Should You Rent Your House If It Doesn’t Sell?

by Frank Regina

If your house has been sitting on the market and the right offer hasn’t come along, you might be asking yourself: what now? For a lot of homeowners, the next thought is: should I just rent it instead?

That’s where something called the “accidental landlord” comes in. In plain English, that’s when someone tries to sell, doesn’t get the price they want, and ends up renting the house out while they wait for the market to improve.

Why This Is Happening More Right Now

We’re seeing more of this today because sales have slowed. Higher interest rates have made it harder for buyers to qualify, and that means some listings sit longer than expected. Instead of lowering their asking price, some sellers decide to rent their home out to cover costs until things pick back up.

On the surface, renting might sound like a smart back-up plan. But here’s the part most people don’t realize: being a landlord wasn’t your original goal for a reason. It comes with more responsibility, more stress, and more financial risk than you might expect.

Before you go down that road, ask yourself these three questions:

1. Does Your House Really Work as a Rental?

Not every property makes sense as a rental. Think about:

Are you moving out of state? Long-distance management is tough.
Does the house need repairs before someone else can move in? That’s more time and money.
Is your neighborhood one that renters even look for?

If those answers raise doubts, selling might still be the smarter play.

2. Are You Ready To Be a Landlord?

People picture passive income rolling in every month, but in reality, it often looks like:

Calls at midnight about broken air conditioners.
Tracking down late rent.
Covering repair bills for damage between tenants.

Unless you’ve got cash set aside, time to manage the headaches, and the patience to deal with tenants, it can turn into a second job.

3. Have You Looked at the True Costs?

Here are just a few of the “hidden” costs of renting:

Landlord insurance (usually about 25% more than a regular policy).
Property management fees if you don’t want the hassle (around 10% of rent).
Vacancy gaps where you’re paying the mortgage without rental income.
Ongoing maintenance and tenant turnover.

Those numbers add up fast — and sometimes wipe out the profit you thought you’d make.

The Smarter Move

For some people, renting can work. But if the only reason you’re considering it is because your house didn’t sell, there’s often a better solution: revisit your selling strategy.

That could mean adjusting the price, updating the marketing, or relaunching your listing so it doesn’t sit stale. I’ve helped plenty of sellers in this exact situation — and when we go back to market with the right plan, the results are very different.

Bottom Line

Before you decide to rent, weigh the real pros and cons. Becoming a landlord sounds easier than it is, and for many homeowners, it ends up costing more time, money, and stress than it’s worth.

If you’d rather get your home sold and move on with your life, let’s talk. We can put a fresh plan in place that attracts the right buyers and gets the job done.

📞 702-460-4965
🌐 FrankRegina.com
— Frank Regina, eXp Realty