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:
Want Proof You’re Special? Stats Show Real Estate Investors Far from Average
Who wants to be average? I don’t. If you’re a real estate investor and/or landlord, you probably don’t either. Even homeowners are so far ahead of renters’ wealth that it’s shocking. According to the last Federal Reserve survey (conducted every three years), the...
Kansas Rental Law Guide
Besides being home to Dorothy and Toto, Kansas is America’s second largest producer of beef cattle (second only to Texas). At a Glance: Late Fees: Kansas does not have a law limiting the amount the landlord may charge to a tenant who is late on rent. Security Deposit:...
Iowa Rental Laws Guide
Iowa, where Rob Lowe struck a goldfinch mid-air sending it to its demise with a golf ball (mistakenly, of course) while playing a round of golf at a celebrity golf tourney; the odds of this happening, 1 in 747,000,000. Being a successful landlord in Iowa has...
Indiana Rental Laws Guide
Indiana, home of the Indianapolis 500! Indiana rents have increased at about an annual increase of 1.5%, and rents account for approximately 18% of the average median income for Indiana households. Along with the casinos in Shelbyville, the gold panning in Yellowwood...
More Jurisdictions Requiring Landlords to Accept Section 8: Cue the Lawsuits
Last year, St. Louis, MO passed a law requiring landlords to accept Housing Choice Voucher (better known as Section 8) tenants. Now, the Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing and Opportunity Council (EHOC) has filed its first lawsuit against local landlord M. Jaffe...
Illinois Rental Laws Guide
Do you know how Chicago became known as the "Windy City"? Here's a hint: it has nothing to do with meteorology. The nickname was popularized by Charles A. Dana, an editor of the New York Sun who used it as an innuendo to suggest Chicago's politicians...
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