notice” to tenants in many situations. This article reviews the 10 different types of notices, and how and when to use them.
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3. How to Deal with Bed Bugs at Your Rental Property

Bed bugs can be a horrible problem to have, but who should pay to have them treated? Learn how to handle a bed bug situation at your rental property.
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2. Tenants’ Rights when Selling an Occupied Rental Property

There are many reasons why you might sell a rental property. Learn how to handle month-to-month agreements and fixed-term leases when selling a rental property, while ensuring that you don’t violate your tenants’ rights.
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1. How to Raise the Rent in 4 Easy Steps [Free Template]

Raising the rent is easier than you think. Learn how to increase the rent without causing your tenants to leave or get angry with you. Included in this article is a free rent increase letter template.
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