Passive Income Ideas For Landlords [2024]

Updated: September 22nd, 2024

Interested in earning passive income as a Landlord in 2024?

We put together a few of the best passive income ideas you can start as a Landlord today. These will help you increase your quality of life by bringing in more income for yourself or your business.

For each income idea, we’ll show you real-world examples, revenue expectations for each idea, plus some things you might need to know before you start your passive income journey as a Landlord.

Here's the full list:

1. Make passive income with a real estate investment firm ($398K/month)

Starting a real estate investment firm could be a smart move for landlords looking to supplement their income and build wealth. This type of business involves buying, managing, and selling properties to generate profit, leveraging your existing knowledge and experience in real estate. By scouting for lucrative properties, negotiating deals, and handling renovations, you could expand your portfolio and enhance your income streams.

The potential for substantial profit is significant, as the value of homes, commercial buildings, and even vacant land often appreciates over time. Additionally, rental properties continue to generate a steady income, adding a reliable source of revenue to your earnings.

If you're passionate about real estate and skilled at spotting valuable properties, this venture might be perfect for you. With careful market research, strategic planning, and diligent management, your efforts could lead to impressive financial returns, making real estate investment a promising and rewarding business opportunity.

How much you can make: $10,000 — $1,500,000/month

How long does it take to build: 210 days (?)

How We Started A $40M Real Estate Investment Fund

Equity Residences is a luxury real estate investment fund that has raised $40 million from over 200 investors, offering them access to a portfolio of luxury vacation homes for investment and personal use, with a minimum investment of $161,500 and plans to acquire a further twenty residences ranging from $1.5M to $4M.

Read by 13,259 founders

2. Make passive income with an online course sales business ($85K/month)

As a landlord, you likely have a wealth of knowledge about property management, tenant relations, and real estate investment. You could turn this expertise into a passive income stream by creating an online course that teaches others about these topics. Whether it's helping new landlords navigate tenant laws or offering tips on maintaining rental properties, there's a demand for practical, real-world advice in this field.

To get started, you would choose a specific subject that you're passionate about and create an online course tailored to your target audience. You could then sell these courses on popular e-learning platforms, reaching people from all over who are eager to learn from your experience. With the e-learning market expected to be worth over $645 billion in the next few years, there's significant potential to supplement your income through online course sales.

How much you can make: $100 — $300,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $2,000 (?)

How long does it take to build: 180 days (?)

I Make $120K/Year With My Print On Demand T-Shirt Side Hustle

A multipreneur shares how she built a successful print on demand side hustle, generating $120,000 per year through multiple brands spread over various platforms.

Read by 12,000 founders

3. Make passive income with a niche website ($107K/month)

As a landlord, starting a niche website could be a great way to supplement your income and make extra money. A niche website centers around a specialized topic, serving a dedicated audience with targeted content and products. Given your experience, you might create content about property management, rental markets, or tips for landlords.

You could share your insights, experiences, and tips for other landlords or tenants alike. Monetization options are varied—whether through affiliate marketing, ad placements, or selling digital products, your specialized content could generate income. Though it requires an investment of time in research, content creation, and SEO, a well-established niche website could become a reliable source of passive income.

If you've got a specific interest or expertise and the drive to dive deep, building a niche website could be your next rewarding project.

How much you can make: $400 — $250,000/month

How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)

How I Leveraged My LinkedIn Network To Create A $1.8M/Year Procurement Conference

DPW (Digital Procurement World) is a fast-growing conference and community in procurement that has more than tripled in revenue since launching in 2019, capping out the year at €1.8 million, with 95% of their growth coming from inbound traffic leveraging LinkedIn and applying social selling techniques.

Read by 3,594 founders

4. Make passive income with a niche blog ($31.5K/month)

Starting a niche blog could be an excellent way for you as a landlord to supplement your income by sharing your expertise in property management, rental market trends, or maintenance tips. By focusing on these specific areas, you could engage with a dedicated audience of fellow landlords, rental property investors, and tenants who are keen to learn from your practical experiences.

With a niche blog, you could create valuable content such as how-to guides on dealing with tenant issues, lists of essential maintenance tools, or reviews of property management software. Over time, as you gain followers, you could monetize your blog through affiliate links, collaborations with relevant brands, or even speaking at real estate events. This approach allows you to leverage your existing knowledge and skills to build an additional stream of passive income while helping others navigate the complexities of property management.

How much you can make: $100 — $650,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $650 (?)

How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)

How I Turned A Crappy Idea Into A $3M/Year Business

Starter Story grew to 1.4 million monthly visitors and millions in annual revenue by sharing the stories of entrepreneurs. Pat breaks down the early days and how he grew the business into something that changed his life.

