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Wellspring Property Management Blog

Blog Post How to handle a bounced check from a tenant

How to handle a bounced check from a tenant

By Wellspring Property Management Friday, September 18, 2026
Most landlords handle a bounced check the wrong way. Not because they're careless. Because their first instinct is to call the tenant, work something out, and move on. That instinct feels reasonable. In California, it can quietly destroy your legal position before you even re...
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Blog Post How to write a rent increase notice (and when to send it)

How to write a rent increase notice (and when to send it)

By Wellspring Property Management Tuesday, September 15, 2026
If you own rental property, eventually you'll need to raise the rent. It's not personal. Costs go up, the market shifts, and your investment needs to keep pace. But a lot of landlords treat the rent increase notice like a quick email or a Post-it on the door — and t...
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Blog Post California Security Deposit Return Rules: Why Mailing a Check Can Now Be the Mistake

California Security Deposit Return Rules: Why Mailing a Check Can Now Be the Mistake

By Wellspring Property Management Tuesday, September 15, 2026
California security deposit return rules have a trap in them that most self-managing landlords have not caught. It has nothing to do with what you deducted or whether your documentation was good. It is about how the money leaves your hands. If you received the security deposit o...
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Blog Post Should landlords accept cash rent payments

Should landlords accept cash rent payments

By Wellspring Property Management Thursday, September 10, 2026
There's a version of landlording that looks totally normal from the outside. Tenant pays in cash each month, landlord tucks it away, nobody complains. No portal, no receipts, no paper trail. Just a handshake and goodwill.We see this constantly in Stockton, and it almost alway...
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Blog Post Rewrite with Revision Notes

Rewrite with Revision Notes

By Wellspring Property Management Wednesday, September 9, 2026
Most landlords know the sinking feeling. The first of the month comes and goes, and the rent notification from your bank never shows up. You check the portal. Nothing. You wait another day. Still nothing. Then the texts start — "I'll have it by Friday, I promise.&q...
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Blog Post Habitability Defense in a California Eviction: What Happens When Your Tenant Blames the Repairs

Habitability Defense in a California Eviction: What Happens When Your Tenant Blames the Repairs

By Wellspring Property Management Tuesday, September 8, 2026
The habitability defense in a California eviction is the most common surprise landlords meet once a nonpayment case reaches a courtroom. You served the notice, you filed, the ledger is clean, and then the tenant tells the judge the heater never worked. For California rental prope...
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Blog Post What security deposit clauses landlords can and can't include

What security deposit clauses landlords can and can't include

By Wellspring Property Management Monday, September 7, 2026
Most landlords think the security deposit is their safety net. Write a big number into the lease, collect it at signing, and if anything goes wrong at move-out, you're covered.That's not really how it works. And if you've ever tried to keep a deposit that a tenant cha...
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Blog Post How to handle unauthorized occupants on a lease

How to handle unauthorized occupants on a lease

By Wellspring Property Management Tuesday, September 1, 2026
Finding out someone unauthorized is living in your rental is one of those moments where landlords either handle it right and come out ahead, or improvise and make everything worse. We see this constantly across the 225 properties we manage in Stockton. It's one of the most co...
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Blog Post How to Evict Someone Not on the Lease in California

How to Evict Someone Not on the Lease in California

By Wellspring Property Management Friday, August 28, 2026
If you are trying to figure out how to evict someone not on the lease in California, the honest answer is that the problem is not the person. It is your paperwork. An unlawful detainer judgment reaches the people named in it. Adults living in the unit who were never named are a s...
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Blog Post How to set up online rent collection for landlords

How to set up online rent collection for landlords

By Wellspring Property Management Wednesday, August 26, 2026
Most landlords set up an online payment portal and immediately assume their rent collection problem is solved. We see this constantly. The portal goes live, the tenant gets a login, and the owner exhales. Then month two rolls around and the rent is still late, the deposit is sitt...
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