Richmond Landlord & Rental Property Blog

Rent Collection for Landlords: How to Get Paid On Time Every Month

Most landlords don't lose money all at once. They lose it slowly, in small pieces, through late payments they let slide, partial payments they accepted without a written agreement, and phone calls that went unanswered until the first of the month became the tenth.If you own a...

Rental Property Maintenance: What Landlords Are Responsible For

Most landlords know they're supposed to "keep the property in good condition." But that's about as specific as saying you're supposed to "eat healthy." It sounds right, but it doesn't tell you what to do at 9 p.m. on a Friday when a tenant text...

Lease Agreements for Landlords: A Complete Guide

Most landlords spend more time picking a paint color than they spend reviewing their lease. Then they're shocked when something goes sideways and the document they handed their tenant doesn't actually hold up.We see this constantly. Owners come to us after a situation has...

Tenant Screening for Rental Property Owners: What You Need to Know

Most rental property owners we talk to think they already have screening figured out. They ask for a pay stub, run a quick credit check, and go with their gut after a showing. Simple enough, right?Not really.The gap between "I do some screening" and "I have a docum...

Why the Same Fixes Keep Showing Up Again: Recurring Minor Repairs in Richmond Rentals

A maintenance request comes in, a vendor handles it, and the work order closes. A few weeks later, the same problem is back. For a rental owner, the second visit is easy to wave off as bad luck. The third visit is a pattern, and patterns cost money.In PMI James River's experi...

Virginia's New 14-Day Pay or Quit Notice: What Rental Owners Need to Know

As of July 1, 2026, a Virginia landlord serving notice for unpaid rent has to give the tenant 14 days to pay, not five, under Virginia Code § 55.1-1245. That is the entire change. The rest of how an eviction moves through a Virginia court still works the way it always has. B...

Move-In and Move-Out Guide for Landlords: Protect Your Property

Most rental owners do not lose money at move-out because a resident was dishonest.They lose money because they do not have the documentation to prove what changed during the lease. We see this constantly. An owner calls us after a resident vacates, frustrated that they cannot cha...

Rental Property Financial Management: What Owners Should Track Beyond Monthly Cash Flow

Most rental property owners know the monthly rent number cold. They can usually name the lease start date, the resident, the mortgage payment, and what tends to land in their bank account after a normal month.Those numbers matter, but they are not the whole investment. Month-to-m...

Proactive Property Maintenance: Protecting Assets, Preserving Income, and Preventing Vacancies

When a rental underperforms in the Richmond Metro, maintenance is almost always on the short list of causes, but rarely for the reason owners expect. The problem is usually not that too much maintenance is being done. It is that the wrong work happens at the wrong time, or does n...

The Eviction Process for Landlords in Virginia: A Step-by-Step Guide

You bought a rental property to build wealth, not to become an amateur attorney navigating court filings, notice requirements, and county-specific sheriff schedules. But here you are, dealing with a tenant who has not paid in two months and wondering what you are actually allowed...