A reader writes:
I never set out to be a landlord. I am a mechanic by trade, fifty-three years old, and for most of my life the only property business I knew was paying rent to somebody else. When my wife and I finally built our house, we built it on a slope, so the bottom level came out as a big open space with a bathroom that we meant for the children. Then the children grew up and left, one to Florida and one to Mandeville, and the downstairs became a place for old furniture and my tools.
Two years ago the mortgage payment went up and my hours at the garage went down around the same time. My wife said, “Why we don’t rent the bottom?” I said no at first. I did not want strangers under my house. I grew up in a yard with six families sharing one standpipe and I know how people can quarrel. But the numbers were the numbers.
So I spent about four months fixing it up on weekends. I put in a small kitchen counter and a sink, closed off the inside stairs with a proper door and lock, and made a separate entrance at the side. My son in Florida sent a little money for the tiles. I will be honest, I cut one or two corners I should not have. I did not put a separate meter at first, and that came back to bite me, which I will get to.
Our first tenant was a young man who worked at a call centre. Polite, quiet, paid on time for three months. Then he started paying late. Then half. Then he stopped answering when I knocked. I did not have a proper written agreement, just a paper we both signed that said the rent and the date. I did not know what my rights were or his. My wife wanted me to put him out straight away. I wanted to be patient because he looked like he was going through something. We argued more about that tenant than we had argued about anything in years.
In the end he left on his own, owing about two months. I was vexed for a long time. I felt stupid, like I had been taken advantage of. But when I calmed down I had to admit I had not done my part either. I never checked a reference. I never asked for a deposit. I never wrote down what was expected. I just hoped for the best because I did not want to seem hard.
Before the next tenant I went to see an attorney my pastor recommended. It cost me something, but she drew up a proper tenancy agreement and explained what I could and could not do. I also got a separate electricity meter put in, because with the first tenant I was paying his light bill and did not even realise how much until it was too late.
The second tenant is a nurse, Miss P, and her daughter who is nine. They have been with us over a year now. What I did not expect is how much they have become part of the place. My wife does the child’s hair some Saturdays. When I had the flu, Miss P checked on me every evening after her shift. When their water pump gave trouble I fixed it the same day, because I know what it is to be a tenant waiting on a landlord who does not come. It feels less like business and more like neighbours who happen to share a roof.
But I will not pretend it is all sweet. There are things I did not think about. You lose some privacy. My wife and I cannot have a loud argument without wondering who is hearing. When my grandchildren visit from abroad, there is nowhere to put them. And sometimes I resent the responsibility. If something breaks downstairs, it is my problem, even on a Sunday.
The thing that has surprised me most is what being a landlord has taught me about being fair. When I was a tenant I used to say landlords were wicked, always raising rent, never fixing anything. Now I sit on the other side and I see the bills, the property tax, the repairs. But I also see how easy it would be to squeeze a person who has nowhere else to go. When I was thinking of raising the rent this year, I sat down and looked at what Miss P earns and what I actually need. I raised it a little, not as much as I could have. My wife says I am too soft. Maybe. I just keep thinking of the Scripture that says do not hold back wages from a worker overnight, and that if you are a boss you have a Master in heaven too. I figure the same must apply to landlords.
I am writing because I know plenty of people like me who have an empty downstairs or a back room and are thinking about it. I would tell them it can be a blessing, but do not do it the way I did it the first time. Get the paperwork right. Know the person. Separate the bills. And decide before God what kind of landlord you want to be, because the money will test you.
— Winston, Clarendon
Editor’s note
Winston’s letter captures something many first-time landlords learn the hard way: kindness without structure can leave both sides worse off. A written tenancy agreement, reference checks, a deposit and separate utility meters are not signs of mistrust. They protect the relationship by making expectations clear. Tenancy laws differ between countries, so an attorney-at-law is worth consulting before you let any space. His other point is just as important. A landlord holds real power over someone’s home, and using that power fairly, as Leviticus 25 and Colossians 4:1 urge in their own settings, is part of faithful stewardship.
This article is general information only and is not financial, legal, tax or other professional advice. Please speak to a qualified professional about your own circumstances.
Reader letters may be edited for length and clarity, and names and identifying details are changed.
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