I live near some rental homes and this has been my biggest lesson is to research which homes are rental homes. Some assume that they do not need property management and can get by doing everything themselves. I've owned rental property, along with insurance, a good property management company is essential.

Apparently, some do not adhere to the same thinking, because I had a series of knocks on my door on Sunday morning and it turned out to be the owner of the house across the street about her tenant. We keep to ourselves as most other residents do. I know of the owner as I've seen her in the past. What infuriated me is that was actually her second time trying to contact me about her tenant. I am not her tenant's keeper, nor am I her property management.

Her tenant has always been quiet, kept to herself, works a lot and would sometimes be gone for a week, but then she'd show back up. It's not our business and to me she's a decent neighbor as she is quiet and keeps to herself. Those are the types of neighbors that I prefer. I ended up texting the owner that we do not know anything about her tenant and that she should contract property management being that she lives out of state.

I do not understand why some assume that they can shortcut in the rental home business and think that they will have a good outcome. It's better to pay a company to handle the property management to alleviate having to be so involved. I guess some people like to learn the hard way. I just want to be left alone and not have to deal with the issues that come with nuisance tenants and careless property owners. Is there anything else you can think that is necessary when you own rental homes?