Landlord Training Offers Useful Tips

Get information on leases, evictions, avoiding crime and problem-solving

The City of Raleigh's Landlord Training Program offers attendees a host of information about managing residential rental property during the one-day session held three times each year.

Hundreds of people have taken the landlord training class since the city began offering it in 2006. Among its fans is Debra Hyson, who owns three rental houses in Raleigh and manages a fourth house for another owner.

"It made me a more aware landlord," Hyson says. "I found it very helpful because of things I wasn't quite aware of."

The program is open to everyone with an interest in rental issues, including landlords, property managers, lawyers and real estate agents. The N.C. State Bar and the N.C. Real Estate Commission have approved the session for continuing education credits.

The course covers such topics as screening rental applicants, strengthening rental agreements and taking legal steps to resolve problems. It also addresses the federal Housing Choice Voucher Program and the role of the Raleigh Police, Inspections and Community Services departments.

Hyson took the class twice - once at the request of the property owner whose rental house she manages and a second time as a refresher.

The sessions not only gave her an understanding of the city's rental standards but also introduced her to city officials who could help her with rental issues. For instance, because of contacts she made during a training session, she knew how to get advice from the city when a tenant left an unregistered vehicle on her property.

Hyson also appreciates the manuals distributed at the meetings. "When I have a question about the code in Raleigh, what the law is, or a tenant asks me a question, I've got it right here," she says.

Hyson got into the rental business after she lost her job during a company downsizing. She bought her first property at a foreclosure auction, her second at an estate sale and her third from an investor.

"I would strongly recommend any landlord or property owner who has never taken it to take the landlord training at least once, even it is just for the information that is given out," Hyson says.