Its somewhat like parenthood.

Some people genuinely consider all the ramifications of the several choices and will retain qualified experts and talented amateurs with experience...

And some just one day wake up and realize what ha come into their lives with no preparation or planning or very likely the financial or personal capacity to do it well.

It's unfair to either group to call them the same thing.

I own property in Pigtown and have had great young people as tenants however, they were students at UMD. I think this pool of (potential) renters are better because I feel they are focused on their studies and becoming professionals and thus, are less likely to trash my property and more likely to pay on time and build good credit history. I'm in the process of evicting some young tenants (who are not students) who have trashed my apt, gotten complaints from neighbors, have never paid on time or the full amount and invited "friends" to live with them but not be on the lease. They were supposed to move out on Sunday but they haven't fully vacated. I've had to deal with a LOT of whining, excuses, apologies as to why they haven't been able to move many of their things out. They are very immature and just have no concept of financial responsibility. What's worse is that I can't do anything until I go through the long and tedious eviction process and have an eviction order and sheriff on hand. I went through a very expensive renovation 3 years ago and was always responsive to tenants' issues. Also, being a young renter once too, I remember how challenging it was to find affordable apartments and so, as a property owner, I really tried to work with my tenants. But my recent experience has made me more discerning about who I rent to and more likely to ask for a bigger security deposit or a parental guarantor.

I own 64 rental units in several areas of Maryland including Ellicott City, Catonsville, Baltimore City and Dundalk. I own apartments as well as single family homes.
I have a few section 8 tenants but the large majority are non-subsidized.
My properties are always in very good condition when I hand the new tenant the keys. What happens after that is not always what I would like but it's part of the equation. Some tenants are great and others are not.
My biggest complaint is with tenants who are not responsible. This shows up in a variety of ways, from not maintaining the property, to not paying the rent on time and my current, personal favorite, not making good on promises to pay outstanding rent when given extraordinary grace to do so.
As an example, I recently had a tenant who promised for two years that he was going to pay me the $8,000 in back rent he owed with a workers compensation settlement he was receiving. This was a six figure settlement he was receiving. Just before he received the settlement he moved out, giving no notice, and went to Florida. Now, neither he or his wife will return phone calls or texts regarding this situation.
This is not an isolated incident and it is causing me to seriously rethink my tendency to have mercy on people who have fallen on hard times. I probably have $50,000 in rent that's owed me that I will never see. I don't know about everyone else but to me $50,000 is still a lot of money.
The other point I would ask of tenants is to let me know immediately if there is an issue that needs to be addressed. This could be anything from a repair to an issue with a fellow tenant. I can't do anything about problems I don't know about.

Tenants- treat the property as if it were your own. Clean up the outside and cut your grass. Its a reflection of YOU, not your landlord. Pay your rent ON TIME. NO excuses. If you feel the property is in bad shape, contact the courts and put your rent in escrow until the landlord fixes the issue. Have pride in where you live.

This seems to be Landlord heavy so far, so i'll speak as a tenant.

When I have lived in a property for 2-3 years, expect that there will be NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR, that probably means one or two small streaks on the wall, or in one case, paint chipping off of a painted hardwood floor in the high traffic areas. I left the one house in better condition than I found it in (including a list of junk left by the previous renter in the shed). I was withheld hundreds of dollars for item removal and touch up paint. I'm sorry, if its called touch up painting, then I don't think I should pay for it.

Also, i'm all for maintaining existing exterior landscaping, but when I move into a property that was void of grass and instead had a thick layer of mulch and pine straw down as a ground cover of sorts, don't then send me a letter 3 months later saying the property needs to be raked and the grass cut... what grass?!. I used kitchen scissors to cut the three bladed back... of course I had a weed infestation to deal with once I raked up THEIR mulch.

I think there are a lot of fair landlords out there, but there are plenty that are just looking to make a quick buck with no regard for how pleasant I try to be with them.

I'm a property owner.

Tenants need to communicate with landlords about everything. If the rent will be late, call and let us know. If something is broken, we want to help!

The Security Deposit is not the same as the last month's rent. If you are moving out, you cannot use the Deposit to cover the rent.

Think before you act. If you are renting someone else's home or apartment, remember that they might not like the dark purple paint on the wood floors. This comes back to communication.

And don't threaten to sue us. We are usually more experienced than you, and we go to court all the time. When people do this, it just makes me want to stop responding.

As an agent I'd like to see landlords and renters take more pride in their property. It makes it a lot easier to maintain property values and sell homes in the area.

As a landlord, I wish tenants would make an effort to blend into the neighborhood better. One of the tricky things about renting out rowhouses in quiet parts of the city is that the neighbors have a right to their quality of life. Renters are only going to live in the house for 6 months, a year, a few years... but I'm stuck dealing with that house and the neighbors for the next 40+ years, when I can retire and let me children or grandchildren take over. Getting fines for trash in the alley or having housing inspectors or the police come for noise violations is not only a waste of my time, but it's embarssing on a personal level. So, tenants--respect the neighborhood and think of your landlord's investment and ties to that area.

Most landlords (not all, sadly) try to keep their houses as nice as the rest of the houses on the block. In my case, which I point out to tenants, I try to put back a big chunk of my profits into upkeeping or upgrading the property so it's nicer than 75% of the houses on the block. This just makes good business sense, since you can deduct or depreciate the expenses off your profits for tax purposes. In the long run it pays off. So, for fellow landlords, my advice is to think about how you can put some of your profits back into the rental. It might even help you secure a better type of tenant who would normally pass over your house.

Don't deal with elite properties of md!!! they do not address any issues until it is time to get the security deposit back,then they will find any miniscule reason to withhold $. Im not exagerating

There's enough blame to go around when discussing tenants and landlords and property upkeep.
We live in a very well kept townhouse development in a popular Baltimore County area. There are a few rentals and all but one are well maintained. Of course, the one property that is the eyesore of the neighborhood is also the one that rents to tenants who don't tend to their lawns, etc. This property landlord does the minimal upkeep here and rents to less than desirable tenants. I agree with the person that pointed out that when an owner is a little more meticulous about their property, they attract more conscientious tenants be it city or county. So raise the bar landlords and have some pride, and tenants have respect for the place you live!!

To quote Jimmy McMillan, "the rent is too damn high!"

Baltimore metro area is becoming more and more unaffordable for renters, esp. single people and families with one income. Very discouraging.

@Shireen

If you want to live in an old crap hole rental property with a high risk of stray bullets rent is CHEAP.

However the price of safety is costly ie high rent.