I recently shared a story for our Over The Fence series about a major wake-up call I had. A few years ago, I moved to a new country and decided to rent out my condo (versus selling it). I went into it thinking I had everything under control, but I came home to a total mess.
This was mainly because I fell into the “no news is good news” trap. Since the rent was showing up in my account every month and I didn’t want to be a nuisance from thousands of miles away, I stopped scheduling in-person walkthroughs.
By the time I actually walked back into the unit, what should have been minor wear and tear had turned into thousands of dollars in damage. I learned the hard way that just because someone is paying rent doesn’t mean they’re actually taking care of your place. It was a tough lesson on why you can’t just set it and forget it, especially when you’re far away.
I’m curious if anyone else has been through something similar. Have you ever had a property get beaten up because you weren’t there to keep an eye on things? How did you change how you handle your rentals after that?
Article url: My Tenant Trashed My Condo While I Lived Abroad — Here’s How I Recovered