Ask anyone what a property manager does and you’ll usually get the same answer: she collects the rent and fixes the odd leaky tap. It sounds simple enough. It’s also wrong, and the gap between that picture and the real job is where most landlords get into trouble.
Maria Litinetsky manages rental properties, and she has heard every version of that assumption. Some come from tenants, some from owners who are new to letting, and a few from people who have done it for years and never questioned their habits. She has watched small shortcuts turn into large bills. She has also seen how much a few plain, steady routines can prevent.
What she does isn’t complicated, but it does go against a lot of what people take for granted. She screens tenants slowly when everyone says to fill the vacancy fast. She writes leases in plain language when most people copy one from somewhere and hope for the best. She answers messages quickly, even when the answer is “I don’t know yet.”
Here are five common myths about the job, and what Maria actually does instead.
Myth 1: The work is collecting rent.
Rent is the easy part. The real job is everything around it: repairs, paperwork, tenant questions, and the problem that arrives at 9 p.m. on a Friday. Maria Litinetsky treats rent day as the one predictable thing in a week full of surprises.
Myth 2: Any tenant will do if the rent is right.
This is the expensive one. A high rent from a bad tenant can disappear in unpaid bills, damage and legal costs. Maria screens slowly. She checks references, confirms income and speaks to the previous landlord, even when it feels like overkill. A reliable tenant at a fair price wins every time.
Myth 3: Leases are boilerplate.
Most people sign them without reading and most landlords copy one from somewhere. Maria Litinetsky writes hers in plain language and makes sure the basics are clear: who pays for what, when rent is due, what happens when something breaks. Many disputes start with two people who assumed different things and never wrote them down.
Myth 4: Small repairs can wait.
They can, but it costs more. A dripping tap turns into a warped floor. A flickering light turns into an electrician’s bill. Maria Litinetsky keeps a few tradespeople she trusts and calls them early. Inspections work the same way. She gives proper notice and keeps it friendly, so tenants see it’s about looking after the building.
Myth 5: Being firm means being distant.
Rules matter, and she applies them evenly. But she also replies quickly, even if the answer is only “I don’t know yet, I’ll update you Thursday.” Silence is what turns a small complaint into a big one. Tenants who hit a rough month also tend to speak up sooner when the manager is easy to reach.
What holds it together
None of this works without decent records. Rent dates, repair schedules and lease renewals sit in one place, and she sets money aside for repairs before anything breaks. It’s the same habit she brings to the stock market, where she sets her limits first and reacts less.
And when the week has been all callouts and complaints, she goes to a Zumba class, turns the music up and doesn’t think about boilers for an hour.
For more information please visit:-
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https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-litinetsky-4906061a3/
https://www.instapaper.com/p/7701621
https://www.diigo.com/profile/marialitinetsky
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