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“Are you f-cking crazy? The last thing I want to be is a landlord.”

That was Benjamin Tupper’s reaction when his father — a former Syracuse University professor with a growing side hustle in student rental properties — asked him to take over the family business, Tupper Property Management, in the early 1990s.

To Tupper, landlords ranked near “lawyers and child molesters” at the time, he said. But today, he’s one himself.

Rent From Ben properties now populate much of Syracuse’s university neighborhood, making the 56-year-old one of the area’s most recognized landlords. What began as a reluctant inheritance has turned into a housing operation built around a philosophy Tupper believes sets him apart — treating students as collaborators, rather than just customers.

In 1992, Tupper moved to Louisiana and began working as a union organizer after earning his master’s in public administration at SU. After Tupper and his ex-wife adopted their son Isaac, the couple returned to central New York five years later because Louisiana was “not a friendly place for a multiracial family,” Tupper said.

He got involved with the landlord family business in 1998. In Syracuse, Tupper entered what he called a “12-year civil war” with his father over how the business should operate.

Tupper wanted to put more money into the homes, public art projects and the wider Syracuse community, while his father wanted to continue his “traditional” role as a landlord. Tupper described screaming matches, a thrown cellphone and a repeated threat to quit.

“Had we not been father and son, I would have been gone after six months of that garbage,” Tupper said. “And he would have probably fired me too.”

Tupper’s father finally conceded and stepped away from the business in 2010. By then, the company had grown to nearly 60 houses. Tupper rebranded from Tupper Property Management to Rent From Ben because he found the old name “boring.” He said he landed on Rent From Ben because “it’s personal and it says what it does.”

Once in charge, Tupper began to make good on his plans to change the company, installing art pieces outside a number of his properties.

When Benjamin Tupper took over his father’s rental property business, he renamed the company Rent From Ben. Tupper also installed art pieces outside of several homes. Courtesy of Lara Tupper

Some of the installations include a decorative bench and a robot sculpture. On the front lawn of 701 Euclid Ave. sits a sculpture of an atomic bomb, what Tupper has dubbed the “Spirit Bomb.”

At the time of its installation, the women’s lacrosse team was living in the house and heading to the national championship. To celebrate the team, Tupper hired an artist to paint “Cuse versus Everyone” and a female lacrosse player on that sculpture.

The design concept was inspired by World War II-era art that was painted on airplanes and bombs, Tupper said.

“That piece was (to) honor their contributions as kick-ass women’s lacrosse players, but also that they lived in that house,” Tupper said. “That was capturing a moment in time with a special group.”

Tupper’s favorite piece is located outside of 516 Euclid Ave., a house that some students nicknamed “Big Red.” The signpost resembles a large green tree, with each branch forming a directional arrow pointing to different places that are meaningful to Syracuse, like the Love Lock Bench and Cranberry Lake Biological Station.

In addition to art, Tupper has found other creative ways of engaging with the community like his annual chili cooking competition, which features his tenants’ homemade chili.

“Our experience with Ben has shown us that a landlord doesn’t always have to be always looking out for their best interest,” said Elle Kelmenson, an SU senior and Rent From Ben tenant. “He genuinely wants everything to be good with our house and for us to be having a good experience.”

She began renting from Tupper this fall and said that he does more for his tenants than the average landlords, including giving her and her roommates Wegmans gift cards to apologize for maintenance delays.

Sophomore Aiden Kayizzi, who plans to live in one of Tupper’s properties next year, praised Tupper’s communication skills throughout the renting process. He said Tupper was transparent about lease terms and answered questions directly.

Part of Tupper’s landlord “philosophy,” Kayizzi said, is respecting the ideas of students. More than half of the company’s logos, advertisements and events originated from tenant designs, Tupper said.

At the beginning of each year, Tupper reaches out to his tenants to see if any students may be interested in working for Rent From Ben’s operations. Tupper said he feels lucky to be partnered with such creative and energetic renters.

One of those renters was Tiffany Mason, who first rented from Tupper when she attended SUNY ESF. Mason graduated from ESF in 2010 and began working at Rent From Ben in 2013.

After spending over a decade with Tupper, Mason said his “vibe” and attitude shapes the company’s work environment.

Working for Tupper doesn’t feel like a chore, she said; he’s “genuinely such a good person.”

When she was a student, Mason responded to an email Tupper sent out asking if any students were interested in working for him over the summer. Mason began by cleaning and painting houses during her summer break. She now helps students sign leases, conducts rental showings and handles additional administrative work.

“The success of Rent From Ben has never been that our houses are the nicest houses,” Tupper said. “My claim to fame is that I have always made an effort to treat students as equals.”

Published on March 16, 2026 at 10:30 pm
Contact Vivian: vpcollin@syr.edu