Spying on Tenants
The main concern of every landlord is that his or her tenant will destroy the property while living there. Conscientious landlords, and the agents representing them, will try to alleviate this possibility by periodically driving by a property or dropping by for a visit. Some landlords want to take this a step further by installing tenant-cams to monitor the activities of their tenants. While this may tempting, it is illegal in Texas, and could send a landlord to jail or subject him to other penalties.
Instead, landlords should “spy” more informally. This includes making friends with neighbors who will keep an eye on the property and notify you if something looks strange. The neighbors have an interest in maintaining the integrity and quality of the neighborhood, so they have a vested interest in helping landlords out. Another way to keep an eye on tenants is to have handymen report back to the landlord after entering a home for a repair. Since handymen rely on landlords for repeat business, they also have incentive to help landlords out by reporting how clean the house is or if there is any noticeable damage. Hopefully, with enough help from third parties, landlords can keep a good eye on their investments without disrupting the privacy of their tenants.
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