I Thought Being a Landlord Was About the Property. Turns Out, It's Also About the Tenants.

I Thought Being a Landlord Was About the Property. Turns Out, It's Also About the Tenants.

So, I'm a landlord now. Sort of.

Don't get too excited. I only have two rental units so far. 😂

But even with just two, I've already learned something I didn't expect: renting out a property isn't only about the property. The person living in it matters just as much.

The house I almost stopped renting out

My first rental is a two-bedroom house and lot in the hometown where I grew up. (Yes, the same one where my rent is probably too low.)

Before my current tenants, I was close to giving up on renting it out. I was so tired of chasing payments. Message, follow up, wait, follow up again. Every single month.

At one point I thought, you know what? Hayaan ko na lang. I'd rather have an empty house than deal with that stress every month.

Maybe I just had difficult tenants. Maybe I was unlucky. Either way, I didn't have the energy for it anymore.

Then a couple messaged me. Both of them are VAs, with two kids.

I was honest with them from the start. I told them I'd actually decided to stop renting out the house because I was tired of running after payments. If they still wanted it, I only had one request: please pay on time.

They've been renting since 2023. And they've paid on time every single month.

No chasing. No reminders. Honestly, I couldn't ask for better tenants.

Then came the second one

My second rental is a small studio unit. The tenant is also an online worker.

But this one has been a different story.

There are times when he doesn't reply to my messages or answer my calls. And when you're responsible for a property and you can't reach the person living in it, nakaka-stress talaga.

Eventually, I had to tell him that if I couldn't reach him, I might have to ask him to leave.

I really don't want to do that. But I also don't want renting out a place to become another thing that drains me.

What I'm realising

A good tenant can make being a landlord feel easy. A difficult one can make even a simple little unit feel complicated.

I've always loved real estate, even the complicated parts. But when I got into property, I was mostly thinking about getting the next one. I didn't think much about everything that comes after. Repairs. Keeping track of payments. Talking to tenants. And sometimes, dealing with situations you'd really rather not deal with.

That's part of it. Walang shortcut.

I want to be fair to my tenants. I want them to feel at home. But I also want to take care of something I worked hard for.

I think that's the balance. Being kind doesn't mean letting people ignore what you agreed on. And earning rent doesn't mean you have to accept constant stress.

If you're thinking of renting out a place

Say your one non-negotiable at the start. For me, it was paying on time. Being honest about it from day one made a big difference with my first tenants.

Choose your tenant as carefully as you chose the property. Ask questions. Talk to them properly before you say yes. The right person matters more than you think.

Agree on how you'll keep in touch. If you need them to reply to messages within a day or two, tell them early, not when there's already a problem.

Count your peace of mind as part of the earnings. A unit that pays a little less but never stresses you out can be worth more than one that pays more but keeps you up at night.

Still learning

My first tenants reminded me that renting can actually be simple when you have responsible people on the other side.

My second tenant is reminding me why I almost gave up in the first place. 😂

And that's okay. I'm learning as I go. I don't have it all figured out, and I'm not trying to look like I do.

Money matters. But so does your time, your energy, and your peace of mind.

Two units in, and I'm learning that being a landlord is really about people. Managing them, managing expectations, and knowing my own limits. ☕

Your turn: Have you rented out a place, or been a tenant yourself? What made it easy, or hard? Tell me in the comments.