How to keep a good tenant

A good tenant pays on time, takes care of the place, and tells you when something's wrong. Losing one means cleaning, repairs, re-listing, and screening all over again, plus the rent you miss while the unit sits empty.

Keeping one comes down to a few basics, handled well.

1. Make rent easy to pay

The easier rent is to pay, the easier it is to pay on time.

Tenants pay by bank transfer or card, and autopay sends rent out on schedule every month. Reminders go out before rent is due, late fees apply on the rules you set, and every payment is recorded against the property.

On your side, give your rent a home of its own. Open an FDIC-insured account through RentSpree*, and the rent you collect can land there automatically, separate from your personal money. That makes it easy to see what the rental actually brings in.

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2. Reward them for paying on time

When you collect rent through RentSpree, your tenants can build credit history and earn rewards just for paying rent, at no extra cost to you or them.

Their on-time payments are reported to Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion, and every on-time payment earns points toward gift cards, home essentials, and giveaway entries. That's $250+ in benefits for your tenant. Late, partial, and missed payments are never reported.

There's nothing extra for you to set up. Tenants see the option when they set up their rent payment, turning it on is their choice, and this guide walks them through it.

RentSpree's credit building and rewards program is powered by Piñata.

3. Make sure they're covered

A burst pipe or a break-in is stressful for anyone. Your landlord policy generally covers the building, not your tenant's belongings. Renters insurance helps cover those, and most policies include liability coverage too.

Many leases require renters insurance, and tenants can get a quote right from their RentSpree account.

Their policy covers their things. Yours covers the property, and you can get a landlord insurance quote through RentSpree too.

4. Have a plan for maintenance

Repairs don't wait for a convenient time. A plan made before something breaks means it gets handled quickly when it does.

Tenants submit maintenance requests through RentSpree, so every issue lands in one place with the details you need, without the back-and-forth texts.

With Landlord PRO, Rental Assistant takes tenant questions and maintenance requests off your plate. Tenants can ask questions about their lease and report issues, and requests reach you with photos and details already gathered. You approve the work and the cost, and in covered areas a local pro takes it from there.

Learn about Rental Assistant

5. Keep the place in good shape

Good tenants notice when a place is looked after. Routine upkeep, like servicing the furnace before winter or clearing the gutters in fall, keeps small problems from turning into big repairs. A small upgrade at renewal time, like a new faucet or brighter light fixtures, shows your tenant you're invested in the place too.

When your tenant flags something, you don't have to start from scratch. Find a contractor through Thumbtack right from their maintenance request, on any plan. Compare profiles and ratings, choose who to contact, and decide what happens next.

Pros shown are sourced and rated by Thumbtack. RentSpree does not vet or endorse these contractors.

Keep it all in one place

When rent and maintenance run through RentSpree, your rental's records end up in one place.

Every rent payment is recorded against the property, so payment history is ready for a renewal conversation or tax season. Expenses sit right next to it: add what you pay a pro or a supplier, and income and expenses stay categorized for each property. Maintenance requests stay on the property's record too, with the details, the date, and the pros you saw for each one.

When a tenant asks about a past payment or a repair, the answer is already in your account. So is the bigger picture: what the rental earns, what it costs, and what's been done to it.

Keep the good ones

Good tenants stay where renting is easy: rent that's simple to pay, coverage from day one, repairs that get handled, a place that's looked after, and a reward for paying on time. You can set up all 5 from one RentSpree account.

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*Banking services provided by i3 Bank, Member FDIC.

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