Real estate is a pretty lucrative investment, especially in Lowell, MA where the housing market has seen a good bounceback from the the recession of the past decade. One of the major issues though, and this happens an awful lot, is that folks like the investment end of property, but aren’t so into the concept of managing or keeping up the property for their tenants. Rending property is not a one off investment where you can simply sit back and rake in the dough. On the contrary, in order to make money in real estate lowell ma you have to provide your tenants with an actual service.

Nowadays, it’s not unusual for older folks to sell off their houses and go to a rental arrangement to avoid costly upkeep on their homes, or putting in a lot of manual labor. So they rent the property in the hopes that the landlord will have a skilled property manager that will address issues and concerns with the property in a timely manner. That doesn’t always happen though, so here’s what to look for in a bad landlord.

#1. They Seem Evasive When You Anticipate Issues With the Property

If you’re seeing some signs of molding in the wall, and you point this out to them and they either try to downplay the issue, or evade the question, you’re not dealing with someone who is going to take your concerns seriously and is in fact more likely to be looking for someone to cash in on.

This happens more often than it should. If you notice a pest problem or a mold, and they’re showing the property to you anyway, then you should take that as a sign that they're not concerned with your health and wellbeing at all.

#2. The Landlord Doesn’t Bother Setting Up a Lease

A typical landlord will either set up a 1 year or 6 month lease, and if all goes well, then they’ll either have you sign an extension, or put you on month to month.

If you’re moving into a place and the landlord doesn’t bother setting up a lease, then they’re probably not overly invested in their property, they’re just looking for a return.

#3. Bad Landlord Score

You can search online for information on individual landlords, and landlords with extremely poor scores have probably gotten them for a good reason. Typically, they won’t respond to your issues, don’t keep up the property, and after several bad tenant reviews, the place is likely to be several times worse than it was when those folks were giving it bad reviews. The effects of bad property management tend to be cumulative.

The idea is to do your due diligence and research the landlord and look over the property before you put anything in writing, because a bad landlord can turn your life into a living hell.