It’s no secret that you can make a lot of money buying and owning property, but where that money comes from is a mystery to a lot of people. When it comes to rental property, there are lots of ways to make money. Check out some of these great ideas if you’re looking for ways to profit off your rental property.

1. Rent it out

If you’re tired of having no passive income, try renting out your property. At first, you’re going to use that rent money to pay off your mortgage. Once that mortgage has been paid off, however, that rent money goes straight into your pocket. While you have to keep up with home maintenance and other little things, your rental property becomes almost pure profit after you’ve paid it off.

2. Appreciation

If you’ve paid attention to the real estate market in recent years, you’ve seen how volatile it can be. One of the best ways to make money off real estate is through appreciation or an increase in the value of the property. You might pay $300,000 for a home, but that same home could be worth $350,000 a year later. This is one of the most common ways to make money through real estate investing.

3. Tax benefits

You can also benefit from being a homeowner when it’s time to do your taxes. You can receive tax breaks for a number of things involving your rental property, including depreciation, mortgage interest, property taxes, repairs and other expenses. Making sure you’re taking advantage of all these tax breaks is a crucial part of profiting off real estate, even if you have to hire a tax professional.

4. Rent to the right people

The last thing you want is to rent your property out to somebody who doesn’t take care of it. Before you accept a rental application, make sure you’re renting to the right person by vetting the applicant. An eviction background check can tell you if a renter has had prior trouble with their landlords; if they have, that’s a sign that you may want to look for another renter for your property.

5. Keep your home clean

As tempting as it might be to skimp on repairs to save money, that’s not worth it in the long run. If you want to make your home more attractive to renters and be able to charge higher rates, you need to make sure you’re staying on top of repairs. Spending a little money to hire a home repair company is well worth being able to charge more for rent and attract tenants more easily.

6. Avoid unnecessary upgrades

As important as it is to keep your home clean and fix any problems that may arise, you don’t want to spend money unnecessarily. If you want to profit off your rental property, avoid unnecessary home remodels and upgrades that can cost you more than they’re worth. When you’re considering upgrading a rental property, it’s important to consider ROI.

7. Keep up with maintenance

Maintenance is important whether you’re talking about your rental property or skincare. As a property owner, it’s your job to hire people to change the air filters in your HVAC system, snake the drains and do all the other little things that keep your property in good shape. Staying on top of maintenance also helps prevent expensive repairs, which means you save time and money.

There are lots of ways to make money off your rental property, but it’s important to understand your options. This list is just the beginning; if you want to make money off your rental property, make sure you do a little research and work hard.