Barter for rent?
Never!I’ve been approached by tenants asking to barter for their rent or a portion of their monthly rent. Whether they offer to paint, ‘do’ electrical work, shovel snow off the walkways, or maintain the landscaping, I always decline their offers. Regardless of their bartered skill level – it’s simply easier and more cost effective for me to hire my own contractors or do the work myself rather than risk having a tenant presume that a ‘barter approach’ would be acceptable any time they find themselves short of cash when the rent is due. Also, there is the risk of injury and a lawsuit and Section 8 tenants could lose their vouchers by working undeclared ‘side jobs’. Although some of my landlord friends do barter with their tenants for rent credit – the quality of the tenant’s work never quite matches the landlord’s expectation.
