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When Your Tenant's Kid Turns 18
What's in this episode
Send us Fan Mail Most landlords don't think twice when a teenager has been living in their rental for years. But the moment that kid turns 18, something quietly shifts — and if you're not paying attention, it can cost you. In this Shorty episode of the Your Landlord Resource Podcast, Kevin and I dig into one of those landlord blind spots that doesn't announce itself until something goes wrong. We're talking about what actually happens — legally and practically — when a minor living in your rental unit becomes an adult, and why doing nothing about it is one of the riskiest moves you can make as a self-managing landlord. Here's what surprises most people: screening an 18-year-old occupant has nothing to do with income. You're not evaluating whether they can pay rent — their parent is still responsible for that. What you are doing is finding out if this adult, who now has zero legal obligation to you, has any background history you should know about before letting the situation continue unchecked. We share two real stories from our own experience — including one from our own portfolio that, honestly, we're still a little embarrassed about — and walk through the difference between addi