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Money
The money side of running a rental. Rent, deposits, taxes, and the numbers that keep you profitable.
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32 posts-
Rental property spreadsheet: the columns worth tracking
Which tabs a rental property spreadsheet needs, the columns on each one, the formatting habits that keep it usable for years, and the signs that it is time to move the whole thing into software. Money -
How to keep a tenant ledger, with a filled-in sample
A tenant ledger is the running record of one tenancy: every charge, every payment, and the balance after each. How to set one up, a three-month sample with a prorated first month and a bounced check, and the habits that keep it trustworthy. Money -
Which California cities require interest on security deposits?
California state law does not require interest on a security deposit, but several cities do. San Francisco, Los Angeles (for rent-stabilized units), Berkeley, and Pasadena each set a rate every year and a date it is due. Here is who is covered, the current rates, and where each city publishes the next one. Money -
Pet deposits and pet rent in California: what is legal
In California a pet deposit is part of the security deposit and has to fit under the AB 12 cap, a one-time pet fee cannot be nonrefundable, and assistance animals carry no pet charges at all. Here is how to price a pet under those rules, plus the written pet policy rule coming in 2027. Money -
How to raise the rent without losing a good tenant
A rent increase is an arithmetic problem before it is a conversation. Work out what one month of vacancy actually costs you, compare it to what the increase brings in, and the right number usually picks itself. Money -
Where a security deposit is supposed to sit while you hold it
Several states tell you exactly where deposit money has to go, who it belongs to, and what you must tell the tenant about the account. Commingling it with operating cash is a paperwork failure that can cost the whole deposit. Money -
Rent roll explained: what goes on one and how to read it
A rent roll is one row per unit showing who lives there, what they owe, and whether they paid. The columns worth having, who will ask you for one, and how to read vacancy and late rent off it in a few minutes each month. Money -
How to organize rental property expenses: file them the way Schedule E reads
The best filing system for rental expenses already exists. It is printed on Schedule E. A folder per property, a folder per expense line, a rule for receipts, and one extra folder for the invoices that are not repairs at all. Money -
ACH vs card rent payments: what costs you less (and where Zelle and Venmo fit)
On a $2,000 rent, the published card rate costs about $58 and the published ACH rate costs $5. Here is how check, cash, Zelle, Venmo, PayPal, ACH, and card compare on fees, who pays, how fast the money arrives, and what record you are left with. Money -
Security deposit alternatives: surety bonds, insurance, and monthly fees
Deposit replacement products promise a lower move-in cost for the tenant and the same protection for you. Two states have written bonds directly into their deposit statutes. Here is how the products differ and the questions to ask before you accept one. Money -
What an uninsured tenant actually costs a landlord
The exposure is not that you owe for their furniture. It is your deductible, your lost rent, your renewal rate, and a claimant with nowhere else to look. Five mechanisms, and what to do about each. Money -
Renters insurance and landlord insurance cover different things
Two policies, two jobs, almost no overlap. What your dwelling policy pays for, what the tenant's HO-4 pays for, and the gap in the middle that neither one closes unless somebody buys both. Money