Read by 77,279 founders

5. Make passive income with an ai based business solution ($55.8K/month)

As a landlord, you could supplement your income by starting an AI-based business solution that automates and enhances your property management tasks. For instance, you could use AI tools to streamline tenant screening processes, manage maintenance requests more efficiently, and even predict market trends for rental pricing. AI can handle repetitive tasks like sending rent reminders or updating listings, freeing up your time for other activities.

Moreover, AI solutions can provide you with valuable insights into tenant behavior and preferences, helping you tailor your offerings to meet market demand better. You don’t need technical expertise to get started; many AI platforms offer easy-to-use interfaces and comprehensive support systems. Given the increasing demand for AI solutions, this could be a strategic way to improve your property management while tapping into an expanding market.

How much you can make: $4,000 — $120,000/month

How long does it take to build: 125 days (?)

How We Launched A $120K/Month Audiobook Publishing Course

Mikkelsen Twins grew an online education company from scratch with over 800 students, making over 6-figures in profit every month thanks to their successful program, Audiobook Income Academy 2.0.

Read by 21,952 founders

6. Make passive income with a lead generation tool ($108K/month)

As a landlord, you could supplement your income by developing a lead generation tool, which helps businesses find potential customers. This tool could automate the often tedious process of finding client leads, making it easier for companies to focus on converting these leads into sales. By integrating with websites, social media channels, and other digital touchpoints, your lead generation tool can collect valuable data like email addresses, phone numbers, and customer interests.

The demand for efficient lead generation is high because businesses are always looking for ways to streamline their marketing efforts and grow their customer base. If you have some tech skills and an understanding of marketing, creating a lead generation tool could be a very profitable sideline. This venture could be an excellent way to diversify your income while leveraging your existing expertise in managing rental properties.

How much you can make: $1,000 — $400,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $600 (?)

How long does it take to build: 90 days (?)

How I Created A $5M/Year LinkedIn Marketing Automation Tool

Dux-Soup is a LinkedIn automation tool that helps business owners and sales & marketing professionals generate more leads, increase efficiency, and save time; with over 70,000 users and revenue of nearly $5 million, it offers automated top-of-the-funnel LinkedIn outreach activities, targeted LinkedIn campaigns and multi-touch & personalized LinkedIn drip campaigns for lead generation.

Read by 8,895 founders

7. Make passive income with a social media automation business ($148K/month)

As a landlord, you could diversify your income by starting a social media automation business. This involves creating tools and services that help small businesses and influencers schedule posts, automate interactions, and analyze data on different social media platforms. By catering to the growing need for regular and strategic social media engagement, you could tap into a market with high demand.

Your understanding of tenant relationships can translate well into managing clients and tailoring automation services to their specific needs. With some familiarity with technology and marketing, this side venture not only supplements your rental income but also leverages your existing skills and knowledge of the property management market.

How much you can make: $4,000 — $400,000/month

How long does it take to build: 50 days (?)

How I Bootstrapped A Social Media Automation Tool To $2MM/Year

MeetEdgar, a bootstrapped social media automation tool founded in 2014 by Laura Roeder, has grown to $4 million in annual recurring revenue and more than 5,000 customers, with a team size of two dozen, achieved through content marketing, social media marketing, and organic search.

Read by 15,194 founders

8. Make passive income with a wordpress plugin business ($33.4K/month)

Starting a WordPress plugin business could be a smart way for landlords to generate extra income without heavy lifting. If there are specific issues you face regularly, like managing tenant requests or organizing rental schedules, you could develop a plugin to solve these problems for other landlords and property managers.

By offering a useful solution to a common need, your plugin could attract customers willing to pay for the convenience it provides. Platforms like CodeCanyon make it easier to reach a broad audience, or you could sell directly from a blog or a dedicated website.

Since WordPress is widely used, there's a large market of potential buyers. This venture allows you to leverage your existing knowledge of the rental business to create a source of passive income.

How much you can make: $120 — $120,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $5,000 (?)

How long does it take to build: 120 days (?)

Time commitment per week: Min. 5 hours/week

How I Coded A Website Plugin Making $600 Per Month

Wheely Sales CEO Josh created a lucky wheel popup that has grown revenue from $0 to $600/month in just 4 months since getting started and has attracted over 1.1 million users to his customers’ websites, all while proving that when it comes to creating a product, competition is validation.

Read by 18,946 founders

9. Make passive income with an affiliate marketing business ($77.5K/month)

As a landlord, you could start an affiliate marketing business to supplement your income by promoting products and services that align with your existing property management activities. By recommending products related to home improvement, rental management software, or tenant services, you could earn commissions on each sale generated through your unique referral links.

To begin, you could explore partnerships with brands and companies that resonate with your needs and experiences as a landlord. For instance, if you often purchase cleaning supplies or home maintenance tools, these could be ideal products to promote to other property owners. With some effort in setting up your online presence, this side hustle could turn into a steady stream of passive income.

