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:
Turnkey Real Estate: Pros & Cons for Long-Distance Investing
The Big Picture On Turnkey Real Estate Investing: Turnkey real estate offers hands-off investing. Renovated properties are ready to rent and often pre-managed by third-party companies. Investors benefit from immediate cash flow, minimal renovation hassle, and easy...
What Happens If My Tenant Goes to Jail?
The Big Picture on What Happens If Your Tenant Goes To Jail: Include clauses in the lease agreement that allow eviction for criminal activity or felony convictions. While prevention is ideal, even the most careful landlords may face this situation. Confirm the...
Questions To Ask Before Buying a Rental Property
The Big Picture on Questions To Ask Before Buying Rental Property: Unlike stocks or REITs, selling real estate is time-consuming and costly, often taking several months and thousands of dollars. Successful rental property investors need to identify their competitive...
Real Estate Due Diligence: What Is It and How Do You Do It?
The Big Picture Due Diligence in Real Estate: Due diligence ensures real estate buyers thoroughly assess a property’s condition, neighborhood, financial potential, and risks, preventing costly surprises after purchase. This involves property inspections, title checks,...
Real Estate Investment Risks — And How to Protect Against Them
The Big Picture On The Risks of Real Estate Investment: Real estate investments carry risks such as rising interest rates, increased expenses, market stagnation, and capital loss. Sponsors often face challenges from tightening credit markets and delays in...
How to Transfer a Property to an LLC
The Big Picture On Transferring A Property To An LLC: Transferring a rental property to an LLC can protect personal assets from lawsuits, simplify ownership, and offer tax benefits through pass-through taxation. However, it may incur state tax fees and complicate...