Leasing & Onboarding New Renters
Everything you need to know about signing new lease agreements and onboarding new tenants.
Preparing to sign a lease agreement?
Don’t sign it lightly.
Have you collected rental applications from a large pool of candidates? Have you run credit, criminal and eviction reports on all applicants? Collected application fees or charged the screening reports to the renter, to verify they’re committed?
If you’ve done all that, and made all the phone calls to verify income, employment, housing history, etc., and you feel 100% rock solid about this tenant… now you need to make sure you have a defensive lease agreement.
Think of your lease agreement as your shield, your armor. Most state landlord-tenant laws are extremely tenant-friendly, and designed to protect the renter, not the landlord. That means you’re responsible for protecting yourself.
How do you do that? With a comprehensive, protective lease package. Read on for more details, and happy leasing!
“Required Reading” – Start Here First!
Want more? We have you covered! Here’s some further reading on lease agreements, security deposits, move-in and everything else you need to know about onboarding new renters.
Full Library of Leasing & New Tenancy Articles:
How to Talk to Your Partner About Money Without It Turning Into a Fight
The Short Version: Why couples who agree on almost everything else still fight constantly about money and the specific dynamic driving it The mistake most financially-minded partners make that quietly builds resentment instead of alignment What Brian and his wife...
What Millionaires Actually Do With Their Money (It’s Probably Not What You Think)
The Short Version: What the peer network for investors with $100M+ in net worth is doing with their money in 2026... and why it's surprisingly boring The behavioral trait that separates people who stay wealthy from people who earn a lot but never quite get there Why...
Why “The 2% Investing Rule” Failed Me
The Short Version: The rental property that ticked every box on a popular checklist and still bled cash... and why that's more common than people admit The category of costs that never appears on a proforma but consistently destroys real estate returns Why simple...
“The Lifestyle Looper” – America’s Fastest Growing Financial Trap
The Short Version: The name financial planners use for the pattern that traps professionals earning $150K-$500K... and why it's almost impossible to spot from the inside Why your last raise almost certainly didn't improve your financial position at all The...
Why Doesn’t 6-Figures Feel Like You “Made It” Anymore?
The Short Version: Why Yale University now considers a $200,000 household income 'low income'... and what that signals about wealth in America The Goldman Sachs finding that shocked financial planners: the income bracket most likely to live paycheck to paycheck The...
Billions in Deferred Capital Gains Become Taxable This Year. Here’s Where That Capital Lands Next.
The Short Version: Current Qualified Opportunity Zone designations expire at the end of 2026, meaning investors who deferred capital gains face a taxable event regardless of whether they've exited their fund position Congress made the QOZ program permanent but with...
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