How much you can make: $500 — $773,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $700 (?)

How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)

My Affiliate Marketing Business Earns $500K/Year Profit [No Employees]

This case study explores how Spencer Mecham founded Buildapreneur, an affiliate marketing business, and has made over half a million dollars in profit with no employees, relying solely on content marketing through platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.

Read by 24,560 founders

10. Make passive income with a stock photography business ($14.6K/month)

As a landlord, you could supplement your income by starting a stock photography business. You already have access to various properties and unique spaces, which you could photograph to build an impressive portfolio. Stock photos are often used for marketing purposes by businesses, so high-quality images of homes, apartments, and neighborhood scenes could be in high demand.

Investing in some good photography gear and learning the basics of stock photography could open up a new stream of passive income for you. By uploading these photos to stock photography websites, you could earn money each time someone licenses your images. This is a great way to leverage your existing real estate to create extra revenue without significant ongoing effort.

How much you can make: $1,200 — $45,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $3,500 (?)

How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)

How I Started A Commercial Product Photography Business

Pro Photo Studio founder Tsour Lee Adato shares how she turned a $5k investment into a business that services over 500 clients annually and makes approximately $350k per year with plans to expand and become a 7-figure business while offering advice to fellow entrepreneurs to always be innovating, learning and growing, and not to undervalue themselves.

Read by 15,392 founders

11. Make passive income with a stock investing business ($30.3K/month)

As a landlord, starting a stock investing business could be an excellent way to supplement your income and create an additional revenue stream. By analyzing market trends and making informed trades, you could potentially generate profit beyond your rental income. With your experience in managing properties and making sound financial decisions, you likely already possess some of the analytical skills needed for success in stock investing.

Learning about financial markets might spark a new passion and provide exciting challenges. Various educational resources and user-friendly trading platforms could help you get started without much hassle. You will need to stay dedicated and continuously learn to fine-tune your strategies, but the potential for high returns makes this side hustle worth considering.

How much you can make: $4,000 — $160,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $3,500 (?)

How long does it take to build: 90 days (?)

I Launched A $54K/Year Newsletter That Finds Trending Stocks

Ticker Nerd is a monthly subscription service for investors that surfaces and analyzes trending stocks before the hype train arrives, and now has $4.5k in monthly recurring revenue from its newsletter without spending a single dollar on advertising, having validated the business via subreddits and organic Product Hunt launch strategy.

Read by 23,676 founders

12. Make passive income with a mobile app ($70.3K/month)

As a landlord, you could supplement your income by launching a mobile app tailored specifically to property management, tenant services, or even general real estate needs. Imagine creating an app that simplifies rent collection, schedules property maintenance, or even offers a platform where tenants can submit and track their maintenance requests. Such a service not only benefits you by streamlining management tasks but can also be marketed to other landlords and property managers, potentially generating additional revenue streams.

Developing a mobile app might seem daunting at first, but starting with a clear vision and either basic coding knowledge or hiring a skilled developer could set you on the right path. The focus should be on designing a user-friendly interface and ensuring your app runs smoothly without bugs. If marketed effectively, your app could attract a broad user base, leading to substantial passive income. Whether it's solving a specific problem or providing convenient services, your mobile app could tap into a growing market and offer significant financial rewards.

How much you can make: $1 — $500,000/month

How long does it take to build: 180 days (?)

We Started A $6M/Year Bachelorette Party App

BACH, an app that plans and books bachelorette parties, has grown from $0 to >$1M net revenue run rate in less than 6 months, gained over 100,000 users in their first 60 days, and has over 40,000 parties using the app this month.

Read by 10,973 founders

13. Make passive income with a YouTube channel ($72.1K/month)

If you're a landlord with a knack for creating compelling video content, starting a YouTube channel might be your next great opportunity. By sharing your expertise and experiences in property management, you could attract a wide audience interested in real estate insights, maintenance tips, and success stories.

Your channel could generate extra income through ads, sponsorships, and merchandise sales while letting you share valuable knowledge with others. Although building a successful YouTube channel takes consistency and quality, the financial rewards and personal fulfillment could make this side hustle well worth the effort.

How much you can make: $2,000 — $333,333/month

How much does it cost to start: $5,250 (?)

How long does it take to build: 30 days (?)

How A Young Entrepreneur From Nigeria Started A Profitable Blog

This case study follows the journey of a young entrepreneur from Nigeria who started a profitable blog generating a monthly revenue of $1,500+ through sales of advertising space, sponsored posts, and information products, and shares his strategies for success including a Twitter growth challenge and guest post pitches.

Read by 12,296 founders

meet the author
Pat Walls

I'm Pat Walls and I created Starter Story - a website dedicated to helping people start businesses. We interview entrepreneurs from around the world about how they started and grew their businesses.