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Having been on both sides of this equation, I can tell you it ain't easy being a landlord! I had to conduminiums that were rental properties for almost a decade. Even with a good property manager, it wasn't easy but in the end it was a good investment. I had a deliquent tenant that couldn't be evicted after failing to pay rent for several months because on the morning the local sheriff's department went by the property there was a light snowfall and state law prohibitted evictions while it was snowing. Not only did we not get the rent from him, there was damage to the condo that we had to fix out of pocket (his security deposit did not cover it). We also rented while stationed overseas, and did our absolute best to return the property to the condition it was in when we moved in. Our last landlords in Belgium were amazed at how much effort we put into to cleaning and repairing the house before leaving, they said they expected some wear and tear but we felt it was our responsibility to bring it back up to standards. Treat the property like it was your own. Wait, scratch that, treat it better than if it was yours!