Customer Reviews

The Accidental Landlord

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This is a great book if you are stuck in that unfortunate position of needing to leave and rent out your own house like I was. I found this to be an excellent source of information providing different perspectives on how to rent out a property depending on your individual situation. She points out some of the normal pitfalls people run into and how to avoid them as well as whether or not becoming a landlord is for you. Danielle does a great job of not only providing usable information but she also includes credible online sites and tools relevant to the needs of a landlord. With all the random information available out there it was extremely helpful to not only get the facts but also the tools to be successful. With the information Danielle provides in this book I was able successfully market my property, screen potential tenants (extremely important!!) and provide binding lease agreement to my tenant. I am now a successful landlord and I would highly recommend this book!

This book is an excellent first step in creating wealth as a result of not so favorable circumstances in the mortgage markets today. As relocations and moves occur through no fault of your own, this book provides an easy to understand framework of what needs to happen in order to become a successful landlord, whether intentionally or as the title indicates, by accident. It is clear that the author speaks from a position of authority and experience.

Admittedly, this last move, I became an Accidental Landlord and personally followed much of the advice in the book as it applied to my personal circumstances.

It is a great read!

About a year ago, I became an "Accidental" Landlord and I survived by talking to a few people who had rented out homes and finding free forms on the internet. As my first tenant's lease is expiring, I thought I should really read up on being a landlord to see what if anything I should do differently.

The book, however, was a big failure to me because it seemed thrown together and more about advertising the LPA (Landlord Protection Agency) considering she mentions the site more than 50 times in the book (not including the forms she lists at the end of the book that came from them). There were some other things missing in my opinion, a method to analyze whether renting is the correct option for someone and when to get out, and the correct process for renting. Considering this is written for landlord who didn't necessarily plan on it, I would have really liked to have seen some simple checklist of what someone should make sure they have covered as they rent the property out and what forms should be used at what times. These things would have been very simple to include and would have provided a lot of use to an "accidental" landlord. The book also failed to go into much detail on many of the subjects, particularly tax deductions. As an example I looked at 3 other beginning landlord books and two of the three had an additional 100-200 pages, so there was definitely more information she could and should have included.

In the end, I found that there were some good references which have led me to some valuable information that has given me some new ideas of how to approach being a landlord, but I expected a little more and I am now going to have to pick up a few additional books to find what this one was lacking.

Have you ever heard of anyone becoming a landlord by "accident"? The Accidental Landlord is an excellent guide on how to make managing a rental property as easy as possible, whether you are an "accidental landlord" or an experienced real estate professional. In it, Danielle Babb presents to you in simple terms some of the finest proven techniques and forms used by professional landlords across the United States and Canada. In addition, The Accidental Landlord is full of time saving and money making ideas. The book is loaded with many FREE "Essential Landlord Forms" from The Landlord Protection Agency. She also provides you with helpful internet sources to make your experience as a landlord easy and even fun.
I am honored to have The Landlord Protection Agency featured in Danielle Babb's latest book.

I have been in the real estate business 45 years and property management 27 years. This is the best book I have read on guidance for owners that can't sell their homes, now must become a reluctant landlord.

It is for those that wish to brave this rental business without a property manager.

SIDEBAR: I never have to sell property management. Others do that for us. Agents, other landlords, and DIY landlords that are exhausted.

If you want to learn the business and rather do it yourself - this book is for you. Great detail on all aspects of the business.

As Dr. Babb points out the tenant has exclusive possession of your home. This means that only the tenant and members of the tenant's household or those invited have a right to be there. In the lease there is a covenant of quiet enjoyment, which promises that the tenant has control over who comes into their rental.

If you as an owner can't accept those conditions, don't get into the rental business.

I recommend this book for veterans and property managers as a refresher of the stuff you need to know to manage tenants and income property.

by Lambert Munz
AUTHOR HOUSE INVESTOR'S MANUAL [...]

Kudos to Danielle Babb for thoroughly and competently addressing an issue that is much more difficult than what it appears on the surface - landlording.

When I first became a landlord I thought "this is going to be easy"...think again! Had I actually had this landlording bible before I jumped into the deep end, I would have saved myself plenty of heartache (and money) by avoiding the many mistakes I made early on. There are some things in life that some of us just have to learn the hard way...how to be a successful and competent landlord does not have to be one!

My advice to anyone looking to rent/lease their home (primary, vacation, investment) would be to read this book thoroughly first. Then, as you actually start the process of renting out the property, read it again! Then, keep it on your desk (or bookshelf - anywhere within reach) as a reference for any and all things that "pop up"..and believe me, things will pop up when you least expect it.

From preparing your property to rent to screening potential tenants to how to get rid of the tenants that burn you, Dr. Babb walks you through pretty much every possible scenario and every feasible step that you will go through as a landlord, whether this is your first rental property or your 50th.

In short...buy the book. If you don't, you are only doing yourself, your family, your property, your bank account, and your future tenants a disservice!

-Michael

There is nothing more or less in this book than many other books on the subject. I would look for almost anything that is cheaper. Landlords for dummies I think offers better information for the same price or cheaper. This book also reads like a boring textbook you might find say in the 6th grade. There is zero personality that comes through or effort to establish a relationship with the reader or the times we are in. In fact, anyone could publish a book just like this one with a some simple reasearch at the libarary or on the net.