Letters: Taxes cut into rental property upkeep

As a landlord who has owned a few rental properties over the past 25 years, I think people are overlooking one reason some people allow these properties to deteriorate: the increased cost of maintaining and owning a tenant-occupied home.

When we first began renting, everybody paid school property taxes. Now property taxes for school operating costs are not paid by homeowners, but rental property is still taxed, and its tax valuation is set much higher than owner-occupied homes.

Last year, the taxable value of our Lexington County home was decreased by 11 percent, and our taxes were reduced by $243. The value of a tenant-occupied home in Lexington County went up 5 percent and had school taxes of $3,955 and a total tax bill of $5,327 for a home valued at $195,547.

Property tax equity might help landlords afford to better maintain rental homes.